History Commons^™

Oral History/ Betsy Babb, Natalia Pena

World War II

No abstract provided.

Kerr, David Warren, 1922-1982 (Sc 2954), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2954. Letter of David Kerr, 14-16 November 1944, to Frances Ann Wade, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Writing from an undisclosed overseas location while serving in the armed forces, he describes his surroundings in general and his work on a painting detail. He also encloses a marksman’s medal (not included in this collection) and praises the athletic achievements of his hometown Ohio high school.

Suffering Sisters, Silent Majorities, And Societal Oppression: Comparing The Anti-War Themes And Strategies Of Kurt Vonnegut’S Slaughterhouse-Five And Katherine Anne Porter’S “Pale Horse, Pale Rider”, Melissa N. Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five and Katherine Anne Porter’s “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” are quite dissimilar in style, but these two works convey overall anti-war themes. The works were written in different eras, portray different wars, and are strongly influenced by the lives of the authors themselves; however, these unique factors work together in both works to convey similar messages regarding war’s oppressive nature and corruption of mankind. Vonnegut and Porter employ various methods to communicate these messages, some unique to the respective works and some shared by the two. The characters of Montana Wildhack and Miranda Gay—two oppressed female characters imprisoned …

Oral History/ Alexis Hartline: Patricia Shadden- Growing Up On The Home Front During Wwii, Alexis C. Hartline

World War II

No abstract provided.

Chasing Ghosts: A Memoir Of A Father, Gone To War [Table Of Contents], Louise Desalvo

History

When literary biographer and memoirist Louise DeSalvo embarked upon a journey to learn why her father came home from World War II a changed man, she didn’t realize her quest would take ten years, and that it would yield more revelations about the man—and herself—and the effect of his military service upon their family than she’d ever imagined. During his last years, as he told her about his life, DeSalvo began to understand that her obsession with war novels and military history wasn’t merely academic but rooted in her desire to understand this complex father whom she both adored and …

Women And World War Ii At Gettysburg College, Keira B. Koch

Student Publications

An examination of the women attending Gettysburg College during World War II. This project examined what the women did and experienced during the World War II, along with analyzing campus culture and life.

When The World Stood Aside – The Allied Reaction To Jan Karski’S Report From Hell, Frank Jacob

Publications and Research

The article analyses the Allied reactions in the United Kingdom and the United States after having received Jan Karski's report about the situation of the Jews in Poland.

Placing "Rights And Liberties In Pawn Until The Defeat Of Hitlerism”: Canadian Intelligence Gathering In The Second World War, Austin M H Williams

The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History

Abstract:

A monograph regarding the history of Canada’s intelligence gathering apparatus has not been published, leaving a gap in modern historiography. In an attempt to partially fill this academic void, this essay examines RCMP intelligence Bulletins drafted during World War Two that have been declassified under the Access to Information Act. Analysis of the Bulletins clearly indicates the Canadian intelligence gathering apparatus underwent a massive expansion of scope during the war. The RCMP began investigating people and organizations based upon their race, religion, political affiliation or nationalist beliefs. Disregard of human rights and privacy during the period was so …

Sobrevivimos … Al Fin Hablo, Leon Malmed

Zea E-Books Collection

Esta es la historia real de Leon Malmed quien, junto a su hermana Rachel, escapó de Francia durante la época del Holocausto gracias a sus valientes y heroicos vecinos quienes, después de haber presenciado el arresto de los padres de nuestro protagonista en 1942, se ofrecieron a cuidarlo a él y a su hermana hasta que regresaran. Primero, los padres de Leon fueron llevados a Drancy, después a Auschwitz-Birkenau, y nunca volvieron. Mientras tanto sus vecinos, que vivían en el piso de abajo, Henri y Suzanne Ribouleau, los acogieron dándoles un hogar y una familia; protegiéndolos mientras la ocupación los …

Davidson, Benjamin Gideon, Iii, 1914-1998 (Mss 559), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 559. Letters to Benjamin Gideon Davidson “B.G.,” III, Bowling Green, Kentucky, written primarily by female friends when he was a student at Bowling Green High School and Centre College, Danville, Kentucky. Includes some letters from his mother and miscellaneous papers.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945 - Letter To (Sc 2926), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2926. “A Letter to Hitler” from “America,” handwritten on letterhead of The Armored Force, Fort Knox, Kentucky. The mocking letter describes in explicit verse what awaits Hitler when U.S. forces arrive in Berlin.

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/.

Browning, James Clarence, 1914-1942 (Mss 556), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 556. Letters of U.S. Army officer J.C. Browning to his wife Lila (Hardcastle) Browning, written during his World War II military service. Browning was killed in North Africa on 8 November 1942. Includes letters of condolence to his wife, papers relating to his military service, and miscellaneous family cards and letters.

Hidden No More: Wilhelmina "Willie" Juhlin '61: A Secret Life, Gerry Boyle, Nick Cardillicchio

Colby Magazine

Willie de Kadt Juhlin ’61 tells of her life as a hidden child so that this chapter in history is remembered and in hopes that it will not be repeated.

Givens, Wayne, 1905-1971 (Sc 2918), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2918. U.S. Army discharge papers and certificate of Wayne Givens, Monroe County, Kentucky, 1945; photostat of death certificate of Wayne Givens, 1971. Also includes Statement of Personal history form of Givens’ wife, Mildred (Hagan) Givens, with data on education, employment, etc.

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 …

Crimean Tatars From Mass Deportation To Hardships In Occupied Crimea, Karina Korostelina

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

The article begins with a description of the deportation of Crimean Tatars. It provides a brief review of the Nazi Occupation of Crimea, examines the negative images of Crimean Tatars published in Soviet newspapers between 1941-1943 and the explicit rationale given by the Soviet authorities for the deportation of Crimean Tatars, and reviews the mitigation of hostilities against Tatars in the years following the war. The article continues with accounts of the attempts to repatriate Crimean Tatars after 1989 and the discriminative policies against the returning people. The conclusion of the article describes current hardships experienced by Tatars in occupied …

Rasdall Family Papers (Mss 542), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 542. Correspondence and papers of the Rasdall and Smith families of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, principally the two generations following Urias Rasdall (1812-1892), credited with platting the town of Smiths Grove. Includes research collected into a family history by Barbara Schan.

The Atomic Bombings Of Japan - Right Or Wrong?, William Weiss

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Few Presidential actions have generated more controversy than Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs against Japan to end WW II. Local historian Bill Weiss examines the issues based on recently released information from formerly secret American and Russian archives. Learn what the last months were like in the Pacific; American preparations for a possible invasion and Japan’s mindset at this crucial time that lead to the life-saving decision.

Textbooks And Their Portrayal Of Japan In World War Ii, Harry Lah

History Class Publications

“Good morning everyone, now if you’ll turn in your books with me to page...” drones the voice of the teacher, it can be any teacher, teaching history in a typical high school. Those words dreaded by students of all ages and from all generations that attended schools within the public school system of their respective states. Many students dreaded these classes, but they were no doubt influenced by them. By sitting in them they were presented with information both new and old about their state and country from their teacher, and perhaps more significantly, whatever textbook they had in school. …

The Nazi Genocide: Eugenics, Ideology, And Implementation 1933-1945, Michael A. Letsinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to seek knowledge of how eugenics justified extreme racial policy, territorial expansion, committing unprecedented crimes against humanity; and to understand why and how eighty million human beings yielded to totalitarianism and racial murder. Further, by examining Nazi science and policies, through the lens of concentration/extermination camps at Dachau and Auschwitz, we sought to understand the linkage between scientific racism, Nazi ideology and genocide. Critiquing Germany’s failure to exercise sound science and morality in its occupation, subjugation, and depopulation during WW II, this paper will argue Nazi Germany’s evolution to systematized, industrial mass murder of …

The Lover's Cup, Kimberlee Relyea Guin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This documentary film, The Lover's Cup is the story of a former Naval Officer from World War II, Dr. Phillip Trapp, who took Marines into the battle of Iwo Jima and lived to see the flag being raised on Mt. Suribachi. This 55-minute film explores his life experiences before, during and following World War II. His first-hand experiences are used to illustrate the Social and psychological impact of the Great Depression and World War II and his journey to overcome his adversity and create positive changes in the world through his subsequent education and service at the University of Arkansas …

All The King’S Men: British Codebreaking Operations: 1938-43, Andrew J. Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Enigma code was one of the most dangerous and effective weapons the Germans wielded at the outbreak of the Second World War. The Enigma machine was capable of encrypting radio messages that seemed virtually unbreakable. In fact, there were 158,900, 000,000,000 possible combinations in any given message transmitted. On the eve of the war’s outbreak, the British had recently learned that the Poles had made significant progress against this intimidating cipher in the early 1930s. Incensed and with little help, the British Government Code & Cipher School began the war searching for a solution. Drawing from their experiences from …

Poo-Tee-Weet? Unintelligent Things To Say About A Massacre: Vonnegut’S Slaughterhouse Five And Us Interventions In The Post-Wwii Era, Kelly A. Mcardle

Honors Scholar Theses

While fighting in Europe during WWII, Kurt Vonnegut was taken prisoner and sent to work at a German prison camp where he witnessed one of the most destructive events of WWII, the firebombing of Dresden, Germany by the Allied forces. Although Vonnegut was liberated in 1945, the novel about the events he witnessed was not published until 1969. What happened in the intervening years to shape the novel that would eventually become Slaughterhouse Five? As Vonnegut grappled with his experiences for two decades, American leaders increased American involvement around the world. The explanations used to justify these interventions have …

On The Fields Of Glory: A Student’S Reflections On Gettysburg, The Western Front, And Normandy, Kevin P. Lavery

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

I’m very fortunate to have had no shortage of opportunities to get out into the field and put my classroom learning into practice. I am especially lucky to have twice had the opportunity to travel to Europe. Two years ago, I went with my first-year seminar to explore the Western Front of World War I in France and Belgium. This year, I travelled with The Eisenhower Institute to tour the towns and beaches of Normandy where the Allies launched their invasion of Hitler’s Europe during World War II. Having experienced these notable sites of military history, and having taken a …

Honorable Mention Contest Entry: A “Land You Could Not Escape Yet Almost Didn’T Want To Leave:” Japanese American Identity In Manzanar Internment Camp Gardens, Mckenzie P. Tavoda

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is McKenzie Tavoda's submission for the 2014-2015 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won honorable mention. She wrote about Japanese American identity in the Manzanar Internment Camp gardens. You can read the final essay that came out of her research here.

World War Ii Films And Patriotism In America, Breanna Fehlman

History Class Publications

In American culture, one of the most effective ways to communicate is through the media. The newest films and television shows being released have a large impact on our country’s opinions. Therefore, the quickest way to reaffirm or change the public’s perspective of a particular topic is by making a film about it. There have been many popular films made about almost every important event in history, but perhaps the most prevalent topic in historical films is World War II. It is especially important to study these films because, as film critic Vincent Canby said, “How war movies are accepted …

Sinking Into The Dark Abyss: Adolf Hitler’S Final Years,February 1943–April 1945, Joshua Chanin

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Joshua Chanin is a junior at Austin College in Sherman TX, pursuing a history and political science degree. He hopes to attend graduate school and become a history professor.

By Sea And Air: Winston Churchill's Views On The Navy And Air Force During The Second World War, Michael Toth

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

For the majority of the Second World War Churchill served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a position that he used to influence imperial military strategy. In this he had to engage with a number of new methods and means of making war, such as the airplane, which had their origin in the First World War, but which now had reached maturity. Thus Churchill’s views on the various military branches were important, as he was engaging with a new system of warfare. This thesis examines Winston Churchill’s views of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the …

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (Wasp) Of World War Ii, Natalie J. Stewart-Smith

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Hear the fascinating story of the women who flew in WW II as members of the WASP, from Natalie Stewart-Smith. Her thesis on them was the very first academic study of the WASP and is based on numerous personal interviews, including Jacqueline Cochran, their founder. The military contribution of women fliers during World War I is a seldom seen part of the WASP story as well.