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Yank Levy
Bert "Yank" Levy (October 5, 1897 – September 2, 1965) was a Canadian soldier, socialist, and military instructor who was the author/pamphleteer of one of the first manuals on guerrilla warfare, which was widely circulated with more than a half million published. During his career, Yank served with irregular forces in several parts of the world throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most notably in the Spanish Civil War, and was a significant figure at the Osterley Park training school for the British Home Guard during World War II. Similar combat training was provided to forces in the United States and Canada, and he was an itinerant lecturer and provocateur on the subject.[citation needed]
Levy was born in Hamilton, Canada to a Jewish family. His family moved to Buffalo, New York when he was three months old, later moving to Cleveland, Ohio when he was seven years old. His parents were Samuel Levy, a tailor and "horse doctor," and Sarah Pollock. Bert Levy had nine siblings. To counter his frail constitution, Levy became a Boy Scout and a boxer. He grew up on the streets, stating that his "real education was in the school of hard knocks". When he was 16, he dropped out of school after his father was seriously injured by a trolley. He worked with the Kaber Printing Company in Cleveland for four years to help support his younger siblings.
In 1916, he joined the British Merchant Navy working as a stoker. In the spring of 1918, Levy enlisted in the 39th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (part of the Jewish Legion). Levy continued boxing through World War I and was the regimental bantamweight champion. After returning to Cleveland from the war, he briefly turned professional. He fought in 23 matches before retiring "in order to maintain family harmony".
He married Mary Prezenter, who was a clerk. They had one daughter. He was a pipe smoker, and played the mandolin.
In 1927, Levy was arrested with four other men and a woman for a series of robberies. During a search, police discovered a cache of guns. He was convicted of the January 1927 armed robbery of a Philadelphia A&P food market. Despite this being Levy's first criminal conviction, the judge, Harry McDevitt, imposed a sentence of 25–50 years. After serving six years, Levy was released and deported to Canada, as he was presumed to be a Canadian citizen at the time.
Levy served in five wars and insurrections between 1911 and 1945. The truth of Levy's exploits during his service remains uncertain, as he tended to embellish his biography.
From 1918–19, Levy served with the 39th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (part of the Jewish Legion) in Palestine and Transjordan. That tour ended when he was gassed and contracted malaria. He trained in Nova Scotia, England, and Egypt, later being dispatched as a machine gunner. In September 1918, his unit traversed the Egyptian desert and entered the Jordan River valley, taking control of Es-Salt in a campaign against the Turks. With two other members of the 39th Battalion, he encountered scouts of Colonel T. E. Lawrence. The scouts invited them to tea, and told them stories of amazing feats, resulting in Levy pursuing "a lifelong career in guerrilla warfare."
From 1920–21, Levy was, in his own (attributed) words "mixed up in Mexico" towards the end of the revolution there. Subsequently, Levy was involved in gun-running in Nicaragua, where he served under Augusto César Sandino. In Nicaragua, he outfitted a ship with sandbagged Lewis gun "emplacements in case of a surprise en route by U.S. patrol vessels." His service with the Sandinistas was cut short when the United States and U.S. Marines appeared, as "he had no desire to fight his fellow countrymen." Another scenario is that the Sandinistas deemed the continued reliability of Americans to be dubious as a force opposing the Marines, and they were involuntarily retired.
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Yank Levy
Bert "Yank" Levy (October 5, 1897 – September 2, 1965) was a Canadian soldier, socialist, and military instructor who was the author/pamphleteer of one of the first manuals on guerrilla warfare, which was widely circulated with more than a half million published. During his career, Yank served with irregular forces in several parts of the world throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most notably in the Spanish Civil War, and was a significant figure at the Osterley Park training school for the British Home Guard during World War II. Similar combat training was provided to forces in the United States and Canada, and he was an itinerant lecturer and provocateur on the subject.[citation needed]
Levy was born in Hamilton, Canada to a Jewish family. His family moved to Buffalo, New York when he was three months old, later moving to Cleveland, Ohio when he was seven years old. His parents were Samuel Levy, a tailor and "horse doctor," and Sarah Pollock. Bert Levy had nine siblings. To counter his frail constitution, Levy became a Boy Scout and a boxer. He grew up on the streets, stating that his "real education was in the school of hard knocks". When he was 16, he dropped out of school after his father was seriously injured by a trolley. He worked with the Kaber Printing Company in Cleveland for four years to help support his younger siblings.
In 1916, he joined the British Merchant Navy working as a stoker. In the spring of 1918, Levy enlisted in the 39th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (part of the Jewish Legion). Levy continued boxing through World War I and was the regimental bantamweight champion. After returning to Cleveland from the war, he briefly turned professional. He fought in 23 matches before retiring "in order to maintain family harmony".
He married Mary Prezenter, who was a clerk. They had one daughter. He was a pipe smoker, and played the mandolin.
In 1927, Levy was arrested with four other men and a woman for a series of robberies. During a search, police discovered a cache of guns. He was convicted of the January 1927 armed robbery of a Philadelphia A&P food market. Despite this being Levy's first criminal conviction, the judge, Harry McDevitt, imposed a sentence of 25–50 years. After serving six years, Levy was released and deported to Canada, as he was presumed to be a Canadian citizen at the time.
Levy served in five wars and insurrections between 1911 and 1945. The truth of Levy's exploits during his service remains uncertain, as he tended to embellish his biography.
From 1918–19, Levy served with the 39th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (part of the Jewish Legion) in Palestine and Transjordan. That tour ended when he was gassed and contracted malaria. He trained in Nova Scotia, England, and Egypt, later being dispatched as a machine gunner. In September 1918, his unit traversed the Egyptian desert and entered the Jordan River valley, taking control of Es-Salt in a campaign against the Turks. With two other members of the 39th Battalion, he encountered scouts of Colonel T. E. Lawrence. The scouts invited them to tea, and told them stories of amazing feats, resulting in Levy pursuing "a lifelong career in guerrilla warfare."
From 1920–21, Levy was, in his own (attributed) words "mixed up in Mexico" towards the end of the revolution there. Subsequently, Levy was involved in gun-running in Nicaragua, where he served under Augusto César Sandino. In Nicaragua, he outfitted a ship with sandbagged Lewis gun "emplacements in case of a surprise en route by U.S. patrol vessels." His service with the Sandinistas was cut short when the United States and U.S. Marines appeared, as "he had no desire to fight his fellow countrymen." Another scenario is that the Sandinistas deemed the continued reliability of Americans to be dubious as a force opposing the Marines, and they were involuntarily retired.