Viewing page 16 of 33

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

after his use of We and Us where Hemingway's sympathies lay, and no doubt that he included himself among the masses of the Spanish people.

Peck was credited with five victories in Spain, in a little less than four months of combat, all in the CHATO plane.

It was November now and Peck was a veteran. He and his squadron were certain the Republic would win the war or, at least, be able to hold its own long enough to negotiate a peace with Franco's insurgents.

Such was the prognosis, but unknown to Peck and his fellow pilots, the fates (Fascists and their English, French and US supporters, J.B.) had determined to gang up on the Republic. At a conference held that fall in Switzerland, the British government proposed that the arms embargo on all belligerents in Spain be lifted, if all "volunteers," on both sides were withdrawn. Actually, the embargo only affected the Republicans since Germany. and Italy ignored it and continued pumping arms and men into the conflict, even as their ships, contributed to the "neutralist" blockade.

Stalin and Soviet Russia ignored the embargo, the Russian ships had to dodge British destroyer patrols, as well as German and italian submarines. So successful were these forerunners of the Nazi WW II wolfpacks, that more ships loaded with trucks, Moscas, ammunition and guns, were lost off Valencia and Barcelona than arrived there with their vitally needed cargoes.

A short while later, Peck was decorated and was told simply and in so many words, "thank you for your services and goodbye." There was no warning, no inkling of his termination. All that was known was that all volunteers were to leave Spain.

What had taken place was simply this. This British proposal which would allow the arms embargo to be lifted, in return for all volunteers leaving Spain, had been accepted by both Franco and the Republic. The former accepted in order to get rid of the Republic's foreign volunteers, trained pilots in particular. Franco also accepted because he had no intention of honoring his commitment. The 7,000 man Nazi Condor Legion would stay, as would 60,000 Italian troops with all their aircraft and equipment. What would be sent home, was a contingent of 3,000 miserable and sick Italian troops, which according to Franco "would constitute substantial withdrawal and good faith."

Jim Peck and his squadron were hustled out of Spain within days. The Germans and Italians stayed, the blockade grew tighter.

When the Spanish Civil War finally came to an end in April, 1939, he knew it was only a matter of time before the so-called neutrals, America, France and Britain, would be fighting for their very lives against the same people they had allowed the Republic to succumb to.
30

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

Letter from a Military Commander
____________________________________________________
by Milton Wolff*

[[image -  Milton Wolff]]

Dear Comrades:
I want to congratulate the Committee for having selected "A Salute to the Black Americans who fought for Democracy in Spain" as the theme for our 42nd Anniversary Dinner.

The handsome program announcement bearing a sketch of the formidable Eluard McDaniel, "El Fantastico," vividly recalls the essential role Black Lincolneers played in my development and the development of so many other "kids" and "College Grads" who came to Spain to soldier for freedom --unarmed, untrained and in so many ways unprepared for the rigors of warfare.

My first commander was Walter Garland, machine-gunner extraordinaire. Whatever I learned about the Maxim (machine gun) he taught me. But more important than the arts of transverse and enfilading cones of fire, he instilled in me, and such as Manny Lancer, Jack Altman and Gus Hecht, the conviction that we could go out there and take on the whole bloody, professional fascist Armies and kick the shit out of 'em. I mean we had to know that and he left no room for doubt. It was his inspiring leadership and hero

*Last military commander of the ALB. Now adjustant commander of the Veterans' organization (VALB).

[[image -Walter Garland ]]

31