Midway, Battle of, 1942

Scope and Contents This collection relates to retired U.S. Navy Captain Fred S. Bertsch Jr. who served as the Engineer Officer during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations on the destroyer U.S.S. Case and the Korean War as a naval aviator.  The collection includes a daily handwritten log journal of activities aboard the U.S.S Case which begins with his eyewitness account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, including the attack of the U.S.S. Arizona Battleship, through the end of 1943.  The collection also contains 133 original color slides, and digitized prints of the...

Content Description

This collection relates to Lawrence Burzynski, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1939 and was discharged in 1946 with the rank of Chief Electricians Mate. This collection contains a compilation of entries from Burzynski's diary during his seven years in the Navy. The diary provides an account of nearly every facet of U.S. Navy life during WWII and provides testimony on key moments of the war, including the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains six Aviator's Flight Log Books from Captain Hilliard C. Smathers' time as a pilot with the U.S. Navy, from 1930-1951. Also included is the flag that flew in Smathers' honor over the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. and two certificates confirming this occasion. The US Naval Aviator certificate contains a picture of Smathers, as well as the date on which he was officially certified as a Naval Aviator - March 21, 1942 - and three instrument rating cards.

Content Description

This collection relates to the Reserve Officers Association and the experience of its members during World War Two.

Scope and Contents This collection relates to U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro who served aboard the U.S.S. Morris destroyer during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations.  The collection includes two journal articles about Spiro's time in the Pacific theater and one article related to the battle history of the Morris. One newsletter article was written in 1996 for the naval history magazine United States Naval Institute, by Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro. In his article, he describes briefly some activities performed in the USS Morris several days before the...