Joseph Kanter was born in November 1923 in Helena, Alabama. He grew up during the Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. It was particularly bad in Alabama and other Deep South states. His father was the owner of a general dry goods store. His father was born in Lithuania and moved to the United States when he was 18 years old. He was the businessman of the town, so he worked as a salesman and merchant. He also helped organize how the public thought about patriotism. Kanter's father was Jewish. His was the only Jewish family that lived in Helena. The community was primarily Evangelists, and they were pro-Israeli. The Evangelists opened up churches easily and quickly. At each opening, Kanter's father would speak to the crowds. Most of the discussion surrounding the war was about politics and the religion. Kanter's father had family in Lithuania and Kanter never met them. They lived in groups of likeminded people.

Joseph Kanter was of age for military service and had been in the ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] at the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama] when Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] was attacked. He enjoyed being in the group and liked doing outdoor activities. His town was surrounded by forests and farms, and he became a good hunter. That was a good way to feed a family during the Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939]. Kanter was home with his family when he heard about the Pearl Harbor attack. Some of his family would go to Florida. His father would speak at churches when they opened. It helped create camaraderie between the Jewish and Christian communities. Kanter wanted to join the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He thought it was his duty towards America and towards the European Jewish community. Kanter was selected to attend Georgetown University [Annotator's Note: Georgetown University in Washington D.C.] to become an engineer. He enjoyed his time there and did well in his studies. The cadets were sent to various universities around the country because the Army needed engineers. Kanter's basic training was at Fort McClellan [Annotator's Note: Fort McClellan near Anniston, Alabama]. He did well because of his background in ROTC. He was first in his class and was sent to engineering school.

Many Jewish people in the Army spoke other languages, and sometimes the words would get mixed up. Yiddish [Annotator's Note: a language used by Jewish people in central and eastern Europe before the Holocaust] and German were similar. Joseph Kanter [Annotator's Note: with 2nd Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division] thought the Jewish, German, and Evangelistic Americans had a good rapport. While becoming an engineer, Europe was invaded by the Allies. Kanter bought a German-English-Yiddish dictionary. He had a photographic memory, which helped him in the military. He met a smart Jewish man that served as an interrogator. He was born in Germany and was fluent in the language. Winning the war meant getting information from the enemy on their plans. Kanter felt close to many of the people he met along the way. He landed on Omaha Beach [Annotator's Note: in Normandy, France] after the invasion [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. The Geneva Convention [Annotator's Note: standards for humanitarian treatment in war] protects prisoners of war and the German Army told their soldiers not to give up information. The Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s] was built by France and ran the length of the border with Germany. Weeks after invading Europe, the Americans came to a river fought over by the French, Americans, and Germans. The line was heavily defended. Kanter had to become an interrogator. He saw it as an art form. The Germans would be impressed if an interrogator had rank or medals. Kanter was successful at getting information out of German prisoners. It was important to interview a prisoner within ten minutes of them being captured. Policy said that no officer could threaten or harm a prisoner. Kanter used a made-up police title because the Germans feared the police. They were afraid of what he could do to them. On nice days, when the Germans still owned the sky, the Luftwaffe [Annotator's Note: the German Air Force] would bomb the Americans. The German artillery was also accurate. Kanter found it important to have tricks. He would interrogate a prisoner and try to make him feel friendly. The Germans wanted to be sent to nice places in America. Cigarettes were hard to get in Germany, so American interrogators would give prisoners cigarettes, cigars, and Coca-Cola to make them feel friendly. Some prisoners would talk if offered these treats.

As the leader of interrogations, Joseph Kanter [Annotator's Note: with 2nd Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division] found himself in competition with other divisions to find a weak spot in the German line. One day, Kanter was in a fire fight with Germans. He was in a foxhole and machine gun fire was going over his head. At night, he heard rustling in the bushes around him. He could see movement coming towards him. Kanter figured the German would demand his surrender. When the German got close enough, Kanter put his flashlight on him and demanded the German surrender. The German made it to the foxhole and was shaking in fear. Kanter told him he would not be harmed, but he would be given options if he gave information about the Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s]. They were able to speak easily. Kanter offered the man a spot in a POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] camp in Miami, Florida if he gave him information on bridge demolition sites and machine gun nests. The German was incredibly nervous and answered all of the questions. There was only one machine gun nest and Kanter knew the Americans could take it out. The German told him how many soldiers and tanks were in the area. When the machine gun needed to reload, the Americans moved forward. Kanter took the prisoner with him and was re-interrogated. The prisoner provided all the information needed to take over the German defensive line. Kanter also approached Germans to act as spies for the Americans. The Americans were able to make a hole in the German line and pushed eight divisions through over-night. A cooperative German was turned into a spy. He would give information to the Americans about what was ahead of them. The war started to collapse after the hole was made in the German defenses.

Joseph Kanter [Annotator's Note: with 2nd Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division] became friends with his colonel because he was good at his job. Kanter was given a glowing review from his captain. He was able to get information from German prisoners that led to a breakthrough in the war. Concentration camps were all over the place. Jewish people were used as a labor force. Kanter started to interrogate a high-ranking SS [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] soldier and they spoke about their immigrant pasts. Kanter's father, a Lithuanian Jew, formed the first Jewish Brigade [Annotator's Note: Jewish Infantry Brigade]. They were all excellent at shooting, smart, and good fighters. Nobody knew what would happen the next day. One day, the Americans took a group of horses and ran them out. The horses trampled all over their quarters. Cooperative POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] were put into quarters with SS officers and would report information back to the Americans. Some of that information led to American victories. Kanter's unit was the first to start using those tactics. He would talk to prisoners in Yiddish [Annotator's Note: a language used by Jewish people in central and eastern Europe before the Holocaust] and English, allowing him to gain their trust. He would offer them special things for helping the Americans. Kanter was known as an innovator of interrogation. The Allies had more soldiers than the Germans, but they had the defensive fortifications. The Germans would be surrounded by Allied forces. The French government offered Kanter the position of Knight of the French Foreign Legion [Annotator's Note: National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit both military and civil].

oseph Kanter [Annotator's Note: with 2nd Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division] saw a concentration camp. It was worse than a prison. There was little shelter and less food. Weather would kill people quickly. The French government wanted to have a liaison officer and chose Kanter, but he did not accept the commission. He explained that his father died, and he was the person that would have to go back to the family. He found out a bridge would be the principal attack route. The unit made the attack and created a hole in the Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a series of defensive fortifications roughly paralleling the Franco-German border built by Germany in the 1930s], allowing the Americans to breakthrough. Returning to the United States was easy for Kanter. He had experience and was made a Knight of the French Foreign Legion [Annotator's Note: National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit both military and civil]. Anytime Kanter needed someone dealt with, the French Foreign Legion [Annotator's Note: a corps of the French Army with a specific command and comprising several specialties] would take care of it for him. The Geneva Convention [Annotator's Note: standards for humanitarian treatment in war] allowed prisoners to be questions as long as they were not hurt. Other governments also awarded Kanter for his work during the war. Kanter believes it is important for World War 2 to be taught. The changes he made in interrogating prisoners was passed on to future generations of soldiers. The US and Israel Association [Annotator's Note: unable to identify] gave Kanter an award.