Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.
Date: November 12, 2009
Creator: Hildebrandt, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009 transcript

Oral History Interview with Alan Hildebrandt, November 12, 2009

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.
Date: November 12, 2009
Creator: Hildebrandt, Alan
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
The 56th Evac Hospital: Letters of a WWII Army Doctor (open access)

The 56th Evac Hospital: Letters of a WWII Army Doctor

A collection of letters by army Dr. L. D. Collins from his tour of duty in World War II with the 56th Evacuation Hospital, chronicling his experiences and general history of WWII. He includes letters from his time stationed in Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, and Anzio Beach.
Date: 1995
Creator: Collins, Lawrence D.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Arthur Dodge Jr., January 8, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Arthur Dodge Jr., January 8, 1971

Interview with Arthur B. Dodge, Jr., a US Army WWII veteran from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dodge recounts his service in M Company, 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division, which landed in Morocco and moved through Algeria in late-1943, before landing in Italy, where his unit took up position on the Cassino-Rapido-Garigliano front in March, 1944. Dodge describes prolonged skirmishing with German forces near Tremesuoli, Lazio, the breakout from Cassino, advancing into northern Italy, and finishing the war in the Po Valley.
Date: January 8, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Dodge Jr., Arthur B.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Travis Womack, Jr., May 10, 2002

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Travis Womack Jr., a Army WWII veteran from Marshall, Texas, who served with the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. Womack discusses his family, education, basic and airborne training, deployment to Morocco and movement through North Africa, the invasion of Sicily, the Battle of San Pietro, the Anzio campaign, going to England, marrying, fighting in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, disguised German troops, and the end of the war. In appendix is a detailed account of the Italian campaign written by Womack.
Date: May 10, 2002
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Womack Jr., Travis
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
[Letter from Harris Leon Kempner to Christian Clerc, May 30, 1962] (open access)

[Letter from Harris Leon Kempner to Christian Clerc, May 30, 1962]

Letter from Harris Leon Kempner to Christian Clerc introducing him his nephew, James C. Kempner who's now in naval service. And he's leaving for his post in Morocco and he might pass through Paris and Kempner has told him to get in touch with Christian if Jim ever needs help. And he might do that same thing at the end of the year after getting married and taking his wife back to Morocco with him.
Date: May 30, 1962
Creator: Kempner, Harris Leon
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Scheffel, May 10, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Charles Scheffel, May 10, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Scheffel. Scheffel grew up in Oklahoma and enlisted in the Army ROTC in 1940. He was called up in 1941 after Pearl Harbor. He was allowed to finish out his senior year of college and was married in March 1942. He embarked on the Queen Elizabeth from New Jersey in September 1942. As leader of 200 men, he landed in Scotland and drove with them to Whittington Barracks where they joined with the British 51st Highlanders. He lists the three main survival lessons he learned from the seasoned English soldiers: having a batman to back you up, digging a two-man foxhole, and waiting for the ""crack and thump."" Scheffel how the ""crack and thump"" lesson would later save his life when he was seriously wounded when attacking the Siegfried Line. From England he went to Algeria with the British troops on the Scythia. The ship is torpedoed off the coast limps into Algiers. Scheffel made the decision to leave the British Highlanders and join up with American 9th Division in February 1943. The division went into Tunisia. Then he was sent to spend another month with the …
Date: May 10, 2000
Creator: Scheffel, Charles
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History

Oral History Interview with Floyd Taylor, June 26, 1998

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Dr. Floyd Taylor, a surgeon and World War II Army veteran. In the interview, Dr. Taylor discusses his experiences as a member of the 2nd Auxiliary Surgical Group, with which he traveled to North Africa, Italy, and France during the war. He recalls several memorable happenings concerning his career, including his induction into the U.S. Army Medical Department, his assignment to the Surgical Hospital, the formation of the Auxiliary Surgical Group, his encounter with Time correspondent Jack Belden, and the Winter Line Campaign. Dr. Taylor also discusses several of his assignments while serving in the war, including the Mayo Clinic, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the invasion of Italy and Salerno, the Anzio-Nettuno invasion, and his travels across the Atlantic to Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. He explains his role in the compilation and publication of the War Department publication entitled, Surgery in World War II (Volume II): General Surgery. Dr. Taylor goes into more detail about the many procedures he practiced as a surgeon on the battlefield, and discusses penicillin use, the value of penicillin on the black market, the use of colostomies, field X-ray facilities, blood replacement treatment, and the treatment of specific injuries such as abdominal and …
Date: June 26, 1998
Creator: Trotter, Bob & Taylor, Floyd
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library