Fighting Fascism in Europe: The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Fighting Fascism in Europe: The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War
LAWRENCE CANE
DAVID E. CANE
JUDY BARRETT LITOFF
DAVID C. SMITH
Copyright Date: 2003
Published by: Fordham University Press
Pages: 268
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13wzvbz
Search for reviews of this book
Book Info
Fighting Fascism in Europe: The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Book Description:

On his first day in basic training in 1942, Lawrence Cane wrote his wife Grace from Fort Dix, New Jersey. I'm in the army now?really!he wrote, complaining, I don't have enough time to write a decent letter.Three years later, Capt. Lawrence Cane went home from World War II. He'd landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, helped liberate France and Belgium, and survived the Battle of the Bulge. He won a Silver Star for bravery. And he still managed to write 300 letters home to Grace. This book is a different kind of war story--both an powerful chronicle of life in battle and a unique portrait of courage fueled by a life-long passion for political justice.Cane's fight for freedom began well before D-Day. In 1937, joined the Abraham Lincoln Battalion and got wounded fighting for democracy in Spain. In 1942, at age 30, he enlisted in the new war against fascism, and as an officer with the 238th Combat Engineer Battalion, went ashore in Normandy to clear mines, destroy fortifications, and open roads from Normandy to the Siegfried Line. Of the 400 Spanish Civil War veterans in World War II, Cane was the only one to go ashore on D-Day.After the war, Lawrence Cane fought for civil rights and peace until his death in 1976. Discovered in 1995 by Cane's son David, his letters are not only classic accounts of war and unforgettable expressions of love for family. They are the fiercely patriotic words of a left-wing, working-class New York Jew (and one-time Communist Party member) who knew exactly why we fought---to create a better world by destroying all forms of fascism, one battle at a time.With a fascinating introduction by David Cane, detailed notes, and much additional material, these letters add a new dimension to the meaning of American patriotism and an invaluable chapter to the history of the greatest generation.

eISBN: 978-0-8232-4783-7
Subjects: History
You do not have access to this book on JSTOR. Try logging in through your institution for access.
Log in to your personal account or through your institution.
Table of Contents
Export Selected Citations Export to NoodleTools Export to RefWorks Export to EasyBib Export a RIS file (For EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, Zotero, Mendeley...) Export a Text file (For BibTex)
Select / Unselect all
  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. i-vi)
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. vii-viii)
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (pp. ix-x)
    D.E.C., J.B.L. and D.C.S.
  4. INTRODUCTION: LAWRENCE CANE’S FIGHT AGAINST FASCISM
    INTRODUCTION: LAWRENCE CANE’S FIGHT AGAINST FASCISM (pp. xi-xxxviii)
    Judy Barrett Litoff and David C. Smith

    As most Americans grappled with the challenges of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the political left looked beyond the economic problems of the nation and recognized that a greater threat, the rise of fascist and totalitarian governments, loomed on the horizon. Americans who embraced the ideals of the left expressed grave alarm at the ease with which fascism and totalitarianism had gained popularity and power in Europe and in Asia. In July 1936, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, many on the left feared that all of Europe would soon fall to fascism. Rightwing General Francisco Franco,...

  5. REMEMBERING LAWRENCE CANE
    REMEMBERING LAWRENCE CANE (pp. xxxix-liv)
    David Cane

    As an officer in the American Army, my father, Lawrence Cane, participated in the liberation of the notorious Nordhausen concentration camp in the closing days of the Second World War. Some of the U.S. Army photographs that he brought home after the war documented scenes of starvation and death as well as attempts by the Nazis to cover up the evidence by burning some of the 3,000 dead that they left behind as they fled the victorious Allied armies. After the liberation of the camp, Germans from nearby Nordhausen had been forced by the American Army to come to the...

  6. NOTE ON EDITORIAL PRACTICES
    NOTE ON EDITORIAL PRACTICES (pp. lv-lvi)
  7. 1 Basic Training: Geiger Field, Spokane, Washington August 28–November 8, 1942
    1 Basic Training: Geiger Field, Spokane, Washington August 28–November 8, 1942 (pp. 1-30)
  8. 2 Officer Candidate School and Military Intelligence Training: Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Camp Ritchie, Maryland November 9, 1942–July 31, 1943
    2 Officer Candidate School and Military Intelligence Training: Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Camp Ritchie, Maryland November 9, 1942–July 31, 1943 (pp. 31-59)
  9. 3 Preparing for the D-Day Invasion: England January 25–June 5, 1944
    3 Preparing for the D-Day Invasion: England January 25–June 5, 1944 (pp. 60-82)
  10. 4 The D-Day Invasion and Beyond: Fighting in France and Belgium June 6–September 14, 1944
    4 The D-Day Invasion and Beyond: Fighting in France and Belgium June 6–September 14, 1944 (pp. 83-128)
  11. 5 The Siegfried Line and the Battle of the Bulge: Fighting in Germany and Belgium September 15, 1944–January 26, 1945
    5 The Siegfried Line and the Battle of the Bulge: Fighting in Germany and Belgium September 15, 1944–January 26, 1945 (pp. 129-164)
  12. 6 The End of the Third Reich: Belgium, Germany, and France January 27–May 8, 1945
    6 The End of the Third Reich: Belgium, Germany, and France January 27–May 8, 1945 (pp. 165-193)
  13. 7 Waiting to Come Home May 9–October 29, 1945
    7 Waiting to Come Home May 9–October 29, 1945 (pp. 194-218)
  14. APPENDIX A History of The Ticker
    APPENDIX A History of The Ticker (pp. 219-220)
  15. APPENDIX B Lawrence Cane’s Request for Reassignment to Combat or Airborne Engineer Battalion
    APPENDIX B Lawrence Cane’s Request for Reassignment to Combat or Airborne Engineer Battalion (pp. 221-222)
  16. APPENDIX C Diary of Lt. George A. Worth
    APPENDIX C Diary of Lt. George A. Worth (pp. 223-231)
  17. APPENDIX D Lawrence Cane’s Silver Star Citation
    APPENDIX D Lawrence Cane’s Silver Star Citation (pp. 232-233)
  18. APPENDIX E Silver Star Affidavit
    APPENDIX E Silver Star Affidavit (pp. 234-234)
  19. APPENDIX F History of the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion (U.S. Army Document)
    APPENDIX F History of the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion (U.S. Army Document) (pp. 235-239)
  20. APPENDIX G Selected After/After Action Reports
    APPENDIX G Selected After/After Action Reports (pp. 240-247)
  21. APPENDIX H 1972 WBAI Radio Interview with Lawrence Cane
    APPENDIX H 1972 WBAI Radio Interview with Lawrence Cane (pp. 248-260)
  22. FOR FURTHER READING
    FOR FURTHER READING (pp. 261-262)
  23. INDEX
    INDEX (pp. 263-268)
Fordham University Press logo