Leonard J. Travaline transcript

Collection — Container: Single Folder Collections - 2000 Box 18 (00.0506-00.0534), Folder: 00.0522

Identifier: 00.0522

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Leonard J. Travaline (also spelled Traveline in some records) served in the United States Army as an Artilleryman from 1941 to 1945. He served with the 166th Field Artillery Battalion and later the 938th Field Artillery Battallion in the Mediterranean and European Theaters. He served as a front line observer in Oran, North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. The collection contains a transcribed daily journal that Travaline kept from the time of his landing in North Africa until the end of the war and his arrival back in the States in September 1945.

Dates

Creation: 1941-1992
Other: Majority of material found in 1944
Other: Date acquired: 02/05/2008

Creator

Travaline, Leonard J. , 1918-2011 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Biographical or Historical Information

Leonard J. Travaline (also spelled Traveline in some records) was born July 14, 1918, to Anthony and Theresa Travaline. Travaline lived in Conshohocken, PA. He graduated from Conshohocken High School in 1937 and then attended Dobbs Vocational School to study Printing. After enlisting in Battary C in October of 1940, he left for training in January 1941. He trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Camp Blanding, Florida, and Camp Gordon, Georgia. During WWII, he served with the US Army as a Technician, specifically as a front line observation scout. He served with the 166th Field Artillery Battalion and the 938th Field Artillery Battalion in the Mediterranean and European Theaters. He arrived in North Africa in 1943 and went on to fight in Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. Travaline participated in the following campaigns: Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Southern France, Rome-Arno, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. He kept a daily journal while serving (a transcription of which is included in this collection), and copies are available in multiple archives and libraries. After returning from the war, Travaline worked for the Conshohocken Recorder Newspaper before working at the Times Herald Newspaper for forty years. He was also married to his wife, Phyllis M. Travaline, for sixty-three years, and the couple had two daughters. His obituary can be found at https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/1951251/Leonard-J-Travaline.

The diary Travaline kept is very detailed and includes discussion of combat, injuries, dating and romance, entertainment, and sickness. Also included are some scanned photos and a military document. Travaline participated in the following campaigns: Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Southern France, Rome-Arno, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.

Extent

1 folders

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Custodial History

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Leonard J. Travaline. The collection was acquired by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience on February 5, 2008.