When we started the project, we assumed that the hand fan in the possession of Bernd Häber was a unique artifact, especially since it was signed in September 1938 in Spain by American, Canadian, and British volunteers fighting on the side of Republicans against Franco’s nationalist forces in Spain. The exact circumstances by which the fan was signed are still unknown.
Why was the fan in Hans (Johann) Maslowski’s possession before he passed it on to his great-nephew Bernd in East Berlin? Maslowski’s signature is missing on the fan. Hence, we assume that it was a gift that he received from the men who signed it, probably because of his personal and leadership characteristics, as a Sergeant, in his company.
“Bateria Antitanques-Brigada 129. Levante, May – Sept. 1938.”
[Anti-Tank Battery 129th Brigade – Levante, May – Sept. 1938]
During our research, we learned of similar hand fans that veterans of the International Brigades kept. Given their small size and light weight, they were convenient souvenirs for volunteers to take back home. Some of them have no signatures, like the fan from a former American volunteer, Martin Maki, that is now at the Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota. It was among the many items from and about the Spanish Civil War that his daughter, Maria Maki, had donated after his death.
There are also photos of men holding Spanish fans, signing them, and seemingly passing them around as in this photo, which shows Vladimir Ćopić, the commander of the 15th International Brigade, holding a pen ready to sign it.
We also came across a fan signed by 36 international volunteers in a catalog exhibit at the Canadian War Museum.
Finally, in response to an article published about our project in March 2021 in the magazine ¡No Pasarán! of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, Tony Fox wrote an essay about a similar signed hand fan in a 2022 edition of the same magazine. This fan, signed by 12 volunteers, is now preserved in the People’s History Museum in Manchester, England.