The Good Fight Continues World War II Letters From the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: New York New York University Press 2006
• Subjects: Abraham; anti-fascist; boot; Brigade; camps; cockpits; experienced; express; foxholes; global; great; idealism; intelligence; issues; letters; Lincoln; lost; never; passion; sight; soldiers; stake; thema EDItEUR::3 Time period qualifiers::3M c 1500 onwards to present day::3MP 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999::3MPB Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950::3MPBL c 1940 to c 1949::3MPBLB c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period); thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history; thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWL Modern warfare; thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWR Specific wars and campaigns::NHWR7 Second World War; with; World; Written
• Online Access: Open Access: DOAB: description of the publication; Open Access: DOAB, download the publication

 Written with passion and intelligence, the letters of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in World War II express the raw idealism of anti-fascist soldiers who experienced the war in boot camps, cockpits, and foxholes, but never lost sight of the great global issues at stake. When the United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, only one group of American soldiers had already confronted the fascist enemy on the battlefield: the U.S. veterans of the Lincoln Brigade, a volunteer army of about 2,800 men and women who had enlisted to defend the Spanish Republic from military rebels during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). They fought on the losing side. After Pearl Harbor, Lincoln Brigade veterans enthusiastically joined the U.S. Army, welcoming this second chance to fight against fascism. However, the Lincoln recruits soon encountered suspicious military leaders who questioned their patriotism and denied them promotions and overseas assignments, foreshadowing the political persecution of the postwar Red Scare. African American veterans who fought in fully integrated units in Spain, faced second-class treatment in America's Jim Crow army. Nevertheless, the Lincolns served with distinction in every theater of the war and won a disproportionate number of medals for courage, dedication, and sacrifice. The 154 letters in this volume, selected from thousands held in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives at NYU's Tamiment Library, provide a new and unique perspective on aspects of World War II.