| Lawrence Cane | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Lawrence Cohen |
| Born | 1912 New York |
| Died | 1976 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Silver Star; French Croix de Guerre |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Corps of Engineers |
| ASN | 01110976 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Rank at Ritchie | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 6 (13 March – 11 May 1943) |
| Section | 14 |
|
|
| Silver Star | French Croix de Guerre |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Lawrence Cane (born Lawrence Cohen; 1912–1976) was a U.S. Army captain and Ritchie Boy (Class 6) who fought in the Spanish Civil War and landed on Utah Beach on D-Day.
Biography
Lawrence Cane (born Lawrence Cohen; 1912–1976) fought with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War before enlisting in the U.S. Army as an anti-fascist with prior combat experience. After Officer Candidate School he served as one of four white officers of a Black engineer dump-truck company in the segregated Army, then volunteered for the European invasion and landed with combat engineers in the assault wave on Utah Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. He was transferred permanently to the combat engineers, rose to captain, and received the Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre.
He trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 6). His wartime letters home—more than 300—were later edited by his son David E. Cane with Judy Barrett Litoff and David C. Smith as Fighting Fascism in Europe (Fordham University Press, 2003). The letters cover Normandy, the liberation of France and Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge, the occupation of Germany, and the discovery of concentration camps, as well as his marriage to Grace Singer (16 June 1940).
Research notes
- Silver Star CdG 2nd Armd
- Birth name Lawrence Cohen (was incorrectly stored in birth_place as “as Lawrence Cohen in New York”).
- Silver Star and French Croix de Guerre per Fighting Fascism in Europe (family/editors’ summary).
- Research note previously: Silver Star CdG 2nd Armd.
Gallery
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Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 64 |
| Class_ASN | 110976 |
| Class_Name | CANE, Lawrence |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 16 June 1940 — Married Grace Singer.
- 3 March 1943 — Commissioned as Second Lieutenant (ASN: 01110976).
- 11 May 1943 — Graduated Class 6 (TI). Certificate No. 1326.
- 30 July 1944 — Brave actions on reconnaissance mission resulted in Silver Star Medal. He also received the French Croix de Guerre.
- 8/43 to 1/44 Additional training with newly activated (25 August 1943) 582nd Engineer Dump Truck Company (all black unit with white officers) at Camp Claiborne, LA.
- 1/39 Returned to the U.S.
- 2/44 to 6/44 Training in England with 582nd Engr. Dump Truck Company.
- 5/43 to 6/43 Assigned to Faculty at Camp Ritchie.
Sources
- Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): Fighting Fascism in Europe.doc
- Fighting Fascism in Europe — David E. Cane book page (Brown.edu Google Site)
- Lawrence Cane, Fighting Fascism in Europe: The World War II Letters of an American Veteran of the Spanish Civil War, ed. David E. Cane, Judy Barrett Litoff, and David C. Smith (Fordham University Press, 2003), ISBN 0-8232-2251-9
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Lawrence Cane for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Cane, Lawrence for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: LAWRENCE CANE.doc)