Comrades: Tales of a Brigadista in the Spanish Civil War

By Harry Fisher

Book Overview

The Spanish Civil War served as an ideological and physical battleground for visionary Americans wishing to combat the spread of fascism. Harry Fisher was one such idealist who became a solider in the famed Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the American contingent of international volunteers dedicated to defeating Franco's forces. Fisher was one of the earliest American volunteers and one of the few to participate in all the major battles. Under a barrage of shells, bombs, and bullets for eighteen months, he lost his illusions about war's efficacy in solving political issues. To this day a despondence often overwhelms him when he recalls a family photograph he found jutting from the pocket of a slain fascist soldier. His involvement taught him that up close, the dead, whether fascist soldiers or his own fallen comrades, looked alike. This is a war story, simply told. Yet it is also a complex story about a young man testing his ideology in the harsh realities of battle.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803268998
• ISBN13: 9780803268999
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Gentle Account of WWII's First Campaign

Harry Fisher, a young, idealistic labor activist, relates a very personal tale of his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. This period of history ignored by most Americans, was a crucial moment in the history of Western Civilization. Fisher, recognizing the battle between Democracy and the Fascist powers, ignored the wishes of his family and volunteered to fight in Spain, supporting the democratically elected government there against the Nazi supported military rebellion of Franco.War is hell, but getting to the battlefield was no easy matter. Not only did the United States refuse to aid the Spanish government, it actively sought to block American citizens from opposing the fascists and Hitler's nascent military machine. (this at a time when Henry Ford and Prescott Bush (our "president's" grandpa) were raking money in supplying the Nazis). Fisher finally made it to Spain.The book relates comradeship, sudden death, misery, deprivation, and the courage that can only come from putting your life on the line for a cause you desperately believe in. Fisher relates anecdotes in a soft, gentle, personable manner. This book can be compared with Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. Orwell spends more time with political analysis and historical background. His style is less personal, and somewhat harsher. Fisher brings in his family, his hopes, his fears, but leaves the greater political context largely unexplored. Both books are five-star-must-reads. After reading Comrades, I again had to wonder, "What might have happened if America had acted as a Democracy instead of a Capitalist Oligarchy and officially backed the legitimate Spanish government? Even weapons sales might have enabled the forces of Democracy to prevail ... and taught Hitler and Mussolini that the Democracies would not stand idly by while they attempted to subdue the world.(If you'd like to discuss this book or review in more detail, click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

The most interesting account I've read on this subject.

I lived in Spain from 1959 - 1988 and dodged Franco's secret police for eleven years before what I was involved in became legal there. The author speaks with total authority. His account of a return to Spain at the age of 85 brought tears to my eyes. I recommend this book most highly!

A timeless story that should be read by every generation.

"Comrades" is more than just a story of one American's experience in the Spanish Civil War. It is the story of young men and women taking responsibility for the issues of their day. Harry Fisher and his comrades are quite possibly the "greatest" of what Tom Brokaw has called the "Greatest Generation." In the days before World War II, the young Americans of the Lincoln Battalion joined tens of thousands of volunteers from around the world to fight the emerging evil of facism in the Spanish Civil War. Instead of being rewarded for their foresight, our own country branded them as radicals and subversives.Read "Comrades" and learn the story of these forgotten American heroes. Then make an attempt to contact one of the 130 or so who are still living and tell them "thank you."

Should be read by every young person

If you need a reaffirmation of the goodness in humanity, read this book. Fascism, in many artful guises, still oppresses and exploits ordinary people throughout the world. Although Harry and his comrade Brigadistas were deemed to be 'premature anti-fascists', they recognised the need to fight it ­ even though the odds were stacked against them. What fine men and women volunteered to aid the people of Spain. In my country, we are taught nothing about the Spanish Civil War, even in its true context as the first battle of the second world war. I would encourage young people, indeed everyone, to read this thoughtful book. It gives an insider¹s insight to an extremely important and much-maligned historical event. And lends a little faith that there were and are decent souls in the world.

Extraordinary Tale of Ordinary Man's Role in a World Event

A page-turner, this book tells a story of idealism, without glorifying war. It is everything "Saving Private Ryan" is not, because although it shows the horrors it is in the context of the meaning of fighting fascism before it was fashionable. It is so well written that it is like watching a compelling movie. Must, must read.