World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, American

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The collection of Arthur W. Card contains an oral history transcript of an interview conducted by or for the Institute on World War II. He discusses bringing US troops to and from Europe, as well as returning German POWs to Germany at the end of the war. He also discusses his work in the engine room (where he felt proud to be "more important" to the soldiers on the ship because they relied on his work to keep them safe) and his time ashore in Naples, Italy.

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This collection contains the oral history interview of Lieutenant Colonel Everett Walker conducted by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience. Walker was forced to bail out very near the target on his eighteenth mission as a bombardier and gunner on a B-24. He discusses his rescue from the water, his interrogation experience and the conditions of his internment. He also talks about the many different escape attempts made by the American POWs at Stalag Luft III.

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview transcript relates to George Logue,  an aerial gunner armament specialist on a B-24 assigned to the 15th Air Force.  Logue discusses his bombing missions over Europe, being shot down, life as a prisoner of war, and his brief service with the British 5th Army.

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The Edwin Ivy papers illustrate 2nd Lieutenant Ivy's service in the Army Air Corps in the 485th Heavy Bombardment Group, 831st Squadron, from 1942-1945 in Italy, France, and Austria where he was shot down and became a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III. Ivy's oral history encompasses the majority of his collection and provides detail of his military training, time spent in the Army Air Corps, as a prisoner of war, and being discharged. His papers also include the first chapter of Old Man in a Baseball Cap by Fred Rochlin. The chapter describes the significance of remembering the past and passing down experiences to others.

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Oral history of U.S. Army Air Corps B-17 Co-Pilot Colonel Jack H. Heinzel, an American prisoner of war who survived the Bataan death march and subsequent "Hell Ships" starting in April of 1942. The collection contains one folder with fifteen pages detailing this airman's experience of these atrocities.

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The collection of First Lieutenant James Feerick contains an oral history transcript of an interview provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. Feerick served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as part of the 8th Bomber Command, 1st Bombardment Wing, 91st Bombardment Group in the European theater. He was based in London at Bassingbourne.

The collection also includes a copy of a magazine article from 2000 about a U.S. government agency that smuggled out contraband (radio parts, etc.), into German POW camps and letters along with other information. The agency also helped Allied POWs escape.

Scope and Contents This World War II collection relates to Sgt. James H. Vander Laan, who served in the United States Army Air Force and was assigned to the 511th bomber squadron in the 351st Bombardment Group. During his service, he trained as a ball-turret gunner and radio operator on a B-17 bomber. The collection consists of documents, letters, photographs, and memorabilia. The documents detail where James H. VanderLaan was stationed, inducted and discharged from service. The letters from James H. Vander Laan are addressed from Germany during his time as a Prisoner of War and are dated from November 7, 1943-November 5, 1944. The photographs are of James H. Vander Laan with his wife Marion Madeley and a...

Scope and Contents

This collection contains an unpublished biography of Joseph Peters entitled "An Ordinary Hero." Peters served as a medical doctor in the Philippines during World War II and retired a Colonel. The collection also includes a letter about his 1952 retirement and a letter to his daughter about an injury stating that the initial injury was sustained upon capture by the Japanese in 1942.

Content Description

This collection relates to Richard Knight who served in the U.S. Army in the 11th and 5th Infantry Divisions in the European Theater during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Knight discusses his service in Iceland, Ireland, and France. He also discusses his experience as a prisoner of war in the 12A work camp which was liberated by the Russians.

Content Description

This collection relates to Oscar Olson who served with the United States Army with the 3rd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 8th Division in France and Germany from 1942 to 1945. This collection contains copies of photographs and letters, a veteran's questionnaire and Olson's answers, and an oral history transcript.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a copy of the oral history interview of Joe Rendelman who served with the 15th Air Force in Italy. He was shot down over Romania after twenty-five missions. He spent six months in a POW camp and was liberated by the Russians in 1944.

Scope and Contents Roland Cadoret served as a B-17 pilot in the 351st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, in the European Theater.  His collection contains a manuscript, "The Battle of Grounded Eagles," in which he details his entire POW experience from mission briefing to liberation, an excerpt from his diary, and his photocopied version of General Dwight D. Eisenhower's letter to Invasion Forces. The Polebrook Post 351st Bomb Group Association 8th Airforce Vol. XXVII-No. 2, and the English version of the Moorsburger Beitung, a newspaper, which had special stories all about the POWs which were kept at...

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This collection contains architectural drawings with narrative explanations prepared by Werner Ulrich about the United States Family Internment Camp, Crystal City, TX. Also provided are lists of internees by country of origin as well as copies of the death certificates of internees who died in the camp.

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This folder contains the oral history of William Coleman recorded on May 15, 2003.  Coleman served with the 101st Airborne Division in England and participated in the June 6, 1944 D-Day airborne operation into Normandy, France.  He was later captured by German troops and spent time in a prisoner of war camp.

Scope and Contents

This collection containes numerous publications primarily relating to the experience of American troops in Europe in WW2. Numerous sources relate to the liberation of the concentration camps by American troops and the Holocaust in general.