World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to Staff Sergeant George R. Caron who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Caron was the tail gunner on the "Enola Gay" B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This collection contains an oral history interview transcript.

Content Description

This collection relates to Allen H. Crawford who served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a bombardier and navigator in the 401st Bomb Group in the European Theater of Operation during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Crawford details his numerous bombing missions over Germany from late 1944 through the end of the war.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains Donald Preston Ward's letters, postcards, and miltary documents. Ward served with the 40th Heavy Bombardment Squadron, 20th Air Force during World War II.

Content Description

This collection relates to Albert Fier who served in the U.S. Army as a sergeant technician with E Company of the 94th Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operation during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript, where Fier documents his time as a medic during the war.

Scope and Contents

This collection pertains to Dorothy Marshman Fredrickson who served as a WAVE at the United States Navy Fleet Post Office in San Francisco, California. The collection contains letters from Fredrickson to her mother and sister. There are also photocopies of scrapbook pages as well as leisure photographs, newspaper clippings, greeting cards, menus, ticket stubs, railroad timetables, playbills, and show programs from the scrapbooks. The collection also contains periodicals and other publications from various sources, most concerning the Navy and/or WAVES, and WAVES rules and regulations handbooks.

Content Description

This collection relates to Harold and Lee Hart who served in the Pacific Theater of Operations and European Theater of Operations respectively. This collection contains two manuscripts, "Bataan ... My Story", by Harold Hart, and "Never to Forget", by Les Hart, and an accompanying current newspaper photograph of Lester hart. Harold's manuscript recounts events from June 1941 - June 1946, and covers his training, station in Manila, capture, experiences as a Prisoner of War, liberation, and return home. Les' manuscript recounts his experiences in World War II from 1944 to 1945 with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division, 220th anti-tank Unit.

Scope and Contents The materials in this collection document the experiences of Helen Toles Buffington, a young woman growing up during World War II, as well as the experiences of Herman Buffington, who served with the 96th Infantry Division as a combat soldier who fought in the Battle of Okinawa. Included in the collection is a transcript of Mrs. Buffington’s high school diary, in which she details her daily activities and emotions from 1941 to 1945. Also included in the collection are excerpts from a diary Helen kept while attending Young Harris College and excerpts from a diary Helen kept during the summer of 1945 while working as a phone operator at the Bell Aircraft Corporation, a major...

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to storekeeper first class Edith Houghton who served in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and was a baseball player. This collection contains an interview transcript of Houghton and newspaper clippings related to her baseball tour in Japan in the 1920s.

Scope and Contents

This collection pertains to Private First Class George Kass who served with Company E of the 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 1st Division. The collection consists of letters written to and from Kass to his family, particularly his sister Rose Goldblum. Kass’ letters provide detailed accounts of Army life, and Rose’s letters provide a civilian perspective on life and the war. The letters begin after Kass’ enlistment in 1942 and end when he is wounded in action on September 5, 1944.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of an oral history interview transcript of Yves Knafou, who served in French Algeria and France during World War II. In this extensive interview, Knafou recounts his experiences of the Second World War, but as is made clear by his answers, his memory is fragile and so must be taken with caution. At several points in the interview he contradicts himself and forgets what he had previously said.

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to Tadako Knight, who was the wife of U.S. Navy veteran Willard Thomas Knight who served in the U.S. Navy from 1937 until 1958. This collection contains newspaper articles about Guadalcanal, personal letters in Japanese, newsletters, magazines, correspondence with Tallahassee resident and Guadalcanal veteran Harry Horsman, photocopies of photographs, and writings penned by Japanese and U.S. soldiers.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains seven boxes pertaining to George, Daniel, and William Langford's experiences during World War II and life post-war. The papers include personal documents, military documents, photographs, paintings, newspaper articles, pamphlets, magazines, foreign money, and most prolifically, letters. Also included in George Langford's collection is a full box of artifacts pertaining to his war-time experience.

Content Description

This collection relates to Viola B. McClellan (Women's Auxillary Corps) and Dewey S. McClellan (U.S. Army Air Corps) who both served in the European Theater of Operations as a pilot during World War II. This collection also relates to Charles S. Smith who served as a civilian contractor and Japanese prisoner of war at Wake Island in the Pacific Theater of Operations. This collection contains documents, ephemera, and photographs.

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to Frank Parrotta who served in the U.S. Army 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theater of Operation. This collection contains a veteran questionnaire and a photograph.

Scope and Contents

This forty page oral history interview transcript relates to Robert Mckay who was a student and interned by the Japanese at Baguio in the Philippine Islands during World War II.  The interview was conducted with McKay at a Baguio Internee reunion. The transcript covers McKay's experiences before, during, and after internment.

Content Description

This collection relates to Corporal William T. Rolfe who served in the Royal Air Force as a gunnery instructor in the United Kingdom during World War II. This collection contains the memoir titled "My Memoirs" which documents the life of Rolfe.

Scope and Contents This World War II collection covers the overseas experience of a sailor in the U.S. Navy aboard the escort aircraft carrier U.S.S. Natoma Bay (CVE 62), Composite Squadron 63 (VC-63). The collection includes sets of uniforms, a bomber jacket, personal papers, medals, awards, and a plaque. His personal papers include personnel documents, two journals, captured Japanese papers, the Bluejacket Manual, Natoma Bay records, and various publications from and about the Natoma Bay Association. The papers primarily document his time spent in the Pacific Campaign, although his records also date his trainings in Rhode Island and Jacksonville, Florida. This sailor also...

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a compilation of personal letters and official documents, photographs, personal items, and military badges of Sgt. Simeon C. Sparkman who served with the 8th Air Force from 1943 to 1945, at Burtonwood Air Depot, Warrington, England, also known as Base Air Depot No. 1. Sparkman was specifically assigned to Hangar 5, Mary Ann Site, “B” Shift, Aero Repair Crew 6, and was the ranking NCO on Crew 6 in the grade of T/Sgt. The papers in this collection are comprised of correspondence with his wife, parents, and other family members and close friends.

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to Thomas H. Gilliam who served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a radar operator and was present during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. This collection contains photocopies of black and white photographs taken during the war, a memoir of his experience written by David G. Verdier, and documents related to radar and the Pearl Harbor attack.

Content Description

This collection relates to James Thomas who served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Thomas recounts his experiences training with the 10th Mountain Division, and later combat and living conditions in Bougainville and the Philippines.

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.

Scope and Contents

This World War II collection relates to Robert C. Watson, an African American soldier who served in the Navy during World War II. It contains a page of the roll call from the 316th Port Company with Robert C. Watson's name. There are also news articles and comics from the base. There are photographs of Robert C. Watson's unit and his Veteran's questionnaire. There is also an article he wrote about his experience as a black man who appeared white in the Navy.