FIGHTING FASCISM IN EUROPE The WorldWar Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War ### Lawrence Cane Edited by David E. Cane, Judy Barrett Litoff, and David C. Smith Fighting Fascism in Europe Lawrence Cane, circa 1935. Fighting Fascism in Europe The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War LAWRENCE CANE Edited by DAVID E. CANE, JUDY BARRETT LITOFF, and DAVID C. SMITH FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS New York 2003 Copyright ᭧ 2003 by David E. Cane, Judy Barrett Litoff, and David C. Smith The letters of Lawrence Cane copyright ᭧ 2003 by David E. Cane All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other— except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permis- sion of the publisher. World War II: The Global, Human, and Ethical Dimension No. 1 G. Kurt Piehler, series editor ISSN 1541–0293 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cane, Lawrence, 1912–1976. Fighting fascism in Europe : the World War II letters of an American veteran of the Spanish Civil War / Lawrence Cane ; edited by David E. Cane, Judy Barrett Litoff, and David C. Smith—1st ed. p. cm.—(World War II—the global, human, and ethical dimension ; 1) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8232-2251-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)— ISBN 0-8232-2252-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Cane, Lawrence, 1912–1976—Correspondence. 2. World War, 1939–1945—Personal narratives, American. 3. Spain— History—Civil War, 1936–1939—Veterans—United States— Correspondence. 4. United States. Army—Officers— Correspondence. 5. World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns— Western Front. I. Cane, David E., 1944– II. Litoff, Judy Barrett. III. Smith, David C. (David Clayton), 1929– IV. Title. V. Series. D811.C257 A3 2003 940.54Ј21Ј092—dc21 [B] 2002040894 Printed in the United States of America 030405060754321 First Edition For Grace Singer Cane Mason CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Lawrence Cane’s Fight Against Fascism xi Judy Barrett Litoff and David C. Smith Remembering Lawrence Cane xxxix David Cane Note on Editorial Practices lv 1. Basic Training: 1 Geiger Field, Spokane, Washington August 28–November 8, 1942 2. Officer Candidate School and Military Intelligence Training: 31 Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Camp Ritchie, Maryland November 9, 1942–July 31, 1943 3. Preparing for the D-Day Invasion: 60 England January 25–June 5, 1944 4. The D-Day Invasion and Beyond: 83 Fighting in France and Belgium June 6–September 14, 1944 5. The Siegfried Line and the Battle of the Bulge: 129 Fighting in Germany and Belgium September 15, 1944–January 26, 1945 6. The End of the Third Reich: 165 Belgium, Germany, and France January 27–May 8, 1945 7. Waiting to Come Home 194 May 9–October 29, 1945 viii CONTENTS Appendixes A. History of The Ticker 219 B. Lawrence Cane’s Request for Reassignment to Combat or Airborne Engineer Battalion 221 C. Diary of Lt. George A. Worth 223 D. Lawrence Cane’s Silver Star Citation 232 E. Silver Star Affidavit 234 F. History of the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion 235 G. Selected After/After Action Reports 240 H. 1972 WBAI Radio Interview with Lawrence Cane 248 For Further Reading 261 Index 263 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS G. K P, professor of history at the University of Ten- nessee and general editor of Fordham University Press’s World War II Series, has provided us with invaluable guidance. His prodding questions and careful attention to detail have added im- mensely to the quality of this work. We deeply appreciate his enthusiastic support and encouragement. We would also like to thank Frank Mathias, professor emeritus of history at the Univer- sity of Dayton and a World War II veteran, for his careful reading and thoughtful comments on the original manuscript. Melvin Small, professor of history at Wayne State University and Marcus G. Singer, professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, each read the original transcripts of Lawrence Cane’s letters and provided critical guidance and advice. Professor Singer, Grace Singer Cane’s brother, was also a source of important first-hand information about the lives of Lawrence and Grace Cane. Dr. Vartan Gregorian, then president of Brown University, read the transcripts in 1995 and was the first to suggest that the letters be published. Lt. Col. (ret.) John B. Wong shared valuable informa- tion about Lawrence Cane’s entry into the 238th Engineer Com- bat Battalion and his actions during and after Operation Cobra. Robert W. Kenny, military researcher at the John Hay Library at Brown University, was generous with his time and expertise. The research staff of the Hodgson Memorial Library at Bryant College, in particular Colleen Anderson and Paul Roske, creatively ful- filled our numerous research requests. Linda Asselin, a faculty co- ordinator at Bryant, patiently corrected errors, formatted chapters, and took care of numerous and tedious details that made our work far easier and allowed us to complete this book in a timely fashion. Bryant student Mark Danisewicz helped our Macs and P.C.s to talk to one another. David Lux, chair of Bryant’s history department, deserves particular thanks for his abiding support. Documentary film maker and journalist David J. Boardman x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS broadened our understanding of the Spanish Civil War by intro- ducing us to Ken Loach’s provocative film, ‘‘Land and Freedom.’’ David Cane’s children, Rachel and Eli Cane, helped to tran- scribe the original letters, and in so doing they got to know the grandfather that they never met. David’s wife, Suzanne Cane, transcribed many of the letters and much of the supplemental ma- terial. She has been a constant source of insight, advice, encour- agement, and love. Nadja Pisula-Litoff and Alyssa Barrett Litoff have been a part of their mother’s quest for the human stories of World War II all of their lives. Their continued encouragement, scholarly advice, and love are greatly appreciated. David Smith’s immediate family—Sylvia, Clayton, Kit, Jamie, and Joshua—have been equally supportive of this effort to bring to life the stories of the World War II generation. To our families, we offer our heart- felt thanks and love. D.E.C. J.B.L. D.C.S. INTRODUCTION: LAWRENCE CANE’S FIGHT AGAINST FASCISM Judy Barrett Litoff and David C. Smith A A with the challenges of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the political left looked beyond the eco- nomic 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 ex- pressed grave alarm at the ease with which fascism and totalitari- anism 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. Right- wing General Francisco Franco, with the support of Adolph Hit- ler and Benito Mussolini, quickly defeated many of the Republi- can forces in Spain. As the situation deteriorated, antifascists from around the world, spurred on by the Third Communist Interna- tional (Comintern) in Moscow, rushed to help the Spanish Re- publicans. Eventually, 35,000 antifascists from fifty-two countries joined with their Spanish comrades to oppose Franco. Three thousand of this group came from the United States where they fought for the mostly English-speaking Fifteenth International Brigade. One of these Americans was Lawrence Cane.1 Lawrence Cane was born on August 8, 1912 in New York 1 The literature on the Spanish Civil War is voluminous. The starting point for researchers is Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War (New York: Harper and Row, 1977). Three important works on the American experience are Peter N. Carroll, The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994); Cary Nelson and Jefferson Hen- dricks, eds., Madrid 1937: Letters of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade from the Spanish Civil War (London: Routledge, 1996); Robert A. Rosenstone, Crusade of the Left: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War (Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1980). xii INTRODUCTION City, the eldest son of working-class, Russian-Jewish immigrants, Abraham and Faye Cohen.2 He grew up in East Harlem where he was deeply influenced by the radicalism of the eastern Euro- pean, mostly Jewish, immigrants who lived in his neighborhood. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1930, he enrolled at City College at the 23rd St. Campus School of Com- merce, a progressive institution that attracted many left-wing Jewish students. While at City College, he participated actively in several sports, including boxing and wrestling, was elected an officer of the student council, and served as editor of the college newspaper, The Ticker, where he wrote anti-Nazi editorials. As a supporter of the student antifascist movement, he helped organize protests against the German-American Bund and other Nazi ac- tivities in the United States. Larry Cane was an inquisitive person who liked to see things for himself. While a student at City College, he once crossed the United States hobo-style, ‘‘riding the blinds.’’ This trip gave him a new and vibrant look at the people of the United States, as it did other sojourners, such as Justice William O. Douglas and jour- nalist Eric Severeid.3 Following his graduation from City College in 1935 Cane worked at a variety of jobs until shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936.