FLVC logo

Philip Sperling collection, 1942-1946, Date acquired: 2017-06-29, Date accessioned: 2017-07-11

 

Summary

Creator:
Sperling, Philip
Sperling, Amy R.
Extent:
3.5 Linear Feet 7 half boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Philip Sperling collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_17_0011.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection relates to Staff Sergeant Philip Sperling who served with Headquarters Detachment, 325th Medical Battalion, which was assigned to the 100th Infantry Division during World War II. The collections primarily contain letters. Also included in the collection is currency, postcards, newspaper clippings, photographs, artifacts, and souvenirs. The collection also includes his government correspondence before and after his discharge from the Army.

This collection focuses on the events which occurred in the middle to later years of the war. A few select letters contain references to Operation Overlord and one includes an official Army announcement of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The remainder of the letters make references to the events that occurred in Southern France in 1944 and the events in Europe through the end of the war. Some of these Battles include Operation Nordwind and the Bitche Offensive. Many of these letters focus on his training in the US, but he also sends letters from overseas Europe; specifically France and Germany.

Biographical / historical:

Philip Sperling was born June 15, 1911, in New York City, NY. Sperling received his major in English Studies at the City College of New York, NY. He worked in New York City as a purchasing agent for A.L. Cahn and Sons, Inc. from 1935 to 1942. On February 16, 1944, Philip married his long-time fiance, Sylvia Rudder.

Sperling entered his military service on June 6, 1942, and began his training at Fort Dix, NJ. Sperling spent some time at Fort George G. Meade and was eventually transferred to Fort Jackson, SC in October of 1942. In 1943, he spent 8 weeks at Fort Jackson training to be a personnel clerk. On December 6, 1943, he arrived in Lebanon, TN for more training. While in Fort Bragg, TN, Sperling trained for conditioning against "jungle warfare" in the event of a Japanese attack. On July 7th, he began specialized training against wartime gases. This includes tear gas, chlorine gas, mustard gas, and the like. On July 7, 1944, he began rifle training with the M1 Garand.

On October 6, 1944, the 100th Infantry Division was shipped to Southern France, specifically Bitche, France. He spent his service in Eislingen, Bad Cannstatt, and other areas of Europe. He left the ETO (European Theater of Operations) for the US January 7, 1946, and arrived Jan. 26, 1946. Philip Sperling passed away on January 9, 1997, in New York, New York.

Acquisition information:

Amy R. Sperling (Daughter of Philip Sperling)

Donation

Custodial history:

This collection was donated by Amy R. Sperling (daughter of Philip Sperling). The collection was acquired by the Insitute on World War II and the Human Experience on June 29, 2017.

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Arrangement:

Creator

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Philip Sperling collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_17_0011.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA