In this week in military history, we mark the end of the Spanish Civil War on March 28, 1939, and remember the influence of the "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" on the fighting.
In 1931, after the Spanish people voted to abolish the monarchy for a liberal republic, Spanish King Alfonso XIII went into exile.
The Second Republic was proclaimed, with Spain divided between left and right - organized labor and leftist pitted against the aristocracy, the church and the military.
After two years of fighting, the Nationalists, under general Francisco Franco were able to cut Republican territory in two.
With this momentum, Franco turned his eyes and offense to Catalonia, a Republican stronghold.
In January 1939, Catalonia's capital city Barcelona, was captured, and soon after the rest of Catalonia fell, along with the Republican will to continue the fight.
The Republicans tried to negotiate a peace treaty with the Nationalists, but Franco refused.
On March 28, 1939, Franco entered Madrid in victory and the Spanish Civil War came to a end, setting the stage for a close alliance between Franco and Fascist governments in Europe.
The bloody three-year war, which offered Adolf Hitler's armed forces ample training for the Second World War which would being in less than 9 months, cost almost a million lives, making it the most devastating conflict in Spanish history.
Largely forgotten by history was the role "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" - a force of some 3,000 American citizens who volunteered for services with the Republican Loyalist forces of Spain.
Due to the politics of the time, and years following, many of the Americans who served were viewed with suspicion for volunteering - as many were pro-labor, often socialists, or even communists.
However, all were dedicated to the cause of promoting the liberal republic in Spain.
Anti-fascism, personified by the Republicans fight against Franco, was a significant motivating factor from many of the volunteers.
When World War II began, many members of the brigade were viewed as communist sympathizers or security risks.
Former members were denied military promotions so that supposed communists would not gain authority in the military.
After the war, the names of the veterans of the group were blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Join us next time for another segment of This Week in Military
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