Collections

This collection relates to Abraham Lifschitz, a Polish native, who served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945 with the 100th Infantry Division in the European Theater. This collection contains military service records, wartime publications, religious items, and brief correspondence with his niece, Roberta, who donated this collection. Additionally, this collection contains a veteran hat and handkerchief from an unknown relative who served in World War I, as well as Lifschitz's unit patch, cigarette case, marksmanship badge, bracelet of French francs, dog-tags, and a banner commemorating his unit's history.

This collection contains a manuscript memoir of Anthony Catalino's WWII service in the U.S. Army Field Artillery and staff work at Army hospitals and supply depots in North Africa and Italy.

This collection relates to Private 1st Class Antonio Francis Morrow who served with the 82nd Airborne Division in North Africa and the European Theater of Operations during World War II. This collection contains an interview transcript of Morrow.

This collection includes letters written to Arnold Busch, a basketball coach for Calvary Methodist Church in Lakewood, Ohio, by the students he previously coached. Whether drafted or enlisted, many of the men kept up a correspondence with Busch throughout the war years. This collection also includes Calvary Church newsletters and pamphlets, pamphlets regarding persons registered for service, ration books and other rationing documents, and letters returned to Busch because their recipients were MIA, deceased, or relocated. Also included are photographs of Calvary Church activities on the Homefront, the basketball team, and the Calvary Church's V-J Day service as well as a copy of an article in which the photograph was featured.

This collection relates to Sergeant William "Bill" W. Huston who served in the 448th Bomber Group, 713th Bomb Squadron US Army Air Force in the European Theater of Operation. This collection also relates to John Robert Huston who served in the U.S. Army in field artillery and gun battery regiments. In addition to the letters, the collection contains a description of Bill Huston, escape from Switzerland, his Air medal citation, a history of the 8th Air Force titled "Target Germany," and a 1942 picture book of Scott Air Field in Illinois, the Huston mother's ration booklet, several photographs of Bill Huston at Scott Field, and a safe-conduct pass issued to Bill Huston by the French Resistance to facilitate his escape.

The papers of Carl Lavin contains a transcript provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. Carl Lavin served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 as an infantryman in the European Theatre of Operations with the 69th Infantry Division. He operated a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in the advance across Western Europe in 1944 to 1945, and he relates numerous anecdotes from his combat experiences.

Cecil Blumenstein (served 1943-1945) discusses his experiences in the 13th Armored Division in Germany in the winter and spring of 1945. Blumenstein was captured and spent a brief period of time in a POW camp before being liberated and sent back to the front. He fought in several engagements. This collection consists of an interview transcript.

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.

This collection relates to Charles F. Myers Sr. who served as a pilot with the Army Air Corps in the U.S., Panama, and Europe during World War II. The collection includes personal, medical, and financial records, appreciation letters, shipping tickets, a photograph of the 41-D graduating class of Gunter Field in Montgomery, Alabama, special orders and assignments, an original personnel file, an original flight records file, modern records and information, and a briefcase used for dead reckoning navigational records and equipment.

This collection relates to Charles Aiken who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the European Theater of Operation during World War Two. This collection contains a newspaper clipping and an oral history transcript.