Harry Fisher: World War II Letters

The collection includes more than 1,000 letters between Fisher and his wife Ruth Goldstein Fisher from 1943-1945, with details of his training and war-time service, news of their children, relatives and friends (including fellow veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade), Ruth's work at the office of TASS news service, and political/war news. Their son John had been born in March 1943, and the collection includes two issues of a handwritten newspaper (by Hy Leiber), one of which tells of his first birthday party. Private Harry Fisher's service continued at Air Corps Technical School, Kessler Field, MS (by June 1944), at Buckingham Army Air Field, Fort Myers, FL, and (by mid-September 1944) at Barksdale Field, LA, where he was promoted to Corporal. Trained as a B-52 turret gunner, he was posted to Europe by February 1945, and the last group of folders contains mostly V-mail between the Fishers. There are a few items not written by either of the Fishers, such as postcards from Ruth's mother, a note from Milton Davidson dated June 23, 1944, written on a photo labeled "Iran Mar/1944" and a letter from Irv Shapiro to Ruth, dated France, August 17, 1944.