Interview with Leonard Joseph Fichtenbaum

American NCO served with United States Army in North West Europe 1944-1945; civilian member of Communist Party of United States of America in United States of America, 1945-1954

REEL 1 Background in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, 1924-1941: family including political activism and religion of maternal grandfather and parents; mother's activity with Communist Party of United States of America from 1933; education including own political involvement as child; awareness of political events in Europe; attending political demonstrations in New York and at school; story of being denied work for anti-Semitic reasons; other examples of anti-Semitic incidents. REEL 2 Continues: awareness of European Jewish refugees in New York; discussion of reasons for crime in New York; membership of Young Communist League, Communist Party of the United States of America; reaction to start of war in Europe, 9/1939; reactions to earlier Munich Agreement and Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact; story of father's family in Poland; reaction to Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7/12/1941. Aspects of period as private and NCO with United States Army in United States of America and GB, 11/1942-6/1944: decision to enlist and reaction of mother; joining United States Army, 11/1942; basic training in Georgia; options at end of basic training and subsequent period at University of Delaware; infantry training in Colorado; voyage from United States of America to GB, 5/1944; period in camp near Bath, GB; knowledge of approaching invasion. Recollections of operations as NCO with United States Army in North West Europe, 6/1944-5/1945: knowledge of D-Day, 6/6/1945; nature of crossing of English Channel to Omaha Beach, Normandy, France 7/6/1944; arrival and wounding on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France 7/6/1944; medical treatment for wounds and medical evacuation to GB. REEL 3 Continues: medical treatment received in GB, 6/1944-8/1944; activities during leave in London, GB; reaction to devastation and air raids; return to unit Netherlands, 9/1944; description of first action in Netherlands; discussion of officers; details of The Hill position near Siegfried Line; visit from General Dwight D Eisenhower; air raid on The Hill; description of infantry attack; policy towards taking prisoners of war; story of German civilian with broken back; activities during Battle of the Bulge, 12/1944-1/1944; reaction to state of Cologne, Germany, 1945; advance with tanks and resistance met; official and unofficial policies towards taking prisoners of war; story of finding anti-Nazi German in Halle, Germany. REEL 4 Continues: scenes on arrival at a concentration camp; story of attempt to recover person from pile of bodies; meeting with Soviet Army troops on River Mulde at Eilenberg, Germany. Aspects of period as NCO with United States Army in Germany, 1945: reasons for appointment as temporary acting Mayor of Torgau; contact with displaced persons including relationship with a Yugoslav partisan; method of gaining supplies for Displaced Persons; story of the assassination of a Nazi concentration camp commandant; prior recollection of reaction to discovery of concentration camps; communication with Soviet Army troops; VE Day celebrations with Soviet Army troops, 8/5/1945; comparison of American and Soviet treatment of German civilians; United States Army troops' sexual relationships with German women; importance of war experiences in later life. Aspects of period as member of Communist Party of United States of America, 1945-1954: reaction to start of Cold War. REEL 5 Continues: details of period in hiding during McCarthyism; subsequent harassment from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); background to and details of split in United States Communist Party; resulting Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism; post-war civilian work from 1954.