Yesterday at La Fatarella. As we left La Fatarella yesterday morning for our final showing of War is Beautiful in Barcelona, I showed Jim the excavated trenches and bunkers above the village, which were held by the XV Brigada Mixta, formerly the XV International Brigade, but officially without any Internationals. As we walked down the trench into the reconstructed bunker, it suddenly dawned on me that the day we were there was the same day seventy six years ago, that the XV Brigada Mixta held this final line before the withdrawal of the Republican Army back across the Ebro. Here is a report (in Spanish) on the excavations and the man they discovered. digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/47780/1/2012_Informe%20La%20Fatarella%202011_Gonzalez.pdf And here is Jim besside the memoria to the XV BM/XV International Brigade above the trench where Charley was found, funded and organised by Associa Lo Riu last november on the 75th anniversary of the last fight, and unveiled by the son of General Rojo. Behind Jim is a wooded hill that has a memorial to Condor Legion tank commander Gustav Trippe, who was killed by a sniper the day before Charley when the sun reflected on his binoculars. Sometimes Germans come to destroy or deface the memorial, and the locals get very sad. To me he is someones son, someones lover, someones father? He was a human being and in a situation that an individdual may find impossible to control. I often wonder what my grandchildren will sayto me years ago when talking about amargaret Thatcher. But what did you do to stop her?. I leftt the country for Holland. In memory of Charley, who was found here in the excavations three years ago, Gustav, and all those who died here seventy six years ago.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 06:48:40 +0000
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