I’m a sucker for primary sources. This post will be a catalog of sorts that’ll provide links to various diaries, journals, and accounts of World War II.
These will be either hard-to-find accounts or unpublished ones.
The first one is, of course, the diary I helped edit and publish.
Recollections of a World War II Combat Medic -Zip file. By Bernard L. Rice. Indiana Magazine of History , Vol. 93, No. 4 (December 1997), pp. 312-344 (33 pages).
In this account, Bernard was part of the 12th Armored Medical Battalion providing medical assistance to the 12th Armored Tank Division. Bernard participated in the Battle of the Bulge, helped liberate Dachau, fought in the battle of Herrlisheim, crossed the Rhine, and was pushed into Germany by the war’s end. What I like most about the account is the mention of the little things like using oranges to practice sewing up wounds when he was in basic.
Finally, the account ends with mentions of the 12th Armored (I don’t think he was part of it) securing Werner von Braun‘s supersonic wind tunnel…who hilariously complained to the men that his bike was stolen. As well as an account of a few 12th Armored boys from the 23rd Tank Battalion and 4 infantrymen partaking in the Battle of Castle Itter (which is a super interesting story!).
The Odyssey of a Texas Citizen Soldier – ZIp file. By Robert L. Wagner The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 1 (Jul., 1968), pp. 60-87 (28 pages).
This is the account of Oran C Stovall a commander of the 111th Engineer Battalion which was part of the Texas National Guard unit, the 36th Infantry Division. He supported attacks to secure Naples and saw heavy action trying to cross the Rapido River to outflank Monte Cassino. Crossing the Rapido wrecked the Division. It was eventually sent to Anzio to help with the breakout and then to Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon. To help shore up the division they were assigned the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the segregated Japanese-American unit. The unit ended service securing parts of the Dachau.
Medical Testimonies – A link to the Med-Dept.com which contains a wealth of resources for all aspects of WW2 era medical information including numerous accounts of those working in hospitals (both on land and ship), on the front-lines, and in graves registration units.