The 11th International Brigade of the Spanish Communist Party

Less than half of the forces available for the defense of Madrid had any experience at all. The attacks will begin on November 7th, however a set of operational orders was obtained from an Italian tank which had been destroyed. This information allowed General Mieja to reposition some of his troops. There would be twice as many defenders as those available to the attacking forces. International brigades were units made up of international volunteers who arrived in Spain to help the Republican cause.