Digital Commons Network^™

Skiing During World War Ii: Army Mountain Troops First Train On Mount Rainier, Military Personnel Learn To Ski On Snoqualmie Pass, John W. Lundin

Works by Local Authors

Relatively little has been written about the army’s experimentation with mountain troops before the U.S. entered WW II in December 1941. Beginning in late 1940, men from existing army units were stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained to ski and in winter warfare on Mt. Rainier. This article discusses that training and civilian efforts to provide winter recreation opportunities for military personnel.

Youth In World War Ii, Alyson Griggs

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis project consists of two focuses. The first part focuses on the experiences of Japanese American adolescents who were interned with their parents at the Central Utah Relocation Center during World War II. Although these students were born in the United States and therefore U.S. citizens, they were considered "Japanese" by the U.S. government and many of its citizens. When the U.S. government forcibly removed Japanese American youth and their families from the West Coast, this heavily affected Japanese American youth's perceptions of themselves and the country of their birth. This portion of the project includes a digital exhibit, …

So Others May Live: The Price Of Healthcare In Combat, Robert Del Toro

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

“Medics carried more responsibilities than dry feet, salt tablets, syphilis, and puncture wounds,” U.S. Army Medic Ben Sherman stated after reflecting on his tour in Vietnam. On the battlefields of North Africa, Italy, France, and Vietnam, the medics of the U.S. Army Medical Department faced the difficult duty of preserving life while death surrounded them. Their patients were not strangers but, men they had grown close to, they were comrades and family. Analyzing the memoirs and letters of forward medical personnel from the Second World War and the Vietnam War, this thesis analyzes how a medic’s care went beyond the …

Desegregation Through Entertainment: Rodgers And Hammerstein’S South Pacific As An Instrument Of Military Policy, Leana Sottile

Voces Novae

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific became a staple of mainstream popular culture. However, the musical also served a specific function within the American military where its usage by the United Service Organizations and Department of Defense was widespread. This case study examines how South Pacific arguably served a way to ease the blow of desegregation on the military by other means, in this case, entertainment. This was achieved by combining the show’s progressive views on racial tolerance with the prevalent wartime nostalgia and romanticism in the piece. All of …

Nationalistic Massacre Victims Triumph Over Ccp, Nathan Huffine

Voces Novae

Following the Japanese invasion of mainland China, and the subsequent Nanjing Massacre in 1937, Chinese Massacre survivors gained a nationalistic perspective as a result of their lived experiences. Later, these survivors’ nationalistic perspective came in direct conflict with the class-based perspective held by the Chinese Communist Party. This clash in political views helps shed light upon much of the internal and external Chinese historical narrative throughout the mid to late twentieth century.

All Hands On Deck: German U-Boats And The Civil-Military Defense Of The Gulf, 1941 - 1943, Richard Brunies

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

During the Second World War, Germany unleashed a relentless U-boat campaign against shipping in the coastal waters of the United States. While most of this campaign was fought in the Atlantic Ocean, merchantmen in the Gulf of Mexico also received their fair share of U-boat attacks. The presence of the U-boats in the Gulf was brief but endangered vital merchant shipping, and the U.S. armed forces had to meet this threat. In nearly all aspects of defending the Gulf Coast and improving antisubmarine warfare, civilians participated with a will. Civilians were involved in reporting U-boat activity, monitoring coastal waters, reporting …

A Red River City During War: Shreveport, Louisiana's Experiences During World War Ii, Katelyn N. Woodel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This project provides research that details Shreveport, Louisiana’s experience during World War II. A physical exhibit at the Spring Street Museum and a digital exhibit display Shreveport’s World War II history, based on research conducted for this thesis. Based on a combination of archival collections, and Shreveport Times articles, the project tracks Shreveport communities and the contributions to war efforts from the broader community and local industry. Shreveport’s involvement in World War II began with the Louisiana Maneuvers in 1941. Support for the war continued with heavy metals manufacturing such as the production of shells at the J.B. Beaird Company …

Collegiate Codebreakers: Winthrop, Women, And War, Marlana Mayton

Graduate Theses

During World War II, college-aged women from across the nation filled United States Army and Navy secretive cryptanalysis facilities to help win the war. For many women, colleges facilitated involvement in codebreaking. Through information gathered in oral histories, this thesis primarily explores war related programs at American colleges and the young women that became cryptanalysts. Academic institutions, like Winthrop College, became the nuclei for colligate codebreakers. They acted as early crypt education centers, through the offering of cryptology classes, functioned as recruitment centers, and operated as essential training hubs. While in school, young women were saturated by a climate of …

Framing Death And Suffering: An Examination Of Photographs Of Dead And Dying During The U. S. Civil War, World War Ii, And The Vietnam War, Richard Anthony Lewis

Dissertations

The dissertation analyzes photographic images of dead bodies that appeared in news settings related to warfare in the United States in three distinct eras – the 1860s, the 1940s, and the 1960s. The primary subject of the analysis are photographs of corpses created in the context of the American Civil War (1861-1865), World War II including the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust (1939-1946), and conflict and war in Vietnam (1950-1975). While the sample represents a partial catalogue of images of the dead in the context of warfare since photography emerged in the 1840s as a medium for disseminating news, the …

Evolution Of United States Navy Amphibious Landing Doctrine During World War Ii, Jaedon A. Foreman

Honors Thesis

Leaving World War I and heading into World War II the United States Navy had to prepare for an unforeseen future on the open seas. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States was thrust into World War II and needed an effective amphibious landing doctrine to be able to counter adversary advances. This thesis covers the evolution of landing doctrine from the beginning to the end of World War II while highlighting the impacts that Operations Torch, Husky, Shingle, and Overlord had on the Navy's landing doctrine after the war.

Requisitioned: American War Art Of The Second World War, Spenser Carroll-Johnson

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

The United States requisitioned artists to assist with military objectives and servicemen requisitioned art as a form of rhetoric. This research reexamines the role of “official artists” and thereby extends its definition to include the multitude of art they produced during the Second World War. The underpinnings of this thesis reside during the economic crises of the 1930s that brought about American emergency relief initiatives for artists under the direction of Holger Cahill and, by extension, Edward Bruce. For the first time in history, the American public engaged with state-sponsored art. Due to a symbiotic relationship that formed between the …

Remembering New Mexico's War: Service, Sacrifice, Suffering, And The Surrender Of Bataan In Wartime New Mexico, 1941-1946, Elena Marie Friot

History ETDs

New Mexicans positioned defeat, surrender, and captivity at the center of their narrative of World War II and incorporated the surrender of Bataan into New Mexico’s long history of service, sacrifice, and suffering as part of the United States. During and after the war, they created rituals, spaces, and texts that made the surrender a permanent and defining feature of the state’s social, cultural, and political landscape, which challenges the prevailing victory narrative that tends to dominate public commemorations of the war. Importantly, this dissertation shifts our gaze to investigate how defeat and surrender, and the corresponding experiences of surrendered …

Forgotten Mistakes: Crossing The Rhine Gorge, 1945, Michael Duncan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the years following World War II, official military records along with news reports and personal accounts of senior military leaders formed a narrative that emphasized American exceptionalism and focused on the success of the United States military. That original narrative became a foundation for foreign policy and military doctrine, and its characterization of the tactical and operational decisions made by American military leaders has remained almost entirely unchallenged. This thesis seeks to reverse that trend by carefully analyzing the tactical and operational aspects of one specific event, the crossing of the Rhine Gorge by the 89th Infantry Division.

The …

Lightning Strikes The Axis: Century Storm Boats During World War Ii, Geoffrey Reynolds

Faculty Publications

January 1941 dawned with most of the world at war with Germany, Italy, and Japan. At the 1941 National Boat Show in New York, many boat building companies were absent because they were focused on producing boats for Allied forces overseas or the defense of the United States. The Century Boat Company was the only company that displayed a small boat used for warfare alongside its pleasure craft line. This model and others would later be credited with helping win World War II.

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 …

Neptune’S Oracle: Admiral Harry E. Yarnell’S Wartime Planning, 1918–20 And 1943–44, Frank A. Blazich Jr.

Naval War College Review

Admiral Yarnell’s training at the Naval War College combined with his planning experiences of 1918–20 and 1943–44 to instill ideas and methodologies that he applied throughout his career. His study of military history and his half century of service equipped him admirably to provide Navy leadership with sound foundations for further planning efforts. Yarnell’s strategic vision profoundly influenced the interwar Navy and the force that entered the Cold War era.

Exhibit Curriculum For Fighting For Democracy: Unit Three, Sarah Aponte, Martin Toomajian

Open Educational Resources

Exhibit curriculum for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute exhibit, Fighting for Democracy: Dominican Veterans from World War II.

Students in Global History and U.S. History courses often spend extensive class time studying World War II. Dominicans were involved in virtually every facet of the U.S. war effort. The Dominican Studies Institute's exhibit highlights Dominican veterans who served in both the European and Pacific theaters, in multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces. These same veterans, like other people of color, faced discrimination as soldiers in the U.S. An exploration of these veterans' experiences would be memorable and valuable for secondary …

Gone Fishing: Military Brass In The High Sierra, 1944, Jack Fisher

Eastern Sierra History Journal

Shortly after DDay, Generals George C. Marshall and H.H. (Hap) Arnold flew to Bishop CA for a fishing trip in the High Sierra. In this little-known episode, historian Jack Fisher explores the manifold significance of the generals' recreational trip, not least their need to get away from the wartime pressures.

The Passive Side Of Conflict Archaeology: The 2016 To 2019 Excavations Of A Pow Mess Hall In The Honouliuli Internment And Pow Camp, Island Of O‘Ahu, Hawai‘I, William Belcher

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

The archaeological investigation of Prisoner of War (POW) camps offers a glimpse into the passive side of conflict archaeology; that is, those parts of conflict related to imprisonment of enemy combatants and not active areas like forts and battlefields. This paper presents the research and field operations conducted at the Honouliuli National Historic Site during the 2016 to 2019 field seasons as part of the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu (UH West Oʻahu) archaeological field schools, particularly focused on the discovery and partial excavation of a mess hall concrete foundation or platform associated with a POW population during World War …

Glimpses Of Women At The Tokyo Tribunal, Diane Marie Amann

Scholarly Works

Compared to its Nuremberg counterpart, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East has scarcely been visible in the seven decades since both tribunals’ inception. Recently the situation has changed, as publications of IMTFE documents have occurred alongside divers legal and historical writings, as well as two films and a miniseries. These new accounts give new visibility to the Tokyo Trial – or at least to the roles that men played at those trials. This essay identifies several of the women at Tokyo and explores roles they played there, with emphasis on lawyers and analysts for the prosecution and the …

Seasons Past: Wildcat Strikes And The Smith-Connally Act During World War Ii, Andrew Robert Mccloskey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis explores the phenomenon of wildcat strikes during World War II in the United States, the raging public opinion about these wartime strikes, and the passage of the War Labor Disputes Act (popularly known as the Smith-Connally Act) of 1943. Broadly, this thesis examines the wellsprings of working-class anger and frustration which underscored the spontaneous wildcat strikes, the No-Strike Pledge, and the various factions within the public’s perception of these strikes. This thesis furthermore analyzes the congressional debate surrounding the SmithConnally Act and the American public’s reaction to the passage of this restrictive legislation. Finally, this thesis posits that …

Book Review: Hitler’S Atrocities Against Allied Pows: War Crimes Of The Third Reich, Timothy Heck

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Hitler’s Atrocities Against Allied PoWs cannot be regarded as an academic study of the fate awaiting captured Allied servicemen and women. Its narrow focus, socio-political goal, and limited engagement with the historiography prevent it from serving as more than a survey text or springboard. Chinnery attempts to tie the individual fates to a larger argument that the German armed forces and their security force compatriots were systematically responsible for the abuses described in the book. While the individual cases are compelling and some have a clear connection to explicit policies, the book does not succeed in linking its other examples …

Anglo-American Loan And Britain's Economic Struggles In Post-War Europe, Jessica Solomon

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The Anglo-American Loan of 1946 weakened the British Empire as the United States grew as the top global power. By supplying the Allied Powers with weapons and ammunitions during World War II, through the Cash and Carry Policy and the Lend-Lease Act, the United States economic superiority in the postwar made most of Europe look for assistance in the rebuilding of Europe. This research paper, through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, conducts how the British Empire fell at the hands of the United States in the 20^th century. Through looking at British Parliament and American Congress transcripts, …

Educating Strategic Lieutenants At West Point, Scott A. Silverstone

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues West Point responded to the changing strategic environment from the end of the Cold War through the post-9/11 period by innovating its curriculum. Over the past several decades, however, the academy’s educational model has remained remarkably stable, rooted in an enduring commitment to a rigorous liberal education as the best preparation for officers confronting the inherent uncertainties of future wars.

Delta And Pine Land Company Records, Mississippi State University Libraries

Special Collections Finding Aids

MSS. 101. 1886-1982. 104.33 cubic feet and 53 volumes. Correspondence, annual reports, minutes, financial records, maps, oral history interviews, publications and other records documenting the history of the Delta and Pine Land Company. While headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, the company was owned by a British firm throughout most of its history, and at various times it had offices in Arizona, California, and Texas. Advertised during one period as the world's largest cotton plantation, Delta and Pine Land Company grew a variety of crops and became famous for its research and development of cotton varieties. Among the major subjects in the …

The Anatomy Of Patriotism: The Commodification Of American Gender Roles And The Female Body In World War Ii Print Media, Adison Beals

Voces Novae

During World War II, the United States turned to the female gender roles that underpinned American society and commodified them in print media to sell the war effort and female participation in it, resulting in the appearance of hands, lips, and legs in propaganda, makeup advertisements, and pinup images. This phenomenon reflects how physical presentation indicates social anxieties and American constructions of gender, as well as how the female body is imbued with cultural symbolism.

Shaping The Southeastern Conference: Commercialization And Deregulation During The Great Depression And World War Ii, James Lawrence Watkins

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation examines how member institutions in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) managed their college football programs during World War II. This time period in college sport history is unique because a few university presidents at SEC institutions believed the war gave them the opportunity to permanently implement reforms such as reducing practice hours and limiting the high salaries of coaches. Previous historiography demonstrates that these reforms did not come to fruition. Why were the university presidents and faculty, who claimed responsibility for governing the SEC, unable to capitalize on the opportunity they believed the war had given them to reform …

The Fighting Blue Ridgers: Combined Arms Capabilities Of The Us Army's 80th Infantry Division In World War Ii, 1944-1945, Brannon Price

Master's Theses

This study of the Second World War examines the tactics employed by the 80th Infantry Division of the United States Army in the European Theater of Operations in 1944 and 1945. Early historiography portrays American units as brave but less sophisticated than their German adversaries. However, recent scholarship praises American combat capabilities. Drawing largely upon official Army records and firsthand accounts from American soldiers, this thesis argues that the 80th Infantry Division developed into a highly effective fighting force in the European Theater when it properly employed the concept of combined arms (the coordination of infantry, artillery, and armor) on …

Flying Tigers, Black Sheep: Legends In The Pacific, Delynn Burrell

Masters Theses

This project seeks to explore the relationship between Claire Lee Chennault and Gregory “Pappy” Boyington and their respective units. By carefully studying Claire Chennault and Gregory Boyington and the strategies they implemented within their units for missions one can better understand what made their units so successful. By extension, this project also seeks to understand how popular culture has continued to bring their stories to the forefront for a new generation and the influence it has in expanding the legends. By examining personality traits, leadership skills, and the command policies of the commanders outside of missions, it is hopeful that …

"The Most Forgotten Unit In The Most Forgotten Theatre Of That War:" A History Of The Mars Task Force In The Burma Theatre Of World War Ii, August 1944-October 1945, Matthew James Camina

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the significance of the (MTF) in Burma during World War II and how the MTF has been generally overlooked by historians. What little historical attention the Mars Task Force has received has frequently been brief and inaccurate. The Mars Task Force was a classified Long Range Penetration Force that trekked some 300 miles behind enemy-lines and went on the offensive in Burma to weaken the Japanese in their war with the Nationalists Chinese. This epic march was on foot, with mules, and supplied through airdrops. This thesis represents one of the few studies of the Mars Task …