History Commons^™

A Summer Of Mass Murder: 1941 Rehearsal For The Hungarian Holocaust, George Eisen

Purdue University Press Books

Most accounts of the Holocaust focus on trainloads of prisoners speeding toward Auschwitz, with its chimneys belching smoke and flames, in the summer of 1944. This book provides a hitherto untold chapter of the Holocaust by exploring a prequel to the gas chambers: the face-to-face mass murder of Jews in Galicia by bullets.

The summer of 1941 ushered in a chain of events that had no precedent in the rapidly unfolding history of World War II and the Holocaust. In six weeks, more than twenty thousand Hungarian Jews were forcefully deported to Galicia and summarily executed. In exploring the fate …

Democracy's Shield: Voices Of Wwii, Michael J. Birkner, Grace E. Gallagher, Rachel I. Main

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

Based on a body of 700 oral history interviews archived at Gettysburg College, Democracy's Shield relates the American military experience through the voices of those who served – from early awareness of the conflict in Europe and East Asia to the dropping of the atomic bomb, victory, occupation and homecoming.

The text is illustrated with images of artifacts from the library's Special Collections.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Portents of War
Pearl Harbor
Draft Status and Volunteering
Exams, Induction, Training
Heading to the Front
Attitudes about the Enemy
Race, Gender and the War Effort
GI Joe
Aboard Ship
Up in …

Eva And Otto: Resistance, Refugees, And Love In The Time Of Hitler, Tom Pfister, Kathy Pfister, Peter Pfister

Purdue University Press Book Previews

Eva and Otto is a true story about German opposition and resistance to Hitler as revealed through the early lives of Eva Lewinski Pfister (1910–1991) and Otto Pfister (1900–1985). It is an intimate and epic account of two Germans—Eva born Jewish, Otto born Catholic—who worked with a little-known German political group that resisted and fought against Hitler in Germany before 1933 and then in exile in Paris before the German invasion of France in May 1940. After their improbable escapes from separate internment and imprisonment in Europe, Eva obtained refuge in America in October 1940 where she worked to rescue …

Ms – 247: Sinclair – Donaldson Papers, Michelle Williams, Ryan Bilger

All Finding Aids

The Sinclair - Donaldson Collection includes photographs and ephemera saved by Connie Sinclair, an African-American W.A.C. member who served during WWII. It consists of sepia-toned and black and white photographs taken during training and enlistment, many captioned. Among the images are official Army photos, including women in a mess hall, the Nurse Corp at Fort Huachuca, and Native American soldiers at the same location.

Also contained within this collection are military pins, patches, and insignia, including the Pallas Athene and Sinclair’s dog tag; a W.A.C. song book from 1944; and Sinclair’s Service Recognition certificate. Two Service Club scrapbooks from the …

Ms – 246: Papers Of The Bond/Smith Families, Natalie M. Orga, Michelle Williams

All Finding Aids

The collection includes over 500 letters, most of them pertaining to WWI. The majority of these letters are from Norman Bond to his mother, Elizabeth (or “Bessie”) Bond, discussing his experiences as a pilot in the 13th Aero group 2nd pursuit squadron. Norman also wrote to his mother frequently before the war during his time at Harvard University, and during his post-college tour of Europe. The collection includes many of these letters, postcards, and photographs from this time period, as well as Norman’s grades, professor correspondence, a Harvard flag, and other documents and ephemera relating to his school years. It …

Finding Edith: Surviving The Holocaust In Plain Sight, Edith Mayer Cord

Purdue University Press Book Previews

Finding Edith: Surviving the Holocaust in Plain Sight is the coming-of-age story of a young Jewish girl chased in Europe during World War II. Like a great adventure story, the book describes the childhood and adolescence of a Viennese girl growing up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the rise of Nazism, World War II, and the religious persecution of Jews throughout Europe. Edith was hunted in Western Europe and Vichy France, where she was hidden in plain sight, constantly afraid of discovery and denunciation. Forced to keep every thought to herself, Edith developed an intense inner life. After …

Reflections On My 1990 Taped Interviews With Pows Of Wwii, Mark Rieman

WWII Prisoner of War Taped Interviews

No abstract provided.

Vetetran Interview Questions/Format, Mark Rieman

WWII Prisoner of War Taped Interviews

No abstract provided.

Edward M. Higgins Papers, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of the personal and naval papers of Edward M. Higgins, along with photographs and objects related to his career. The materials cover the multiple ships he served on, as well as personal correspondence and photographs from his family. The bulk of the documents are from 1940-1968.

Find this collection in the libraries' catalog.

Ms – 211: Earman Family Letters From Wwii, Kayla Morrow

All Finding Aids

The collection contains 389 letters, 15 V-mail , and 166 additional items addressed to members of the Earman family home. The majority of the correspondence is sent from Ernest and Randolph to their mother, Mrs. Earman. Because the Earman brothers did not see much direct combat, the bulk of their letters are updates on health and daily activities, or candid observations on the war, the Army, the weather, and women. The rest of the collection includes letters addressed to the Earman family from distant or extended family, close friends, and Ernest’s foreign and domestic girlfriends. Many of the letters are …

Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic, Genevieve Jedrziewski Williams, Kelsey Duinkerken

Jefferson Nursing Oral Histories

This oral history was completed with Genevieve (Jenny) Williams about her older sister Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic, a 1940 graduate of Jefferson's Nursing Training School.

Stella Jedrziewski Wawrynovic was born in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania to Polish immigrants. Her parents championed the importance of education for all of their children, and so when the oldest daughter Stella graduated from high school in 1936 she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a nursing degree at Jefferson's Nursing School. She began her career at Jefferson before joining the Army during WWII to work as a nurse. After the war she returned to Jefferson, where she …

Ms-177: Lillian Quinn Letter Collection, Avery N. Fox

All Finding Aids

The collection consists primarily of letters written from Lillian Quinn to Lillian Carling. The letters span from January 27, 1937 to August 8, 1949 and focus on family health, activities, and troubles of the Quinn family, as well as their opinions about World War II and how it impacts the family.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

Ms-178: David Woods ’52 Papers, Kathryn Shirey

All Finding Aids

The David Woods Collections consists primarily of letters Woods wrote during his time serving in the Army, stationed in the Philippines. The letters are from August 1, 1946 to September 10, 1947. He was a consistent writer and sent letters home usually at least once a week. A concerned man, he frequently apologizes to his parents, and for not writing more often. All of the letters, except one, are addressed to his family, including his mother, Margaret McGaughy Woods, his father, David Walker Woods II and his little brother, William A. Woods. He liked to take photos and send them …

Dayton Codebreaker Highlights Pride In Contribution To Wwii, Jeremy Dobbins, Will Davis

Veterans' Voices on WYSO

For some who serve in the military, their work is top secret, and the contribution they make to national security may never be publicly known. The WYSO Veterans' Voices series tells the story of Army veteran John Harshman who, unbeknownst to him, helped crack the code of the German Enigma machines. Those machines were used to encrypt secret messages during World War II.

Ms-171: Corporal Luther Jacob “Jake” Thomas Papers, Margaret J. Meyers, Jenna E. Fleming

All Finding Aids

This collection consists of letters, photographs, documents, and artifacts relating to Luther J. “Jake” Thomas’s military service during the Second World War. The majority of the collection features correspondence between Thomas and his family, particularly his mother Anna Thomas, between 1943 and 1945. While serving as an MP in the Army Air Corps, Thomas regularly mailed letters and photographs home detailing his training, travels, and experiences as a soldier. The collection also includes Thomas’s military documentation (for example, induction and separation papers), training materials, wartime souvenirs and artefacts, and post-war awards and honors. The collection includes documents related to Thomas’s …

Ms-173: Leo Jarboe Papers, Abby M. Rolland

All Finding Aids

This collection consists of many, diverse documents, in both English and Japanese, about the USS Callaghan (DD-792) and other ships, newspaper articles, letters, recollections, and other personal items from Kaoru Hasegawa and Leo Jarboe, reunion and exchange program information, material about the second USS Callaghan (DDG-994), images, and veterans information.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

A Wwii Veteran Shares His Stories In Person, Via Social Media, Jeremy Dobbins, Will Davis

Veterans' Voices on WYSO

Jim "Pee Wee" Martin, an World War II Army Veteran, parachuted into Normandy on the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at the age of 93. Jim was in the now famous 506th parachute infantry regiment featured in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He was nicknamed “Pee Wee” because he was the lightest man in the unit. At the end of the war, Jim returned to Xenia to build a house, raise a family, and live a modest life. But when Jim got online and connected with social media, his popularity reached celebrity status.

Encounters With Eisenhower: Personal Reminiscences Collected To Mark The 125th Anniversary Of The Birth Of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Michael J. Birkner, Devin Mckinney

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

The general who orchestrated the greatest amphibian invasion in history, and led Allied forces in the great crusade to crush Adolf Hitler’s armies, subsequently became a popular two-term president of the United States. In the annals of American success stories, it’s hard to beat the life that Dwight D. Eisenhower made.

Yet this heroic figure was also a “natural man,” as one of the contributors to this volume of personal reminiscences suggests. Lady Dill was referring to Eisenhower’s humanity and lack of pretense. Unlike other leading figures of his day—including a certain five-star general who orchestrated the American island-hopping campaign …

Different Generations Of Veterans On Learning To Share Their Stories, Jeremy Dobbins, Will Davis

Veterans' Voices on WYSO

Jeremy Dobbins served four years as an infantry rifleman in Afghanistan, and when he got out in 2012 he found it difficult to talk to people about his military experience. But when he was ready, he chose to tell his stories to an old family friend from Springfield named Charlie Dyke. Jeremy had joined the Marine Corps at age 17. Charlie enlisted during World War II shortly after his 18th birthday. Both men returned to Springfield after their service ended to raise families and begin new lives.

Ms-157: Donald Brett Collection Of Eisenhower Memorabilia, Katy Rettig

All Finding Aids

The collection consists of items relevant to all aspects of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s life and career. Most prevalent are Ike’s years as president with numerous artifacts from his 1952 and 1956 presidential campaigns as well as commemorative pieces. These artifacts include a significant collection of campaign buttons, jewelry, and postcards along with other miscellaneous campaign artifacts. There is also a series of photographs mostly relating to his Army career in World War II with others from his two terms as president. Of particular interest are the 1915 and 1945 Howitzers, the United States Military Academy at West Point’s yearbook and …

Ms-142: World War Ii Correspondence Of Clarence And Helen Haldeman, Devin Mckinney

All Finding Aids

The bulk of the letters in the collection were written by Clarence and Helen Haldeman between 1943 and 1946, while Clarence was being trained at various bases by the Army Air Corps, and later serving in a bomber squadron in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

Ms-126: Anita Faller Alford Collection, Devin Mckinney

All Finding Aids

This collection contains photographs, a scrapbook, newspapers, maps, military records, and more focused on Anita Faller Alford's military service as a nurse during World War II.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

Ms-123: Robert D. Hanson Papers, Meghan E. Kelly

All Finding Aids

This collection is mainly comprised of letters and telegrams of the immediate Hanson family during WWII (1942-1946, with gaps), though there is a selection of letters to members of the family from other authors and a small group of letters written from 1904-1924 to Elizabeth and Henry Hanson from Elizabeth’s parents F. V. N. (Franklin Verzelius Newton) and L. T. ( Laura Trimble) Painter. In the sub-series of other letters addressed to Robert Hanson there are several letters pertaining to Robert’s admission to law school, the bar, and the army in addition to personal correspondence.

Special Collections and College Archives …

Ms-120: Naviglia-Woncheck World War Ii Letters Home: A Family Separated By War, G. Ronald Couchman

All Finding Aids

The collection consists of 31 letters or postcards by service men to loved ones at home. Nearly all of the letters are from members of the Naviglia-Woncheck extended family including the four Naviglia brothers: Louis (14 letters), John (one letter), James (one letter), Joseph (7 letters), and “Check” Woncheck (5 letters) the brother-in-law of their sister Anne. The collection also includes one letter from PFC James Faulkner to his sister and one letter from Pvt. David R. Curry to his cousin, Frances Faulkner, a card address to Ford Peters, a war ration book, a Draft Classification Notice for William Thomas …

Ms-118: Letters Solicited By Jerold Wikoff For Gettysburg Alumni Magazine, Sierra R. Green

All Finding Aids

This collection is comprised of letters written by Gettysburg College alumni to Mr. Jerold Wikoff concerning three distinct topics: World War II experiences, dinks, and alumni couple sweetheart stories. The alumni who contributed the letters that comprise this collection wrote in response to Mr. Wikoff‟s various requests within the Gettysburg alumni magazine.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/ …

Ms-117: Papers Of George H. Sweet Jr. ’42, Elizabeth M. Ungemach

All Finding Aids

This collection gives insight into the pre- and inter-wartime life of George H. Sweet Jr. ’42 as a member and captain of L.S.T. 358 in the Mediterranean. It also provides general information about World War II in the Mediterranean and L.S.T.s. It further gives a glimpse of the experiences of Donald Sweet ’49 as an aircrewman in the Pacific theater, specifically about life and important happenings during the invasion of Okinawa in 1945.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about …

Ms-111: The Dwight D. Eisenhower Society Papers, G. Ronald Couchman

All Finding Aids

The collection contains The Eisenhower Society correspondence, administrative and program materials covering the period 1986-1999, including the Society’s increased activity and involvement in connection with the October, 1990 centennial celebration of Eisenhower’s birth.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

Ms-104: World War Ii Letters From Carl G. Ohmer And Richard E. Ohmer, Kate Boeree

All Finding Aids

This collection contains 109 letters written by soldiers in World War II. 98 of these are letters are addressed to the Ohmer family in Girard, PA from their sons, Carl and Richard, as well as a friend of the family, Ray O’Connor. 11 of the letters are addressed to Georgia Hitchcock in New York, NY from John V. Starr, as well as one letter signed “Don,” with no other distinguishing factors of his identity. All letters include their original envelope.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding …

Ms-077: Gladys Kennedy World War Ii Letters, Tara R. Wink, Andrew D. Royer

All Finding Aids

This collection of correspondence contains letters from all fronts and from many of Gladys’ “sweethearts.” It appears that she shipped her address out in the parts she made at the Depot and would get responses from some of the soldiers and sailors. Some of the letters are from soldiers and sailors abroad from her hometown of York Springs, Pennsylvania. Collection includes paperwork from a raise received by Kennedy in 1944.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in …

Ms-094: Letters Of John Duttera, World War Ii, Kayla Lenkner

All Finding Aids

This collection consists primarily of correspondence received by Ruth Feiser during World War II from John Duttera, Joseph E. Atland, and others.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.