Alan May papers
Scope and Contents
Alan May served as a gunner on a B-24 Bomber with the 451st Bomb Group during World War II in Italy and was shot down during a mission to Ploesti, Romania, and became a POW. May was awarded the Purple Heart, Air Medals, 2 Presidential Unit Citations, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Included in this collection is a footnoted manuscript diary of missions.
Dates
- Created: 1944
- Other: Date acquired: 02/04/2001
Creator
- May, Alan (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
Staff Sgt. Alan May (age 22) was an armorer gunner in the 15th Air Force Flying B-24's in the 451st Bomber Group out of Gioia Del Colle on the East coast of southern Italy. May flew bombing raids over Italy, Germany, and Austria and was shot down and captured on his 11th mission over Romania. May was discharged on September 15, 1945, at Mitchell Field in Hempstead, NY as Technical Sergeant. May's basic training preceded writing of his diary. He was inducted at Camp Dix, NJ. He received pre-flight training, flight training, and gunnery school at Maxwell Field, AL, Harlingen TX, and Fairmont, NE. May served in North Africa and Italy.
Extent
1 folders
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement Note
creator
Custodial History
Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.
Source of Acquisition
Alan May
Method of Acquisition
donation
- B-24 (Bomber) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Germany--History--1933-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ploiești (Romania) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Prisoners of war Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Purple Heart Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--Army Air Forces--Aerial operations Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--Army Air Forces--Aerial operations--Personal narratives Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army Air Forces
- United States. Army Air Forces--Military life Subject Source: Lcnaf
- United States. Army Air Forces. Air Force, 15th
- United States. Army Air Forces. Bombardment Group (H), 451st Subject Source: Local sources
- United States. Army Air Forces. Medals, badges, decorations, etc Subject Source: Local sources
- United States. Army--History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Austria Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Africa, North Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Italy Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Alan May papers
- Author
- Craig Whittington
- Date
- 02/28/2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the FSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
116 Honors Way
PO Box 3062047
Tallahassee FL 32306-2047 US
850-644-3271
lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu
