Collections

This collection contains a single letter, written immediately after the announcement of the surrender of Germany by a mother in Connecticut to her son, Private First Class Carl Holmberg, who had been wounded. The letter discusses the arrival of V-E Day, the continuing fighting in the Pacific, and advice to not continue serving.

Letters, 1944-1945, written by Carl M. Bunker, a private in the US Army during World War II, to his parents in Dayton, Ohio.

Lieutenant Elizabeth A. Feldhusen (1918-2014) was born in Brooklyn, New York and served in World War II as a nurse at field evacuation hospitals in France, Germany, and Austria. She was part of the 131st Evacuation Hospital activated out of Fort Jackson, South Carolina. After German forces signed full surrender, the 131st was ultimately assigned in Austria near a concentration camp in order to take care of recently liberated Polish and Russian prisoners. This collection includes letters from Lieutenant Feldhusen to her family, two photographs of United States Army personnel in uniform, V-Mail letters, pamphlets, and letters from German friends to Elizabeth Feldhusen's mother Anna Feldhusen (in German).

Posters featuring works illustrated by George Withers while an artist at the European Theater of Operations in Paris, France during World War II. Includes the first page of a letter home to his wife Virginia, Victory in Europe (V-E) Day in Paris, liberated Paris in the summer of 1945, and the Cirque de Paris. There are also two commercial illustrations by George Withers which include a movie poster and a drawing of Walt Whitman's birthplace on Long Island.

Letters from Howard O. Morris, to his wife, Juanita, during World War II. There are also a few letters from his wife to him. Morris enlisted in the Army in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and served with the 115th Army Regiment as part of the 1st Eurpoean Civil Affairs (ECA) Regiment, Company A. While the 115th Regiment was joined with the 1st Division for the Battle of Normandy, Morris' Company stayed behind in England. The ECA was responsible for giving public health guidance to civilians of liberated towns and cities. He was in France for the Battle of Brest, Rhineland Campaign, and the Central Europe Campaign. His letters were written from Fort Bragg, England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany following his movements throughout the European Campaign.

PFC James Kimmel (1921-1944) letters to and from him during World War II. Kimmel was killed in action in Italy while serving with the Army in the 157th Infantry. Collection includes hundreds of of letters, eight v-mail letters, and five letters witten by Janet Bosler, Kimmel's sweetheart, that were returned and marked "deceased." The collection also includes newspaper clippings that reported Kimmel's death, a church service bulletin for his memorial, and letters of condolence to Bosler from soldiers who served with Kimmel when he died. Later, Janet Bosler married Edgar Greene, Jr. in 1968. The collection includes correspondence regarding their marriage and also earlier correspondence from her mother, Mrs. Louise Thomas Bosler.

Papers, 1937-1973, of Admiral John Lesslie Hall, Jr. of Williamsburg and Alexandria, Virginia, and while stationed at Pearl Harbor, San Francisco and Norfolk, Virginia. The papers are both personal and professional. The collection contains material concerning World War II Operations TORCH (North Africa), BIGOT-HUSKY, AVALANCHE (Salerno), NEPTUNE-OVERLORD, and as well as the Army-Navy joint agreement on Normandy. Also includes material pertaining to his work with the USO, the Naval War College, Army War College and Armed Forces Staff College as well as speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs and pamphlets. While the majority of the correspondence is with his wife and with his brother Channing M. Hall, there is correspondence with prominent individuals: Omar Bradley, Arleigh Burke, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ernest Joseph King, George C. Marshall, Chester W. Nimitz, George S. Patton, Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and other high-ranking military and civilian figures.

The Joseph M. Zinni letters collection contains correspondence from Joseph M. Zinni to his wife, Anne from 1940-1945. The Letters include discussions from his travels with the 166th Signal Photographic Company, the 39th Signal Corps through Northern Ireland, France, and Luxembourg during World War II. The 166th Signal Photographic Company documented the major military campaigns of the war, producing combat film and still images. They supplied a significant amount of footage to the US news media and also documented evidence of Nazi atrocities against the Jewish populations of Europe. This collection includes photographs of Joseph and Anne Zinni.

Papers, letters, and photographs of Mary Frances Switzer (1919-2005) of Florida who served as a World War II army nurse in France, Belgium, and Germany. After a pre-war nursing degree completed in New Orleans, Mary spent time training in military camps in the United States and England. The collection comprises letters written during the war by Mary to her parents while she was abroad, in which she describes life in army camps and combat zones, leisure activities while on break, and the places she visits. There are also letters from friends and relatives, the bulk of which comes from Mary's fiancé, Allen Galer, from Michigan. Mary and Allen got engaged in September 1938, but separated when Mary decided to pursue her studies in New Orleans. They stayed in contact throughout the war. Allen, who served in the Philippines, writes about the ups and downs of their relationship and his wartime experience in the army and training for the air force. Mary's papers thus document life in the military during WWII, but also college life and courtship in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Diaries and photographs, 1937-1949, of Muriel McCormick. McCormick was a staff member at the United States embassy in Paris, France, from 1945-1946, and much of the collection chronicles her travels through Europe.