Claus

lAeutenant~Colonel

The Imperial German Army was not exactly a breeding—ground for gnevolutionaries, nor above all, would one expect to find any such in its officer class. So, Lieutenant—C~olonel Claus officer in that Army had no idea that he would one day find himself an internationalist, and an exile from his country, fighting in a revolutionary anmy, the con- rade of Frenchmen—and one of their leaders—fighting against German troops. 3

Fort from France and Claus from Germany fought against each another in the Great War of 1914-18. In 1937, they fought in the same Brigade of the Spanish Republican Army, Claus as Brigade Chief of Staff and Fort as Battalion Commander. They are close friends.

The realisation that the Great War was engineered by Imperialists and that the peoples of the participating countries had nothing to gain and everything to lose turned the. German officer from a ji11go into an internationalist, from an imperialist into a socialist. The process ‘de- veloped after the War until in 1927 Claus was openly and actively participating in the International struggle. When the Fascist terror came into power in Germany he had to flee. His exile has been spent under the Watchful eyes of police and of Fascist agents in Holland, Belgium,- Switzerland and France.

The Generals’ revolt in Spain was scarcely a week old when Claus volunteered his help for the Spanish peozple. He was in Spain before the end of July 1936. His knowledge of aircraft was first utilised. He has many stories of those early days of outdated airplanes when mail- carrying machines were utilised as bombers and the release “mecha- nism” was a man’s hands through a l1ole in the floor!

Subsequently Claus went to the infantry, and served as a Comman- der on the Madrid and Teruel fronts in the winter of 1936. Appointed to the XV Brigade in January 1937, he became Chief of Staff when Major Nathan went to the XIV Brigade at the end of February. In this‘ capacity he served throughout the Jarama and Brunete campaigns. fWhen Brigade Commander Copic was wounded at Brunete Claus ably filled his place. When the Brigade was reorganised in August as an En- -glish—speaking Brigade Lieutenant—Colo11el Claus was transferred to gi- ve elsewhere the excellent service he gave in our Brigade.

R. F.

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