Page 28 - All About History - Issue 09-14

Democracy

A CONTINENTAL SLANT TRAVEL LIGHT

BERETS WERE EXTREMELY POPULAR WITH A SMALL BACKPACK WITH A FEW
SPANISH CIVIL WAR VOLUNTEERS BARE NECESSITIES
Berets were ubiquitous among the Those with the foresight to bring some
ranks of the Republican forces, of their own gear might have furnished
usually found in khaki, black or themselves with a wider array of
brown, alongside ‘sabelino’ forage basics, otherwise the best-equipped
caps, army-issue M1926 helmets Republican soldiers would have had
and even cotton sunhats. In winter, a small backpack containing a metal
a woollen balaclava known as canteen and a blanket or sleeping roll.
the ‘pasa-montana’ was worn,
which had a peak that covered the
opening over the face.

THE
Anatomy BELT UP

of A LEATHER BELT WITH BRASS PLATE

Most of the Republicans’ gear was
salvaged from an earlier time,
including their leather belts, part of
A SPANISH army. It was brown leather with either
the 1926 standard issue to the Spanish
a square brass plate or buckle that bore
the branch insignia of the brigade.
CIVIL WAR STRAP YOURSELF IN

POUCHES AND SUPPORT STRAPS
REPUBLICAN Republican soldiers were only different
from the Nationalists in the variety
of their kit. If anything was standard,
they all needed ammunition, which
was often held in three rigid leather
SOLDIER pouches supported by leather Y-straps.
If the soldier was lucky enough to have
grenades, these were kept in larger
cylindrical pouches.

A MEMBER OF THE SPANISH
REPUBLICAN ARMY, FIGHTING FOR

DEMOCRACY, 1937

BEG, BORROW, STEAL

OBTAINING WEAPONS WAS A
PROBLEM FOR THE REPUBLICANS
FOOT SOLDIERS Furnishing its troops with weapons
was a problem for the Spanish
Republic, which could only receive aid
from the USSR due to the European
SHOES WERE ADAPTED TO VARIED TERRAIN AND WEATHER
The climate and terrain across Spain varies from a frozen Non-Intervention Agreement. Thus,
winter in the northern mountains to the searing heat of the the Spanish M1893, M1913 and Mausers
© Ian Jackson/The Art Agency
southern summer desert. Republican troops had a variety could be seen alongside Russian
of footwear to match: calf-length field boots or ‘granaderos’ Mosin-Nagant rifles and DP M1928
(gaiter trousers) with ankle boots. In the summer, many machine guns. Some of these had been
could be seen wearing ‘alpargatos’ sandals. in service for 40 years or more.
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