Resource Type

Oral History Interview with Albert Barton, November 6, 2010 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Albert Barton, November 6, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Barton. Barton joined the Navy and was trained as a radioman. He became a crewman on an Avenger torpedo bomber in October 1943. Barton flew off of the USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) and the USS Tripoli (CVE-64) and performed anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic. He describes how depth charges were dropped, the armament of the plane, and how they were trained to skip-bomb. Barton was then sent to the Pacific where he flew off of the USS Anzio (CVE-57) for the remainder of the war. He describes an incident where his plane had a failed landing and ended upside-down in the water. Barton had to break some glass in the cockpit to escape. He flew ground support missions over Okinawa. Barton discusses how the radio and radar functioned on his plane. He was discharged several months after the surrender.
Date: November 6, 2010
Creator: Barton, Albert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Scrapbook: Mary Jean Kempner, Year 1934 To Year 1946] (open access)

[Scrapbook: Mary Jean Kempner, Year 1934 To Year 1946]

Mary Jean Kempner's personal scrapbook, covering the years 1934-1946, with the items glued to or placed between the pages. Included are letters, cards, and telegrams addressed to Ms. Kempner; newspaper clippings and news releases about her; scripts from radios shows; paraphernalia related to her time as a war correspondent; illustrated magazine pages related to World War II; original copies and negative copies of checks and receipts; and photographs of Ms. Kempner. There is a large group of blank pages in the middle of the book.
Date: 1934/1946
Creator: Kempner, Mary Jean
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History

Oral History Interview with Melvin R. Baird, 1998

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Navy veteran Melvin R. "Pancho" Baird. It includes a combination of interviewing and reading from Baird's personal correspondence about his pre-World War II experiences with the U.S. Asiatic Fleet and his later experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Baird talks about his stationing aboard the destroyer USS Alden as a radioman, the grounding of the SS President Hoover off of Hoishito Island, the Sino-Japanese War, liberty ashore various Asian port cities, events on the South China Patrol, civilian activities after his discharge, activities as a radio technician on Blue Beach during the Okinawan Campaign, kamikaze actions on Okinawa, and typical shipboard routine.
Date: August 18, 1998
Creator: Baird, James & Baird, Melvin R.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library