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The Battalion of Death (Battalion Malatesta) was an Italian anarchist unit during the Spanish Civil War. The battalion was formed by a few hundred Italian anarchist exiles in France.  It was organized and funded by Diego Abad de Santillan and commanded by the Italian Camillo Berneri. 

Late March 1937, the battalion made ​​its debut parading through the Paseo de Gracia and the Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona wearing their smart uniforms and brandishing the slogan “without God nor master”. It made quite an impression on the audience.

They wore black turtleneck jerseys, olive-green uniforms with ammunition belts and a black beret with a skull and a dagger badge. The battalion consisted of both men and women. 

The last photo is of Malatesta (the shortie with the beard) with the Arditi del Popolo, who were a group of anti-fascists that formed militias in 1921 to fight Mussolini’s blackshirts. In fact, many of the arditi joined the international brigades during the Spanish Revolution. The uniforms of the Battalion Malatesta were based off the uniforms (not pictured) of the Arditi. 

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