Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

Ensign George W. Kressbach wrote 16 letters to his family in Monroe, Michigan, while serving on the USS LCI(R)-770 in the Pacific during the spring and summer of 1945. He commented on military life, discussed his relationship with his girlfriend, responded to news from home, and briefly described his experiences while on leave.

Ensign George W. Kressbach wrote 16 letters to his family in Monroe, Michigan, while serving on the USS LCI(R)-770 in the Pacific during the spring and summer of 1945. He commented on military life, discussed his relationship with his girlfriend, responded to news from home, and briefly described his experiences while on leave.

Kressbach addressed most of his letters to his mother, Harriet ("Hattie") Nieman Kressbach, though he intended his letters to be read by the entire family. He listed the names of the locations he visited, including Eniwetok Atoll, Guam, the Philippines, and Okinawa. He provided his family with a description of Manila, including the Walled City (or Intramuros district) and the effects of recent bombing raids (July 30, 1945). Kressbach also wrote about his lodgings and meals onboard the ship, and books he had read. While stationed near Samar, Philippines, in early September, he commented briefly on the island boats and on trade between American sailors and Filipinos. In one letter to his father, he privately discussed his financial concerns. Many of Kressbach's letters contain his responses to his mother's questions, and he occasionally mentioned his girlfriend, Dorothy.

This collection contains four letters written by Robert Baynham, United States Merchant Marine, to his wife during the early months of 1945, when he served in the Pacific Theater.

This collection contains four letters written by Robert Baynham, United States Merchant Marine, to his wife during the early months of 1945, when he served in the Pacific theater. Each of the four letters was written over several days, providing running commentaries that he mailed when his ship reached port. He wrote primarily about everyday life at sea, and discussed his work duties, the weather, and fellow sailors, though censorship prevented him from describing more specific military movements. Throughout his letters, he told his wife of his eagerness to return to the United States, and he looked forward to the end of the war: "When will this be over? Our enemies just seem to hang on though they are losing ground day by day…" (February 13, 1945). He reported receiving care packages from his wife's family, and on several occasions, wrote his wife about their garden and chickens.