War Memoirs Project
The Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution has embarked on a project to make available online war diaries, printed presentations and personal stories that have been bequeathed to the Center.
Featured Memoir:
Latest wartime memoir posted is one of a World War II navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) team member, Ernest Sealo. Click here to read how the now acclaimed Navy SEAL progrm got its start.
Other Available Memoirs
John Callahan
John Callahan was 5 years old when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Although only a youngster at the time, he captures in the memoir the trying times his family experienced on the home front during the course of the war. Read for yourself this very interesting accounting of what life was like “back home” by clicking here.
Elise Singer
When she asked her mother on Sunday morning, September 3rd, 1939, “What’s the matter?” her mother replied in tears “We are at war; we have declared war on Germany” so wrote Elise Singer in her memoirs titled English Wartime Memories. Donated to the Center by her son Andrew Bolognini, they are read in part by Rutgers student intern Brittany N. Turi who interviewed Mr. Bolognini about his mother’s amazing and insightful wartime memoirs. Mrs. Singer later became the very first English War Bride to step foot on American soil. Click here to access the memoir.
Josef H. Bienstock
First-hand account of the incredible odyssey of veteran Josef H. Bienstock escaping Nazi persecution throughout Europe in the 1930s and how, after coming to America and enlisting in the U.S. Army, his military service put him at center stage during Nazi Germanys demise. Mr. Bienstock was assisted in relating his amazing story by Center volunteer Jonathan Lewis from Freehold High School.
Click here for this memoir.
Ted Khoury
Captured by German army units on November 25, 1944 as they assaulted the American Army on the Western Front in the vicinity of Alsace Lorraine in France, Sergeant Ted Khoury, a squad leader in the 44th division, 7th Army spent the rest of his time in uniform as a German prisoner of war. Read Khoury's riviting account of his capture, the time spent as a P.O.W. and its affect on him in the post war years.
Click here for the must read memoir.
Helgi Looklene
My name is Kai Vija and I am a student at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. As I read my great aunt’s memoirs about her experiences of World War II in Estonia, I soon began to realize how hard things were during those times for not only my family but other Estonians as well. Her writings painted a picture of horror and chaos that I have had the desired opportunity to share with the rest of the world through Brookdale’s Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution.
Click here to read Kai's interview.
Kazimiera Opalinska
The memoirs of Kazimiera Opalinska entitled “Walking Shadows” are now posted. These vivid memoirs reflect a young Polish woman’s experience when her country was invaded by Nazi Germany in September 1939 then occupied afterwards by Germany’s ally, the Soviet Union. The memoirs were recently submitted by her grandson, Brookdale Student Benjamin J. Doda, who compiled them from his grandmother’s memoirs and journals. Click here to hear an emotional opening portion of the memoirs read by Samantha Leone, a Spring 2010 term Narozanick World War II Resource Center student intern. The memoirs are tribute to all who endured the horrors of World War II.
Giuseppina Betti-Miscio
In this memorable memoir posting, Brookdale Community College student Gabriella Bonatesta interviews her maternal grandmother, Giuseppina Betti-Miscio, now an 88 year-old woman living in New Jersey, about her experiences growing up in wartime Italy. Her recollections are stunning and gives one insight into what it was like to live under Fascism during World War II.
Click here to read this poignant interview.
S. Tipton "Tip" Randolph
On March 25, 1945, the British 6th and U.S. 17th Airborne divisions conducted the largest airborne operation of World War II involving 5051 aircraft and 40,000 men. Known as OPERATION VARSITY, the objective of the operation was to invade Germany by air east of the Rhine River near Wesel. Piloting a USAAF glider during the operation was former First Lieutenant S. Tipton “Tip” Randolph who describes his unforgettable experience in a memoir which can be accessed by clicking here.
John W. Campbell
On June 6, 1944, the United States Coast Guard performed a number of key tasks that enabled the Allies to successfully carry out Operation Overlord, the cross channel invasion of Northwest France. One critical task was to rescue drowning and wounded allied soldiers found floating in the English Channel. Read Coast Guardsman John Campbell’s vivid accounting of his experience on board one of the rescue boats deemed part of the “matchbox fleet” because the boats were so small.
Click here for memoir.
Anthony Campo
Anthony Campo was a member of the 39th Infantry Regiment when it went participated in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, in July of 1943. He describes in his memoir the bravery and courage it took to match the Regiment’s motto “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere bar Nothing” (AAA – O) and successfully fight the Italian and German armies on the island.
Click here for memoir.
Mieke Jansma
"My Recollections of the Invasion of Holland, May 1940, and its Occupation by NAZI Gernamany, 1940-1945."
Click here for this video memoir.
Clyde A.E. Snyder Jr
Clyde A. E. Snyder Jr., born July 3, 1924, graduated from Point Pleasant Beach High School, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, in June 1942. He immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and attended bombardier school at Ellington Field, Texas. Afterwards, assigned to the 95th Bomb Group, Eighth USAF, in Horam, England, he flew over Germany as a bombardier aboard B-17 bombers for an amazing total of 35 missions. On three of the missions, his planes did not make it back to England, each of which crash landed on the European mainland. He kept a record of each mission (i.e. target, map location, photos, and associated newspaper articles) and it is an edited version of the scrapbook record that one can view by clicking here. 1st Lieutenant Snyder on mission #31 volunteered to replace a navigator with a different crew and because of his valorous actions during that flight, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The introduction is written by his son Clyde A.E. Snyder III who donated his father’s scrapbook to the Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution for all to view. The actual scrapbook is on file in the Center’s Narozanick World War II Studies Resource Center for public review.
Click here to access his memoir.
Paul J. Frisco
Paul J. Frisco, a veteran of the war in the Pacific served onboard the USS Cushing, DD 797, a Fletcher class destroyer, throughout WW II. He recalls in his memoir a time when the fearsome enemy was not just the Imperial Japanese Fleet. Read the engrossing "An Account of War" to understand an aspect of naval service about which little is written.
Click here to read the memoir.
Lawrence Bonanni
The memoir of Lawrence Bonanni recalls his service with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms right after the war during which he assisted in an investigation of "Odessa", a secretive organization that helped ex-Nazis in America. His interesting account notes the results of the investigation.
Click here to read the memoir.
Helen Satter
Helen Satter’s memoir is an amazing story told by an America soldier’s wife who spent three terrifying years (May 1942 – May 1945) in Terezin, the massive concentration camp located near Prague in Nazi Occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. A true Holocaust survivor, Helen married America G.I. Warren Satter who she met in Occupied Germany after the war and who enabled her to begin a new and fulfilling life in America.
Click here to read the memoir.
Edward J. Sims, First Lieutenant, 504th Parachute Infantry
Near Karouan, North Africa the evening of July 11, 1943, 2nd Lieutenant Edward J. Sims suited up for his first combat jump with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. The destination was Sicily. After months of hard fighting in Sicily and later in Italy, then being withdrawn to England, Sims suited up again for a second combat jump. This time the destination was Nijmegan, Holland on September 17, 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden. Sims relays in his memoirs first hand accounts of jumping into combat and, as recalled in A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan, those actions in Holland that earned him a Silver Star.
Click here to read the memoir.
Ester Bila Twardagura
Interview with Ester Bila Twardagura Holocaust Survivor
Yonit Harary, a Brookdale Community College student, interviews her grandmother on her experiences at the hands of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Click here to see interview.
RoseMarie Nappa
Interview with RoseMarie Nappa
Rob Lombardo, a Brookdale Community College student, interviews his grandmother about life before, during and after WWII.
Click here to see interview.
Kutty Narayanan Nair, Major, Ret.
Crossing the Irrawaddy River in Burma
Thanks to the cooperation of Psychology Department’s Dr. Raj Wesley, the Center obtained the written memoir of her father, retired Major K. N. Nair, from Bangalore, India. Major Nair, an Indian Army officer who fought under British command, relates his experiences when fighting the Japanese in Burma in 1945.
Click here to see memoir.
Thomas F. Mahoney
A TRIP TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL AND BACK
On Sunday morning, 7 December 1941, the Japanese navy without warning attacked by air the U.S. Pacific Fleet lying at anchor in Pearl Harbor, the U.S. navy base near Honolulu, Hawaii. Within two hours, every capital ship of the fleet was either sunk or severely damaged. Over 2400 lives were lost in the attack. Serving aboard the USS Curtiss, a navy seaplane tender located in the harbor near battleship row, were two young sailors, Ralph Jeffers and Thomas Mahoney, who witnessed an event that day that not only changed their lives but that of every American. Both recorded their memories in diaries and they are being published for the first time on this web site for everyone to read. Ralph is currently the president of the NJ Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and Tom is president of the Monmouth Chapter of the Association, Monmouth County, NJ. After the attack which brought the United States into World War II, both men served valiantly the duration of the war in the U.S. Navy.
Click here to see memoir.
Ralph Jeffers, ADC, USN (Ret.)
PEARL HARBOR REFLECTIONS - DECEMBER 7,1941
On Sunday morning, 7 December 1941, the Japanese navy without warning attacked by air the U.S. Pacific Fleet lying at anchor in Pearl Harbor, the U.S. navy base near Honolulu, Hawaii. Within two hours, every capital ship of the fleet was either sunk or severely damaged. Over 2400 lives were lost in the attack. Serving aboard the USS Curtiss, a navy seaplane tender located in the harbor near battleship row, were two young sailors, Ralph Jeffers and Thomas Mahoney, who witnessed an event that day that not only changed their lives but that of every American. Both recorded their memories in diaries and they are being published for the first time on this web site for everyone to read. Ralph is currently the president of the NJ Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and Tom is president of the Monmouth Chapter of the Association, Monmouth County, NJ. After the attack which brought the United States into World War II, both men served valiantly the duration of the war in the U.S. Navy.
Click here to see memoir.
Leo Burrows
MEN OF BATAAN AND CORREGIDOR THANK WASP
On August 28, 1945, Leo Burrows, a radio-gunner aboard a torpedo bomber on the U.S. aircraft carrier WASP (CV 18), participated in a mercy mission during which badly needed food and medical supplies were dropped on a prisoner of war camp in Japan plus what ever the ships company cared to donate. Returning the next day, the following message was laid in white sheets on the roofs of the camps POW barracks, Men of Bataan and Corregidor Thank WASP. Burrows details this heart-rendering episode in a section of his memoirs now posted on the Centers War Memoirs Project page.
Click here to see memoir.
Al Meserlin
Ike's Wartime Photographer, Al Meserlin
Recording the German Surrender, May 5-7, 1945
On May 7, 1945, German representatives signed the unconditional surrender document ending World War II in Europe. Taking the official pictures of this momentous occasion was General Dwight D. Eisenhowers personal wartime photographer, Al Meserlin. Al kept a diary in which he recorded what took place immediately prior to and on May 7th and he has given permission to the Center to post it for all to read.
Click here to see memoir.
Mr. Norbert Masur
Report to the World Jewish Congress by Mr. Norbert Masur
Regarding His Visit With Heinrich Himmler, April 20, 1945
During the closing days of World War II, Jewish organizations within the neutral countries of Europe tried their utmost to bring help to those Jews remaining in Nazi Germany's concentration camps. In Sweden, the Swedish section of the World Jewish Congress arranged a secret meeting on the issue with Heinrich Himmler, the feared Nazi SS Chief, through Himmler's Swedish doctor, Dr. Felix Kersten. Chosen to represent the Swedish WJC was Mr. Norbert Masur who met secretly with Himmler on April 21, 1945. The meeting resulted in the miraculous release of over 1000 Jews from Ravensbruck. Upon the conclusion of the nearly 3 hour meeting, Mr. Masur returned to Sweden and rendered a report.
Click here to view memoir.
Erica Rosenthal
Kristallnacht Remembrance Speech
This speech was delivered November 18, 2002 by Kristallnacht witness Erica Rosenthal at a Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution program on "The Meaning of Kristallnacht."
Click here to see memoir.
Marie Cecere O'Beirne
Interview With Marie Ann Cecere O'Beirne
The following interview was recorded on November 8, 2003 at Lakewood, New Jersey with Marie Ann Cecere O'Beirne, who was born October 8, 1920, in Newark, New Jersey. The interview was conducted by her son, John O'Beirne, a Brookdale Community College student.
Click here to see interview.
Captain William T. Stelling
OIC Interrogation of Prisoners of War
In a report, written in the form of a memoir, rendered his headquarters in the spring of 1945, Cpt. William T. Stelling relates the year-long activities of his prisoner of war interrogation team starting with its landing on D-Day 6th of June 1944 on Omaha Beach. He relates in engrossing detail the handling of German POWs during the invasion and afterwards as the U.S. army breaks out of Normandy on to the Brittany Peninsula and captures the port of Brest. He then relates his team's experiences with the 104 Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge ending with his impression of the German military based on an interrogation of a captured German officer.
Click here to see memoir.
Lt. Leonard G. Lomell, DSC
The Guns of Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France
D-Day, June 6, 1944
This is the memoir of Lt. Leonard G. Lomell, which was delivered as a speech at Brookdale Community College. He has given the Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution permission to offer his speech in written format online for the "War Memoirs" Project. In the speech, Lt. Lomell recounts the destruction of the guns of Pointe du Hoc on D-Day by the 2nd U.S. Army Ranger Battalion and his role. Lt. Lomell, D Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion, was described by historian Stephen Ambrose as "in my view...the man, if you want to pick out an individual other than Eisenhower, more than any other single individual that made D-Day a success...."
Click here to see memoir.
Harry J. Whittinghill
The Story of Harry Whittinghill
This is the personal account of Harry J. Whittinghill, who endured the Bataan Death March and over three years in Japanese prison camps. Included with Whittinghill's memoirs are sketches of some of the events described therein. The drawings accompanying the account were not done by him but by a fellow prisoner. Whittinghill concealed them on his body at the risk of his life all throughout his ordeal as a Japanese prisoner of war. The artist is unknown.
Click here to see memoir.
