Military History Commons^™

First Steps: Intelligence Analysis In Canada During The Second World War, Alan Barnes

Canadian Military History

At the outset of the Second World War decision-makers in Ottawa were entirely dependent on the United Kingdom for finished intelligence on foreign military and political developments. During six years of war the intelligence work carried out in Canada expanded in several areas, and included a growing capacity to carry out intelligence analysis in several fields. An analytic group was established to exploit the mass of detailed information collected by the postal censorship programme. The Department of External Affairs created a small unit that drew on signals intercepts and other sources to assess political issues for senior officials. In the …

The Corvus, The Roman Boarding Device, Jacob Stickel

Classics Ancient Science Fair

The Roman's made many technological advancements, many of which were of a military nature. This presentation discusses the creation, use and other aspects of the Corvus, a Roman invention for naval warfare.

Cives Arma Ferant: Reconstructing Infantry Combat And Training In The European Theater Of Operations, Phil R. Kaspriskie

Student Publications

A common theme in memoirs, oral histories, and other sources dealing with servicemen in World War II seems to be a focus on the experience of combat. Training, particularly individual training, is rarely discussed beyond a cursory mention, and if it is discussed at all, the overwhelming tendency is to paint a picture of half-trained cannon fodder, at best.

This paper’s goal is twofold: First, explore methods of instruction at the individual and unit levels, and explain the reasoning behind the evolution of training as the Army Ground Forces’ understanding of contemporary warfare changed; second, provide a case study at …

"They Were Only Playin' Leapfrog!": The Infantryman And The Staff Officer In The British Army In The Great War, Benjamin M. Roy

Student Publications

The British Infantryman of the First World War hated Staff Officers more than any other supporting or service branch in the BEF. This essay explores this attitude, its motivations, and the ways complaining helped British Infantrymen endure the Great War. It argues that the British Infantryman felt separate from the Staff Officers because of his intimate understanding of combat and killing and manifested his frustration with the helpless circumstances of war by hating Staff Officers, but ultimately understood the Staff Officer's role and the necessity of their service. By reconsidering the hackneyed views of the 'Poor Bloody Infantry' a new …

Night Falls, Fighters Fly: The Development And Evolution Of Navy Night Fighters In World War Ii, Mark A. Urbon

Student Publications

It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of radar in the Second World War. This piece of Allied technology was one which the Axis were never able to truly overcome. This paper will comprehensively explore how radar was used in the development of U.S. Navy carrier-borne night fighters in World War II. It seeks not just to demonstrate the effectiveness with which night fighters to use, but also the understudied and under-appreciated technological accomplishment that was night fighting. Whereas other works on the subject serve largely as roadmaps or timelines detailing the key moments in night fighter history, this …

Be Good: Hatred And Hope In The Letters Of Gerald Koster, Steven M. Landry

Student Publications

To tell an informative story about someone’s life is difficult at the best of times. Gerald “Gerry” Koster’s correspondence during his last year of service in the US Navy towards the end of the Pacific War can thus only paint an incomplete portrait of who he was and what exactly the war meant to him. Nevertheless, there are things that his letters can teach readers, not only about Koster’s role and daily activities in the military, but about his personal character and how that manifested in his interactions with the defeated Japanese and his family. And perhaps, through his personal …

Thinking Of Home: The World War Two Letters Of Gerald Koster, Erica L. Uszak

Student Publications

This paper covers the letters of Gerald Koster, who served aboard the USS New Jersey during World War Two. This paper covers his letters from the time of his enlistment in January 1943 through November 1943, and shows how his attitude towards the Navy, his parents, and his home changed over that period, as Koster became homesick and lost enthusiasm for Navy life.

“Strike Up” And Mobilize The Band: Musical Activities In The United States Military During World War Ii, Max R. Bouchard

Student Publications

After the United States’ entry into the Second World War, music was one of the most prominent forms of art and popular entertainment to be repurposed by the federal government as part of the mobilization for war. The military implemented numerous music programs produced and consumed by a wide range of service personnel. These activities functioned as a means of building morale among military and civilian audiences, both on the domestic home front and in foreign nations, and disseminating an image of American culture that reinforced a set of values integral to the war effort. In order to present this …

The Octofoil, April/May/June 2020, Ninth Infantry Division Association

The Octofoil

The Octofoil is the offical publication of the Ninth Infantry Division Association, Inc., an organization formed by the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order to perpetuate the memory of fallen comrades, preserve the esprit de corps of the Division, promote peace and serve as an information bureau about the 9th Infantry Division. The Association is made up of 9th Infantry veterans from WWII and Vietnam, spouses, widows and lineal descendants.

Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3522), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3522. Letter, 28 September 1861, to his mother from John L. Hebron, serving with the 2nd Ohio Infantry at Camp King near Covington, Kentucky. He describes his travel from Camp Dennison in Ohio, camping and drilling, and the shooting of an African American by a guard. He acknowledges receipt of a needle book and expresses a desire to procure oilcloth for a blanket. He reports on efforts to raise another company in Ohio, the treatment of the men by officers, and the absence of “secesh women” in that part of the state.

Wallar, James Leaman, 1837-1933 (Sc 3518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3518. Letter, 21 October 1861, to his mother and sisters from James L. Wallar of Marshall, Illinois, serving with the 40th Illinois Volunteers at Paducah, Kentucky. He describes the current circumstances of his regiment: the possibility of winter quarters; the drill and guard routine; construction of fortifications; the wounding of pickets and scouts and the funeral procession of one who was killed; the capture of Confederates; and the local flora. He asks about his crops at home and the possibilities of sale, and notes an “ugly letter” …

Uniquely Okinawan: Determining Identity During The U.S. Wartime Occupation, Courtney A. Short

History

When the U.S. military landed on the shores of Okinawa in 1945, they faced not only a fierce and battle-tested Japanese force, but also 463,000 Okinawan inhabitants. Larger than any other civilian population encountered by the Americans during previous campaigns throughout the Pacific islands, the people of Okinawa also had a unique and complex historical and political relationship with Japan. Okinawa never experienced subjugation as a colony, yet its acceptance as a prefecture did not yield equal treatment for the people because of their Ryukyuan heritage. As the U.S. military prepared for the Battle of Okinawa, they faced dangerous uncertainty …

Shuster, John W., 1846-1916 (Sc 3512), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3512. Letters, 26 June and 19 July 1864, to Ensign Chubb, Canfield, Ohio, from John W. Shuster, serving with Company H of the 139th Indiana Volunteers. From Fort Jones, Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, he writes of illness in camp, July Fourth celebrations, the predations of “bushwackers,” and the popularity of Democratic presidential candidate George B. McClellan (“little Mac”) among the troops.

In Search Of A More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, And The Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810, Ethan David Zook

Masters Theses

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, sought to reduce the national debt, eliminate taxes, and reduce spending regarding the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. To this end, Jefferson enlisted the assistance of congressional Republicans to authorize and fund the construction of lightly armed, coastal-defense gunboats. By examining Jefferson’s writings and congressional speeches, “In Search of a More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, and the Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810” explains both Jefferson’s interest in the small warships, and why from 1801 to 1809 Congress appropriated $1,205,500 to build approximately 180 gunboats. This thesis argues that Jefferson …

Peter, William Henry, 1840-1865 (Sc 3510), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3510. Letters from W. Henry Peter to his sister in Brighton, Illinois. Stationed with the 122nd Illinois Infantry at Paducah, Kentucky on 11 December 1863, he recounts his regiment’s travel there by steamer to a camp site previously occupied by another regiment. He reports receiving a backlog of mail, expresses confidence in the strength of his regiment’s position and its supporting gunboats, and urges her and other family members to visit him. His letter of 12January 1864 reports his assignment as clerk for a military …

Buckberry, Ray B., Jr., B. 1934 - Collector (Mss 688), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and digital scans for some files for Manuscripts Collection 688. Material collected by Bowling Green, Kentucky attorney, Ray B. Buckberry, Jr. for presentations he prepared about the history of grocery stores locally and nationally and about Operation Tiger, the practice battle for D-Day on Slapton Sands, Devon, England on 28 April 1944 during World War II.

Stuver, Aaron S., 1842-1894 (Sc 3505), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript of letter (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3505. Letter, 26 July 1863, of Aaron S. Stuver, written to his sister Emma from Cincinnati, Ohio while serving with the 115th Ohio Volunteers. He describes the defense of Cincinnati from Confederate guerrilla John Hunt Morgan during his raid through Ohio and Indiana, and the funeral of Major Daniel McCook, whose six sons also served in the Army and who was killed at the Battle of Buffington Island. Stuver remarks on the likely effects of conscription on the length of the war, and on the …

Skinner, Asahel, 1814-1902 (Sc 3506), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3506. Application, affidavit, and power of attorney, 4 May 1869, of Asahel Skinner, made to recover the amount of a claim for property loss in connection with the Morgan Raid of 1863 in Meigs County, Ohio. The form, headed “Morgan Raid Claims,” was completed pursuant to an Act of the Ohio Legislature passed 26 April 1869 authorizing such compensation. Includes a photocopy from an unidentified report indicating that Skinner received $220.00 for two horses, a colt, bridles and provisions.

Centennial Of Rotc At Wofford, Phillip Stone

Library Exhibits

Wofford College has one of the oldest detachments of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps units in the country, dating from December 1919. ROTC has been an important institution in Wofford's history, This exhibit presents information about ROTC in different eras of Wofford's history, from the establishment in 1919 through the 2000s.

"What Good Can There Be In This Kind Of Human?" Spanish Justification For The Conquest Of The Americas, John R. Pittenger

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The Spanish conquest of the Americas was one of the most brutal episodes in human history. Entire cultures of American natives were suppressed, murdered, raped, and enslaved by Spanish conquistadors on an incessant quest for precious metals and other material wealth. The devastation wrought upon the natives was so great that some Spaniards felt that what they were doing violated God's will and was naturally and morally wrong, but they were vastly outnumbered. The majority saw it as their right, duty, and privilege to conquer and subject these millions of people to Spanish rule. Since they were trying to justify …