The Spanish Civil War's Volunteers

Researcher: Jai Shah, Stuyvesant '25

Victor Franco was born in Preussa, Turkey (though this appears to be a translation error for Bursa based on the Greek name, Prusa) on January 20th, 1904. His first name was initially Haim, and Turkey was part of the Ottoman Empire, on the decline but still alive. At the time, the Empire was going through a whirlwind of change. As he grew up, the empire embroiled itself into WW1. And by the age of 14, he would witness the end of WW1 and the complete collapse of the Ottoman Empire. His home city of Bursa was occupied by Greece in the very summer of 1920 when the Turkish War of Independence kicked off, and Haim would leave from Piraeus, Greece on the Megali Hellas.

When he arrived in New York City, he passed through Ellis Island. There, he claimed to be going to his cousin Elis. Thus, on June 22nd, 1920, Haim was officially on US ground. He would soon petition for Naturalization as a US Citizen, signing his declaration of intent only three years later. He described himself as “5 ft 5 inches tall, with a fair complexion, a weight of 230 lbs, and no distinct marks, with no wife.” At the time, he listed himself as an operator. Only another three years later, he would request to become a US Citizen. Here, he became “Victor Franco; formerly known as Haime Franco.” Interestingly enough, he notes that his place of residence was now “Co. E 16 Inf. Governors Island” and his occupation was “soldier.” On December 10th, 1923, Haim enlisted into the 101st Signal Battalion (part of the National Guard). Here, he seems to have spent his time in the military until he eventually moved to 1702 Madison Ave by 1928. He would later get married to Mollie Benvenisty in 1934.

When the Spanish Civil War kicked off, it seemed strange that a Turkish-American would rise up to fight in the service of the Republic. But Victor was Jewish, and as the last name (reminiscent of a certain Nationalist) would imply, Spanish as well. Following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, large numbers of them would arrive in Turkey under the protection of Sultan Bayezid II. This, alongside the highly antisemitic policies of the German Nazis, made the battle for Spain hit far too close to home. Spain was very much “his fight,” and he sailed off in 1937 to join the battle.

While the chaos of Spain makes it hard to track his movement, what is undeniable is his arrival at the Battle of Fuentes de Ebro in October of 1937. As part of a general offensive, Generał Karol Swierczewski (also the inspiration for General Golz in For Whom the Bell Tolls) sent in the 11th and 15th International Brigades. He also had the only Heavy Tank Regiment in the entire Republican Army. The Canadians (“Mac-Paps”) and British joined the Lincolners in the offensive, and soon, the battle began with one of the largest concentrations of armored vehicles in the entire war. But very quickly, the tanks outpaced the infantry and were quickly immobilized by Nationalist fire (the very same issue the Red Army ran into during Operation Barbarossa, which led to massive losses in men and material). The attack at the end was a failure and 18 Lincolns would end up dead. Here, Victor Franco met his end as one of those 18.

He was listed as KIA and it is unknown what happened to his body. However, considering the retreat, it is likely it remained crushed in Fuentes de Ebro. Meanwhile, the disastrous battle had lost the most tanks that day then any other in the war. The purges helped continually weaken Soviet support and while accusations of sabotage were thrown around, ultimately the loss was poor strategy. The war would continue to rage on, leaving Victor Franco dead in the mud.

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Biographies/Victor Franco

Tags: KIA Turkish National Guard Fuentes de Ebro Jewish

Researcher: Jai Shah, Stuyvesant '25

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