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La guerre civile espagnole prend une ampleur européenne par l’intervention des régimes fasciste et nazi aux côtés des nationalistes. Le camp républicain bénéficie de l’organisation de Brigades internationales par le Komintern. Composée en grande partie de militants communistes qui affluent de toute l’Europe, et même d’au-delà. Italien de l’émigration, Giovanni Pesce est l’un d’eux. Il incarne ces milieux ouvriers antifascistes qui s’inscrivent dans la tradition garibaldienne. Ce témoin montre pourtant la diversité des motivations et des idéaux de ses compagnons d’armes. Il rapporte aussi les difficultés d’adaptation psychologiques de ces volontaires, souvent inexpérimentés militairement, face à la brutalité des combats. Enfin, avec trois blessures et une action d’éclat, il incarne le courage des brigadistes et la continuité dans leur esprit du combat au cours de la Résistance pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

The Spanish Civil War took on a European scope with the intervention of the fascist and Nazi regimes on the side of the nationalists. The republican side received support from the Komintern’s organisation of the International Brigades. They were made up in a large part of communist militants who came from all over Europe, and even beyond. Italian emigrant, Giovanni Pesce was one of these. He was an exemplar of the anti-fascist working classes who continued the tradition of Garibaldi. However what this witness has to say also shows the diversity of the motivations and ideals of his comrades in arms. He also gives an account of the difficulties in psychologically adapting that these volunteers, often with no military experience, experienced when confronted with the brutality of battle. Finally, with three wounds and decorated for bravery, he embodied the courage of the brigades and the continuity in their minds of the fight in the Resistance during the Second World War.