Augusto Perez Miranda – A Spaniard fighting for the Allies in WW2

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John Vistuer sent through some photos of his grandfather, Augusto Perez Miranda, a Spaniard who fought for the allies during World War II. He started his military career in the Spanish Guardia Civil in North Africa. Then he fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Being on the losing side, he found himself in the French Foreign Legion at the start of the World War II, but ended up in the No. 1 (Spanish) Company of the Pioneer Corps of the British Army. All words are John’s.

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Spaniards in French Service During WW2

A lot of Spaniards fought in French Service in WW2. Both as complete units and as individuals. On the outbreak of WWII the French recruited heavily from Republican refugees of the recently ended Spanish Civil War. The choice for these men was remain in French internment camps or join the French army. During the course of the war these Republicans fought in most theatres, for example at Narvik, in the raid on Brest, with the Long Range Desert Group, Leclerc’s 2nd Armoured Division, the British SAS, and the French resistance. Spanish fought with the Free French Troops and in the F.F.I.

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Spaniards in Soviet Service During WW2

Many Spanish Republicans found refuge from the Spanish Civil War in the USSR. The Soviets happily drafted these men when the Germans invaded in 1941. For example Rubén Ruiz Ibarruri, the son of La Pasinaria, commanded a machine gun company of 35th Guards Rifle Division (Beevor, 1999). He was killed south of Kotluban; I think this was in Sep 1942.

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