Search

This collection contains letters that Staff Sergeant George J. Mahl wrote to his mother and sister while serving in the 346th Infantry Regiment in Europe during World War II. He described his service in England, France, and Belgium, and discussed his recuperation from a leg wound in army hospitals in France and England.

This collection (70 items) contains 63 letters that Staff Sergeant George J. Mahl wrote to his mother and sister while serving in the 346th Infantry Regiment in Europe during World War II. He described his service in England, France, and Belgium, and discussed his recuperation from a thigh fracture in army hospitals in France and England.

During his service overseas, Mahl sent letters and V-mail to his mother and sister, Marie and Helene Mahl. After arriving in England in October 1944, he discussed his transatlantic journey and commented on English food, currency, weather, and scenery. Mahl's regiment was transferred to France later that month, and he commented on war destruction, the effects of the weather, and the differences between civilian life in France and in England. He mentioned participating in active combat, and wrote one letter from a town his company had captured near the German border, in which he noted the increase in soldiers' church attendance following battle (December 17, 1944). Mahl, who was proficient in German, listened to German radio broadcasts, translated orders for German-speaking civilians, and communicated with German prisoners upon their surrender. Some of his letters have been censored.

Mahl was shot in the leg while fighting in Belgium in January 1945, and his remaining letters concern his medical condition and recovery. He wrote about his discomfort, described his medical treatments in French and English military hospitals, discussed fellow wounded men, and noted a large influx of patients in March. He occasionally remarked on his postwar plans, including the possibility of attending college. The Mahl family also received an official military telegraph and 4 postcards about Mahl's injury and recuperation. The collection contains 2 additional V-mail letters: one from George Mahl to Colonel F. M. Sheffield (ca. October 30, 1944) and one from Technical Sergeant Lee Zipfel to the Mahl family, concerning Zipfel's service in India (February 4, 1945). Mahl enclosed 2 photographs in his letter of March 25, 1945.

Mary H. Staats wrote regularly to Dr. H. Allan Novak of Boston, Massachusetts, while serving as a United States Navy nurse in the Solomon Islands and the United States during and just after World War II. She commented on her living conditions, work, education, and health.

Mary H. Staats wrote 30 letters to Dr. H. Allan Novack of Boston, Massachusetts, while serving as a United States Navy nurse in the Solomon Islands and the United States from 1944-1946. She commented on her living conditions, work, education, and health.

Staats wrote her first group of 20 letters while stationed in the Russell Islands between May 1, 1944, and [February 20], 1945. She worked for Mobile Hospital 10 and for United States Fleet Hospital 110. Her letters pertain to many aspects of her experiences, such as the scenery, her victory garden, and her quarters. On August 13, 1944, she recounted visiting a beach on Guadalcanal and hearing a performance by Bob Hope. She often reported on her own health problems and requested that Novack send medicines, clothing, and other items for personal and hospital use. In her letter of December 7, 1944, Staats complained that packages filled with religious papers, candy, and comic strips had taken unnecessary space in the mail, possibly blocking the receipt of more necessary items. Staats wrote one letter to her father, in which she mentioned her interactions with native islanders and radio broadcasts by "Tokyo Rose" (May 12, 1944).

Staats continued to write to Novack after her return to the United States (11 items). On April 11, 1945, and April 22, 1945, she reported on her travels from the Solomon Islands to Coshocton, Ohio, and provided additional information about her work with the 1st Marine Division. While stationed at the United States Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she discussed her own health issues (May 17, 1945) and wrote a 15-page letter with detailed descriptions of her experiences in the Pacific (June 8, 1945). She described nurses' protection and quarters, the effects of excessive temperatures on nurses' health, and medical care, among other subjects. Five letters from Staats's time in Chicago, Illinois (September 30, 1945-May 6, 1946), pertain to the cost of living, courses at Northwestern University, the possibility of pursuing a career in the navy, and gynecological health. She often referred to the G.I. Bill of Rights and its potential effects on her education. A Christmas card is enclosed in her letter of December 8, 1945. Staats wrote additional letters to Novack from Coshocton, Ohio (September 6, 1946), and from Corpus Christi, Texas (August 20, 1947), where she complained about the chief nurse at the United States Naval Hospital.

This collection is primarily made up of letters that Pharmacist's Mate Norman C. Stewart wrote to his girlfriend and later wife, Dorothy Seltzer of Norristown, Pennsylvania, about his experiences in the United States Navy during World War II. Stewart served at the United States Naval Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island; in Oakland, California; and in the Pacific Theater.

This collection is made up of 56 letters that Pharmacist's Mate Norman C. Stewart wrote to his girlfriend and later wife, Dorothy Seltzer of Norristown, Pennsylvania, about his experiences in the United States Navy during World War II. Stewart served at the United States Naval Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island; in Oakland, California; and in the Pacific Theater. One letter by Norman's mother Katie and two school essays by Norman's brother Mervin complete the collection.

Stewart's correspondence concerns his navy service in Rhode Island, California, and the Pacific Theater from April 12, 1942-October 27, 1945. Only 1 letter from 1944 is present. Stewart discussed his work in a hospital laboratory while at Newport, and training maneuvers while at Alameda, California.

From February 1945-October 1945, Stewart commented on his travels in the Pacific, such as visits to Hawaii and Guam. His leisure activities included reading, attending football games, and seeing movies. Stewart's later letters concern the discharge process and his anticipated return to civilian life. Throughout his military service, he wrote of his love for Dorothy.

Mervin Stewart, Norman's brother, wrote 2 school essays in September 1943: "Verbal vs. Chemical Poison," about Axis propaganda, and "Country versus City Life." Stewart's teacher made brief remarks on each essay with a red pencil.