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This collection relates to the 97th Bombardment Group which was based in England, Africa and Italy during World War II and the first operational bomb group in England in 1942. The collection contains documents (mostly photocopies) on missions, statements and statistics, three diaries, and newspaper articles. Their daily operations reports, narrative reports, and casualty reports detail their accomplishments and their losses. Included are a collection of videos, audio tapes, and microfilm. Included are copies of three personal diaries by Alex Blair, Jr., LeRoy Teschendorf, and Herman F. Lykins.

Bernard Silverblatt served as a co-pilot on B-24s with the 492nd Bomb Group from 1943 to 1945, serving in the European Theater of War. He flew diversionary missions for the Royal Air Force and supply missions to Denmark and Norway. All 12 missions were at night. This collection contains an oral history interview transcript of Silverblatt.

This collection contains an oral history transcript of Staff Sergeant Charles Diedling, a flight engineer on a B-24 with the 460th Bomb Group at Spinazola, Italy. Charles Diedling discusses his training as a flight engineer and waist gunner for the B-24 at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and Loredo AFB, Texas.  In June of 1944, he was assigned to the 460th Bomb Group of the 15th Air Force in Spinazola, Italy. Diedling was shot down over Germany becoming a prisoner of war.

Charles Campbell was bombardier on a B-17 who was shot down over Linz, Austria and captured by the Germans. While in captivity, he was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp and managed to keep a journal of his experiences there. He served with the 483rd Bombardment Group. Just prior to the war's end, Campbell was transferred to an unidentified Stalag and credits this with saving his life. The collection includes reproductions of 483rd Bomb Group artwork, a statement and picture of the Mauthausen concentration camp from after the war, a World War II memoir with pictures and documents and a copy of his obituary.

This collection relates to Private First Class Craig Darius Whitesell who served as an armorer with the 3rd Search Attack at Langley Field, VA during World War II. He was stationed in Atlantic City, NJ, Buckley Field, CO, Langley Field, VA, Florence, SC, and Great Bend, KS.

Crispen Nissen served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps with the 12th and 18th Weather Squadrons during World War II in the United States, England, North Africa, and Italy. This collection includes an original diary Nissen kept from 1941-1942, describing his daily thoughts, experiences, and observations about the general war effort. The collection also includes Vmail and handwritten letters, written by Nissen to his fiancee and future wife, Etrulia Ellis, as well as the letters she sent to him.

This collection relates to David Westheimer who served as a 1st Lieutenant Navigator on a B-24 Bomber with the 457th Bomb Group during World War II and was shot down over Italy where he became a POW. This collection consists of an oral history transcript of David Westheimer.

This oral history interview transcript relates to George Logue,  an aerial gunner armament specialist on a B-24 assigned to the 15th Air Force.  Logue discusses his bombing missions over Europe, being shot down, life as a prisoner of war, and his brief service with the British 5th Army.

This collection relates to Harold G. Blunk served as Sergeant Major for the 5th Air Depot Group, 39th Station Composite Squadron, Administrative Division, 35th Depot Repair, in the 8th Air Force Command Station in England from 1943-1945. This collection contains photographs, a newspaper clipping, and documents relating to his personal life and military career.

Hugh Zeigler served with the 454th Heavy Bomb Aviation Ordnance Company, handling and caring for bombs, during World War II in the Philippine Islands. He was captured there by the Japanese and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp. This collection consists of an oral history interview transcript conducted on January 6, 2000.