World War II Collection Descriptions
Letters, diaries, and memoirs written during or about military service in World War II. Also material pertaining to the war's impact on civilian life and information on veteran's organizations. For general military information see the collection descriptions under the Military heading. The Military heading is also subdivided into the American Civil War and World War I.
Jefferson City women modeling uniforms in use during World War II. From collection C0011 folder 1478. Back to the Subject Guide
AMERICA FIRST COMMITTEE, 1941, (C2547)
1 folder(s)
Paper of the St. Louis, MO, Chapter of America First Committee, published from July to October 1941. Originals at Stanford University.Anderson, Jean Schwarting (1923- ), Papers, 1944-1946, (C4024)
.3 linear feet
The papers of U.S. Navy Lieutenant J.G. Jean Schwarting Anderson, a WAVE during World War II and Missouri native, consist of correspondence, photographs and slides, and miscellaneous material. The letters that she wrote detail in great length the training she received and the day to day life as a WAVE.Backlar, Joseph, Letters, 1944-1945, (C2011)
1 folder(s)
Letters written during World War II by an army medical officer stationed in Greenland and Iceland to his son, Byron Backlar, PhM 3/c aboard the U.S.S. SANBORN.Baltzell-Chambers Family, Papers, 1857-1981, (C3995)
0.4 linear feet
Papers relating to the Baltzell-Chambers family of Deer Ridge, Missouri. The papers consist of correspondence, photographs, a scrapbook, and a genealogy, as well as graduation memorabilia, land deeds, and military discharge papers from the Civil War.Bennitt, Rudolf, Letters, 1942-1946, (C0210)
9 folder(s)
Newsletters sent by Missouri Cooperative Wild Life Research Unit to former members from the University of Missouri who were in the armed services. Contain excerpts from letters received pertaining to all phases of training, general news of the University, Wild Life Commission, Research Unit assignments, resumes of state and national meetings, and discussion of post-war curriculum.Bennitt, Rudolf, Papers, (WUNP5483)
0.75 linear feet
INVENTORY. Student files and correspondence kept by a professor of wildlife research. Most of these files contain correspondence from former students who were serving in World War II. See also collection 210.Bradshaw, William L. (1896-1964), Papers, 1912-1973, (C2556)
11.2 linear feet
Business and personal papers of W.L. Bradshaw, political scientist and dean of the University of Missouri Business School, 1946-1961. Included are papers as delegate to Missouri Constitutional Convention, 1943-1944, member of State Reorganization Commission, 1953-1955, and other state, local, and professional organizations.Branson, Edwin Bayer (1877-1950), Papers, 1892-1954, (C2404)
1.1 linear feet
Correspondence, memorabilia, field books, and miscellaneous papers of a University of Missouri geologist (1910-1947), including information on the development of the Department of Geology during the 37 years he served as chairman.Cowgill, Donald O., Papers, (WUNP5619)
0.4 linear feet
INVENTORY. Addition of materials primarily concerning Rhodesia in the 1960s; Thailand; and Cowgill's professional certificates and 'World War II classification cards.Daetwyler, Wallace K. (1915-1974), Papers, 1942-1945, (C3998)
0.4 linear feet
The World War II correspondence of Wallace "Wally" Daetwyler of Lamar, Missouri, to his wife, Ruth A. Daetwyler.Donnelly, Phil M. (1891-1961), Papers, 1944-1957, (C2151)
91.6 linear feet
10 volume(s)
Papers relating to Donnelly's two terms as Democratic governor of Missouri.Donnelly, Robert T. (1924-1999), Papers, (WUNP5827)
Letters of Missouri Supreme Court Justice Robert Donnelly written to his family from US camps and Europe while in the 102nd Infantry Division during World War II.Fantel, Hans (1922-2006), Papers, c. 1925-2006, (C4003)
RESTRICTED
3.2 linear feet
Papers of Hans Fantel, a freelance writer who wrote about high fidelity and home electronics for a variety of publications including the New York Times. Contains his articles, correspondence, photographs, and an account of his escape from Nazi controlled Austria.Fitzgerald, W. Lyle (1922-1967), Papers, 1918-2003, (C3538)
2.6 linear feet
Papers of a soldier who fought in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Papers include correspondence, photos, newspaper clippings, awards, announcements, maps, and miscellaneous materials.Franklin, Paul W., Tapes, (WUNP4090)
1 folder(s)
Recorded recollections of Franklin about his service in the Army Corps of Engineers. He explains what he witnessed near Dachau, Germany and other places. Franklin, a former professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Missouri, was interviewed by Peggy Johnson.Hanson, Wilson O. (1913-1974), Papers, 1945-1946, (C4010)
0.4 linear feet
The collection contains the World War II correspondence of Wilson O. Hanson to his wife and family in Webb City, Missouri. Hanson served with the 21st Ordnance Company (Medium Maintenance) as part of the American occupation forces in Japan.Hickok, Estelle, Scrapbooks, 1927-1945, (C1405)
11 volume(s)
Clippings about Charles A. Lindbergh's career, marriage, flight to Paris, subsequent world trips, kidnapping of son, the Hauptman trial, life in England, World War II neutrality speeches, opposition to Lend-Lease Bill and involvement in various commercial and military aviation projects.Highley, Lyndell Thomasson (1919-1958), Papers, 1941-1944, 1978, (C3654)
0.1 linear feet
Letters from Highley to his family in Elvins, MO, while serving with the 375th Squadron of the 308th Heavy Bomb Group, Army Air Corps, in China and India during World War II. The papers also include an edited version of his letters by his son J. Scott Highley.Hiller Family, Papers, 1785-1993, (C3856)
7.2 linear feet
2 volume(s)
Papers of a family of lawyers, farmers, bankers, doctors and business people of Kahoka, Clark County, MO. Includes correspondence, photographs, genealogical records, estate records, diaries, personal account books, deeds, military records, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, manuscripts and miscellaneous material.Huber, Robert L. (1922-1944), Papers, 1943-1953, (C2425)
9 folder(s)
Correspondence and booklets of a bombardier in the Army Air Force, relating to his training, army life, personal news, awards, death, and memorials.Hudson, Virgil Olville (1909-1980), Papers, 1943-1945, (C4035)
RESTRICTED
.8 linear feet
The papers of Virgil Hudson, a World War II veteran from Jefferson City, contain personal correspondence from the war as well as photographs, pamphlets, and army documents.Japanese Occupation Money, 1946, (C2289)
1 folder(s)
Three bills for use in Japan during American occupation following World War II.Lamy, John E. (1911-1994), Collection, (SUNP5890)
Memoir, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous material related to a Missouri physician captured by the Japanese in the Philippines during WW II.Lance, Donald M. (1931-2002), Papers, 1938-2002, (C3992)
11.3 linear feet
The professional papers of an MU linguist and English professor contain his professional writings, presentations, and research on the dialects of Missouri, pronunciation of "Missouri," Missouri folklore, discourse, academic courses taught at MU, memorabilia from Texas A & M University, and records of the Missouri Folklore Society, American Name Society, American Dialect Society, and other organizations in the field of toponymy and dialectology.Missouri Ex-POWs Oral History Project, Records, 2000-, (C3975)
0.4 linear feet
Interviews with ex-prisoners of war (POWs). The records include audio cassettes and transcripts.Missouri Hybrid Corn Company, Fulton, Missouri, Records, 1932-1981, (C2966)
5 linear feet
The business records of the first hybrid corn company in Missouri include early company histories, scrapbooks, Italian POW labor records, and extensive financial records.Missouri Veterans Oral History Project, 2006-, (C4020)
Interviews with Missourians who served in the armed forces. The collection includes compact discs, audio cassettes, DVDs, and transcripts of interviews, as well as biographical information on the interviewees.Mixer Family, Papers, 1935-1959, (C3989)
0.2 linear feet
The Mixer family papers consist of correspondence, photographs, pamphlets, certificates and military insignias relating to Tech. Sgt. John J. Mixer's military service in World War II, his death in Germany and burial in the Netherlands in 1945, and the subsequent adoption of his grave by a Dutch family.Nagel, Elsa Louise (1896-1973), Papers, 1905-1973, (C3910)
0.8 linear feet
Papers of an associate professor of German, University of Missouri, 1926-1966. Includes correspondence with family, friends, and soldiers during World War I and World War II. Also present are newspaper clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous items related to the Nagel and Meusch families.Nelson, Earl F. (1884-1945), Papers, 1862-1945, (C0148)
0.2 linear feet
Two Civil War letters; World War II letters; miscellaneous correspondence of Nelson family; speeches by Nelson on U.S. Constitution, history of Sullivan County, and proposal of new Missouri constitution; University of Missouri Law School Foundation bulletin; notes; and other miscellaneous material.O'Donnell, John, Papers, 1945, (C0902)
1 volume(s)
Copies of his sports column, which was written in the form of letters to servicemen and women during World War II. O'Donnell also printed letters from them.Powell, John Benjamin (1886-1947), Papers, 1910-1952, (C3662)
2.9 linear feet
Papers of a journalist, including correspondence, literary productions, printed material, photographs, and a scrapbook. Rough drafts for MY TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN CHINA and Powell's articles (1941-1947). Information on China, Japan, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Central Asia, India, Philippine Islands, World War II, and the Washington Conference.Prewitt, Reuben C. (1915-1958), World War II Notes, 1945, (C3326)
1 folder(s)
Notes on Air Force experiences. Cross-country trip to Seattle and description of voyage from Seattle to Iwo Jima and situation at Iwo Jima.Prokes, Albert J., World War II, Letters, 1942-1946, (C3466)
1.2 linear feet
Letters received by Reverend Albert J. Prokes, administrator of St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church in St. Louis, MO, from parishioners serving in the armed forces during World War II.Robinett, Oliver Eugene (1918-1945), Letters, 1936-1948, (C2219)
1 volume(s)
Letters written to Major Robinett's family during World War II, while he served with the 3rd Division, Marine Corps, in New Zealand and the Pacific. Also a biographical sketch.Rustemeyer Family, Papers, 1884-1953, (C4017)
0.3 linear feet
The Rustemeyer Family papers contain correspondence written to Bernard Rustemeyer by friends and family in Germany after his immigration to America in 1882. The collection also includes newspaper clippings and photographs of the Rustemeyer, Alteköster, Stöckbrand, and Giese families, and Rustemeyer's hometown, Körbecke, Germany.Schaberg Family, Papers, 1894-1974, (C3665)
3 linear feet
Personal and professional papers of Benjamin F. Schaberg, Sr. who worked as an engineer on the Panama Canal, St. Louis sewer projects, World War II army post construction, and Missouri Public Service Commission studies. Family correspondence between Schaberg and his wife, sisters, and sons. Ben Jr. and John George Schaberg were in China during and after the 1937 Japanese invasion.Shaw, Ralph J. (1902-1987), Papers, (SUNP5955)
World War II letters and photographs and miscellaneous papers of labor organizer, Ralph J. Shaw.SHIELD AMERICA, Kansas City, Missouri, 1941, (C2548)
1 folder(s)
Six issues of paper of the America First Committee, Kansas City, MO, August-November 1941.Short, Dewey Jackson (1898-1979), Papers, (WUNP5944)
INVENTORY. Papers of U.S. Representative from Missouri's 7th District and Assistant Secretary of the Army. Includes materials on Table Rock Dam and Reservoir and the U.S. Army during World War II and the Cold War.Stigliani Family, Papers, c. 1900-2003, (C4037)
2.2 linear feet
Correspondence, photographs, legal documents, journals, newspaper clippings, World War II materials, and various other papers belonging to the members of Stigliani, D'Andrea, and Vincitorio families, created during the period c. 1900-2003.Taylor, Irene S. (1902-1989), Papers, 1891-1986, (C1220)
1.4 linear feet
Papers of a journalist who worked as a stringer in Paris, France, for several news organizations during the 1930s. Includes correspondence, photographs, articles, and records from her service in the U.S. Army in the 1940s and 1950s.Thomas, David E. (1878-1935) and Horace E. (1910-2001), Papers, 1904-1985, n.d., (C4002)
2 linear feet
Papers of David E. Thomas, Congregational minister and professor of religion, and his son, Horace E. Thomas, Columbia, MO surgeon who served in military hospitals in the South Pacific in WWII. Papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, class notes, research notes, photographs, printed articles and pamphlets, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous materials related to their careers. See also two oral history interviews with Dr. H.E. Thomas in C3963 SHS Audio Cassette Collection, a.c. 19-20.Thornton, Alvin J. (1919-2003), Papers, 1940-2001, (C4041)
2 linear feet, 1 audio disc
The papers of Alvin “Jack” Thornton, a former World War II B-24 pilot and POW, include photographs, correspondence, diaries, and miscellaneous materials relating to his military service and family.Todd, Thomas M. (1917- ), Papers, 1938-1950, (C3790)
0.8 linear feet
Papers of Thomas McCutcheon Todd, a World War II soldier from Nevada, MO, comprised primarily of letters written to Todd's family. Many of the letters were written while Todd was in military training and during his enlistment in the U.S. Army; they detail issues of work, family, war, and death during the 1940s.Trefts, George Wesley (1919- ), Papers, 1936-1962, (C1422)
6 folder(s)
Papers of a photographer and member of he United States 79th Fighter Group stationed in northern Africa and Italy during World War II. Includes correspondence, clippings, and photographs.Trenholme, William Maclaren, Letters, 1931-1963, (C3357)
RESTRICTED
1.2 linear feet
Personal letters of William Maclaren Trenholme son of Louise Trenholme Stephens; U.S. naval officer, 1946-1947 and 1951-1953; physicist with General Electric Company, 1948 and 1954-1961; and nuclear physicist with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1961-1963.U.S. Army, 3196th Signal Service Company Roster, 1945, (C3682)
1 folder(s)
"A History of the 3196th Signal Service Company," including roster of name, address, nickname, and date for each member. The group served in Italy during World War II.U.S. Military Government, Detachment B-5, Diary, 1944-1945, (C0445)
4 folder(s)
Diary kept by a Military Government Detachment unit sent to Okinawa. All activities are recorded en route to Okinawa, and duties of the organization are described in detail. Also a short history of Okinawa and descriptions of the cultural exhibit, historic spots, and burial customs.Veterans History Project, Cass County, Missouri, Collection, (SUNP5974)
Taped interviews and transcripts of World War II veterans conducted as part of the Veterans History Project in Cass County, Missouri. Also includes some photographs.Votaw, Maurice E. (1899-1981), Papers, 1909-1978, (C3672)
1.2 linear feet
Papers of a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, primarily pertaining to his years as professor of journalism at St. John's University, Shanghai, China, and as adviser to the Nationalist Ministry of Information.Wallace, Gene Ray, Letters, 1946-1947, (C0421)
2 folder(s)
Written to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawman Wallace, Bogard, MO. By a platoon sergeant in Tokyo, Japan. The letters tell of his activities as a military policeman attached to the war criminals trials. Mention of Tojo.Werner, Merle McDougald "Doug" (1913-2004), Interview, 2000, (C3034)
1 folder(s)
Cassettes and transcript of an interview with a war correspondent and foreign service officer who was one of twenty journalists to land at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.Westover, John G., Collection, 1910-1946, (C3733)
1.1 linear feet
Correspondence between members of a Missouri family, including three sons in the service, during World War II. The letters deal largely with family matters, but also include descriptions of military bases, a soldier's daily routine and training, and people, cities, and countries in Africa and Europe. Also included are letters from an uncle who was in the service during World War I and in the 1920s.White, Richard Drace (1877-1953), Papers, 1895-1953, (C3624)
0.5 linear feet
Unpublished autobiography, correspondence, photographs and newspaper clippings of a Missourian who graduated from the United States Naval Academy, spent forty years on active duty in the Navy, was made a Rear Admiral, and served in the diplomatic corps.White, Robert M., II (1915- ), Interview, 1965, (C3398)
RESTRICTED
2 folder(s)
Tape and transcriptions of interviews with the editor of Missouri's MEXICO LEDGER. Interview includes White's background, experiences with Harry Truman and Douglas MacArthur, views on being editor of the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE and the MEXICO LEDGER, and general reminiscences about people White knew and news reporting.World War II Letters, 1940-1946, (C0068)
14.6 linear feet
Letters written by servicemen during the war to friends and relatives throughout the United States. Arranged alphabetically by writer's name.World War II, Bond Drive Collection, (SUNP2333)
0.2 linear feet
General information about bonds, pamphlets, educational bulletins and advertising concerning 7th War Loan, 1945.World War II, Letters, c. 1944, (C1329)
1 folder(s)
Family letters to a Japanese soldier found on a battlefield in Guam by an American soldier and transcripts of the letters. One of the letters is written on rice paper. There is also a brochure that shows naval flag symbols and a postcard depicting Japanese children.
