Military History Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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.

Introducing Fortenbaugh Intern Abby, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

Hi I’m Abby – the last of three Fortenbaugh Interns to post! I am a senior with a History major and Political Science and Anthropology minors and I hail from Kokomo, Indiana. I am so excited to be working in Special Collections – I love working with history first-hand! Here’s a brief write-up of what I have completed so far in my time on the 4th Floor. [excerpt]

Harper Family Papers (Sc 1546), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1546. Wartime correspondence between Private Alfred Harper and his wife Elizabeth W. (Montgomery) Harper. Harper, from Columbia, Kentucky was serving as a machine gunner with the 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division when he was killed in Belgium 25 November 1944. Includes telegrams and letters to his wife related to his death.

Jackson Family Letters (Sc 2883), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2883. V-mails to Aph P. Jackson, Eminence, Kentucky from her sons, Eli O. Jackson and Laban P. Jackson, written during their military service in World War II. Laban comments on a new birth in the family, on news of German and Japanese atrocities, and on the domestic peace movement; Eli asks about their farm and requests some twists of chewing tobacco.

Murphy, William Lansing, 1926-1986 (Sc 2881), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2881. Letter of William L. Murphy, written to his parents in Newport, Kentucky from Ascom City, Korea. Murphy, a U.S. Army sergeant, writes of his fellow servicemen, gifts he has sent, and a rumor of troops being sent home.

I Remember: Chicago Veterans Of War, Chris Green, Jim Fairhall

Big Shoulders Books

I Remember: Chicago Veterans of War weaves together the memories of fifty veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Throughout the book, each veteran speaks in a series of “I remember” statements labeled by a number, not a name. This anonymous structure foregrounds the similarities of all wars. The effect is of one veteran speaking of the shock and scale of every modern war. I Remember is available free in both digital and print format.

The Dawn Of Sowt: Oss Weathermen In The Balkans, 1944, Bryan David Carnes

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis will examine the rise of Special Operations Weathermen during World War II, from the founding of the Weather Bureau to the formation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). OSS-weathermen and their contributions played a significant role to the overall Allied victory in all theaters of operation. Concentrating on the first documented use of clandestine weathermen in Yugoslavia, I contend that Special Operations Weather was not only crucial to the war effort, but as a result, revolutionized behind-the-line weather reporting in modern U.S. military. Since meteorological data transcends alliances and nationalities; those who can accurately forecast and observe …

The Karl J. R. Arndt Collection, Karl J. R. Arndt

Finding Aids

Karl J. R. Arndt (1903-1991) was a Professor of German at Clark University from 1950 to 1991. He served as Chief of the Religious Affairs Division of the U.S. Military Government for Germany in Stuttgart from 1945 to 1949. During this time he collected his "War, Political, Historical and Exile Literature Library" of some 490 books and pamphlets. The collection provides an insight into how the Germans saw their time politically and historically during the years preceding Hitler, during the Third Reich and during the occupation years.

The Impact Of Kenya African Soldiers On The Creation And Evolution Of The Pioneer Corps During The Second World War, Meshack Owino

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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 …

The Occupation Of Japan: An Analysis Of Three Phases Of Development, Adam M. Woodside

A with Honors Projects

identifies and describes three phases involved in the reconstruction of Japan during the Allied Powers occupation after World War II: repatriation, economic and political reconstruction, and the development of treaties between Japan and the Allied Powers. Concludes that this period of Pacific reconstruction after World War II was one of the greatest achievements for the United States and the Allied Powers following the war.

Ebelhar, Melissa (Sc 1262), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1262. Paper, “The Fairy Belle,” written by Melissa Ebelhar for a WKU history class. She discusses the service of her grandfather, Lucian D. Keller, Owensboro, Kentucky, as a waist gunner in the 392^nd Air Force Division in Europe during World War II.

The Us Army's Domestic Strategy 1945-1965, Thomas Crosbie

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Kelly, Arthur Lancaster, B. 1925 (Sc 2863), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2863. Collected materials relating to Washington County, Kentucky native Colonel Arthur L. Kelly and his book Battlefire! Combat Stories fromWorld War II (University Press of Kentucky, 1997). Includes copy of book jacket, correspondence, reviews, notices and information on Colonel Kelly and his military career and honors.

Perguson, Dee Carl, 1921-2010 (Sc 2861), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2861. Letters of Ohio County, Kentucky native Dee Carl Perguson, written to Marjorie Clagett, his French teacher at Western Kentucky State Teachers College, during his World War II military service and afterward. He writes observantly of military life while training in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania, of his experiences while serving in North Africa and Italy, and of his reassignment to Florida after suffering an arm wound. He also describes local plant life to Clagett, an accomplished amateur botanist. After the war, he writes from England during his postgraduate study. Settled in Seattle, Washington, …

Claggett, Marjorie Elizabeth, 1900-2000 - Letters To (Sc 2862), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2862. Letters to WKU French teacher Marjorie Clagett from students serving with U.S. armed forces during World War II describing their experiences in North Africa, France, England and the Philippines. Future Army historian Jean E. Keith writes descriptively of an Equator-crossing ritual, of the Philippines after the Japanese occupation, and of China at the close of the war.

Major League Baseball And World War Ii: Protecting The Monopoly By Selling Major League Baseball As Patriotic, Patrick A. Stephen

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Green Light letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gave MLB permission to continue throughout World War II. The team owners felt relief that MLB is the only professional sport to survive during the years of World War II (1941-1945). MLB became a primary contributor toward the war effort. While war-supporting efforts were conducted, team owners positioned themselves to benefit from the bond between baseball and the American people. MLB portrayed itself through the commissioner’s office policy as a patriotic partner by providing entertainment for American factory workers and contributing equipment to servicemen …

“Long Live Freedom!”: Moral Motives Behind The White Rose Resistance, Katelyn M. Quirin

Student Publications

This paper examines the motives behind the White Rose resistance group. Active from 1942-1943, the White Rose consisted primarily of university students who produced anti-Nazi leaflets. By examining documents such as letters, diaries, the leaflets themselves, and Gestapo interrogations, the motives of the group are evident. The members resisted the Nazi regime for moral and ideological reasons, specifically in relation to the failures World War II, atrocities committed by Nazis in Poland and the Eastern Front, the restriction on personal rights, and an inner duty to oppose the regime.

Banished From The Present: Musicians In Nazi Germany, Thomas G. Bennett

Student Publications

This essay analyzes musical life in the Third Reich. More specifically, the focus will be on the Nazis’ regulation of music and the role that musicians themselves played in determining and enforcing cultural coordination. While some evidence extends into the war years (1939-1945), the bulk of the information presented here took place in the pre-war Nazi era (1933-1939). The purpose here is to show that those musicians who worked with and under the Nazis were affected in different ways and had varying levels of agency within the National Socialist system. Some have been branded collaborators, others victims, and this paper …

In Her Own Right: A Study Of Freya Von Moltke In The German Resistance 1940-1945, Sarah E. Hayes

Student Publications

Freya von Moltke was a member of the Kreisau Circle resistance group in Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1944. This intellectual group planned for the future of Germany after the anticipated downfall of the Nazis and was led by Helmuth von Moltke, the husband of Freya, and Peter Yorck. Despite the significance of her resistance in comparison to the majority of the German population, the resistance story of Freya von Moltke is often overwhelmed by that of her husband. The examination of Freya von Moltke’s interviews, letters, and memoirs as well as a variety of secondary sources reveals that she …

'An Explosive Of Quite Unimaginable Force': Did Werner Heisenberg Obstruct German Atomic Bomb Research?, Aaron G. Noll

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

Why was Nazi Germany unable to acquire an atomic bomb during World War II? An answer to this question necessarily involves an analysis of the wartime conduct of Werner Heisenberg. As the undisputed leader of German nuclear research, Heisenberg was integral to the successful production of a bomb. Heisenberg claimed after the war that the Nazis lacked the economic resources for this project. Moreover, Nazi military strategy ruled out such a sustained long-term commitment in armaments development. Heisenberg explained that he personally felt fortunate that these circumstances prevented Hitler from having a bomb. He argued that he merely “pretended” to …

Kentuckiana Camp And Hospital Council (Sc 2812), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2812. Minutes of the quarterly meeting of the Kentuckiana Camp and Hospital Council, held In Louisville, Kentucky on 22 October 1945. Includes a list of gifts from various Council chapters and a discussion about the continuing need for postwar assistance to hospitalized soldiers.

Bundles For America - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 2813), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2813. Meeting minutes of Bundles for America, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from 24 January to 14 March 1945. Includes a draft thank-you letter to a sponsor summarizing the organization’s accomplishments since 1941; also includes a 1943 clipping outlining the history and work of the organization in knitting garments, salvaging metal and clothing, and making up toiletry kits for British and American soldiers and their families.

Alley, Jessie Hazel, 1920-2020 (Sc 1369), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1369. Letters, 1944, written to Hazel Alley, Smithland, Kentucky, by Marine Pfc. Louis E. Loper, describing a Solomon Islands battle with the Japanese in which her friend “Pete” was killed. Includes her submission of the letters (under the name Hazel Robertson) to Kentucky Explorer magazine, January 2003. Also includes two 1953 telegrams, a letter and clippings from the (Marion, Ky.) Crittenden Press relating to another friend who was killed in the Korean War.

Jackson, Marjorie L., 1919-1998 (Sc 2801), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2801. Letter of Marjorie L. Jackson, serving with the Women’s Army Corps at Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky, to her fiance Henry J. Heusinkveld, serving on the U.S.S. Tuscaloosa. She comments on the world political situation, hopes for Japan’s surrender, and expresses her love for him. She also encloses an article about Louisiana marshlands located near her home.

Gilligan, John William, 1909-1982 (Sc 1256), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1256. Military papers, service record, and letter of John Gilligan, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He joined the Army National Guard in 1939; entered the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in 1941, serving until 1946; and then served again in the National Guard until 1952.

Ua1c11/36 Robert Johnston Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs donated by Robert Johnston.