The papers of Edward T. Lauer are divided into six series: World War I, World War II, Veteran Activities, Writings, Civilian, and Photographs.
World War I (1916-1921) contains primary documents from Lauer and other World War I veterans. This series is particularly strong in the area of military intelligence and orders. The 32nd Division's summaries of intelligence contain day-by-day reports of enemy movements and information gained from aerial surveillance and prisoners, etc. The maps contain hand-written remarks and notations showing updated information. The field and general orders for the 32nd Division are very complete and document the day-to-day activities of the unit from the war through post-war occupation. There are also some personal papers from World War I veterans that Lauer acquired. Clemens' occupation force telephone directory and Connor's partially-used field message book are unique items, and Lauer's personal military papers relate details about his service.
World War II (1942-1946) contains primary documents that Lauer acquired from others. The military intelligence subseries is the strongest in the series, with many “after-action” reports for the units that made up the 32nd Division in the war. These reports detail and evaluate the actions of the units in the various engagements. There are also many propaganda fliers that were used in the European theater that show the intense effort of the Allies to convince the common German soldier to stop fighting a losing battle. Among the miscellaneous materials are some field sketches done by Joe Ash, a member of the 32nd Division, who would later do the cover art for the book, 32nd Infantry Division in World War II.
Veterans Activities (1916-1981) is the largest series in the collection and documents Lauer's extensive involvement in numerous veterans organizations throughout his life. Three organizations in particular are well documented: the 32nd Division Veterans Association, the National Tuscania Survivors Association, and the Red Arrow Club of Milwaukee.
Lauer served as National Historian for the 32nd Division Veterans Association, and thus collected a large amount of material relating to the Division's service in U.S. wars. This sub-series includes ephemera relating to the Division's service at Fort Lewis during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and plans to erect a monument to General William Haan at Arlington Cemetery. As historian, Lauer also served as a special consultant to General Harold W. Blakeley as he wrote the official history of the Division's role in the Pacific theater, 32nd Infantry Division in World War II. This collection includes various drafts of the book with Lauer's corrections, early drafts of the cover art, legislation regarding the partial state funding of the work, and a review of the finished project. There are also scattered materials documenting the annual reunions of the 32nd Division Veterans Association. The 48th reunion (1966) is the most well-represented, with materials relating to advertising the event and financial records.
The materials for the National Tuscania Survivors Association also document Lauer's role as historian. He collected correspondence from the beginnings of the organization. Of particular interest are letters written by Wilhelm Meyer, the captain of the German submarine, UB-77, which sank the Tuscania in February 1918. The association wrote Meyer to hear his side of the story to gain a better understanding of the events. No ill feelings are noticeable in the correspondence-- in fact, the group invited Meyer to be the guest of honor at one of their reunions. Meyer, while declining the offer to visit, replied with his memories of the event. His letters also show an intense resentment among Germans toward the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, and hint at the problems to come in World War II. Lauer collected many organizational records, including membership lists, financial reports, and reunion minutes. This sub-series also contains typed reminiscences of members and research files on all aspects of the Tuscania disaster.
Lauer served one term as president and many years as historian of the Red Arrow Club of Milwaukee. The major activity documented herein is the dedication of Wisconsin State Highway 32 as the Red Arrow 32nd Division Memorial Highway. Members of the Club formed a corporation that sought, and achieved, this goal. The sub-series contains correspondence, meeting minutes, blueprints, sketches, and a scrapbook relating to the dedication of the highway and the historical markers installed near the borders with Illinois and Michigan. There are also materials concerning the purchase of, and later the sale of, the Club's Memorial building in Milwaukee, which suggests and rise and fall of the Club's membership.
There are also scattered materials relating to other veterans' organizations, such as the American Legion and VFW.
Writings (1919-1976) consists of unpublished, written histories of units and events from the World Wars, some written by Lauer and the rest sent to him by their respective authors. “Corporal Tanglefoot's Diary” (probably written by World War I veteran Harold C. Woehl from Michigan) is a mammoth and comprehensive compilation of the history of the 126th Infantry Regiment in World War I. Lauer's “History of the 127th Infantry Regiment in World War II,” mirrors the divisional history written by Blakeley and is similarly informative.
Civilian (1915-1981) consists largely of materials from Lauer's World War II-era employment. These documents reveal a lot about the wartime industries in Wisconsin. Lauer's multiple jobs and evidence of his steady search for new work show the lingering effects of the Depression, while his success in finding continuing jobs document the growing wartime economy. The Employment subseries includes plans for a radio school at Truax Field in Madison. The Milwaukee Ordnance Plant materials reveal a very important local industry and show Lauer's involvement in it. Various administrative papers describe the structure and function of the plant, and Lauer's role as historical officer accounts for the presence of many descriptive documents. Blank forms and newspaper clippings show the operations of the Civilian Production Administration, where Lauer worked immediately after the war. His post-war career centered on real estate, as shown by scattered materials from the Federal Housing Administration and the Milwaukee Board of Realtors. Also in this series are Lauer's autobiographical writings. While somewhat repetitive, his multiple works show his pride in being a veteran and a member of the 32nd Division, as well as his strong sense of patriotism. The majority of his writings were originally mimeographed, and thus were photocopied for preservation purposes. Any original materials (letters, ephemera, etc.) taped into the writings were removed and placed in the “loose materials” folders. Miscellaneous materials in this series include some blueprint drawings he made while briefly attending Marquette University in 1955 and membership cards to numerous professional organizations to which Lauer belonged. There are also several numbered prints of portraits made by American artist Samuel Johnson Woolf.
Photographs (1917-1976) contains pictures that Lauer took and that he collected throughout his time as historian of various veterans' organizations. The photos from his autobiography and other writings make up a large portion of this series. They were removed from the mimeograph copies of his writing into this series. Photocopies of most of these photos can be found in the Writings series. The former includes many shots of Lauer at different ages, his family and friends; the latter consists almost entirely of copy prints from Army Signal Corps photos or photographs borrowed from others. There are many photographs from Lauer's time at the Milwaukee Ordnance Plant, including many shots of the plant grounds and some of female workers. Lauer's involvement in the dedication of the Red Arrow 32nd Division Memorial Highway is documented by a large number of photographs from the ceremony and of the historical markers on the highway. The series contains many candid photographs from reunions of the 32nd Division Veterans Association and the National Tuscania Survivors Association. The World War I sub-series contains many aerial shots of the setting of major offensives. It also has pictures of the S.S. Tuscania and the German U-boat captain Wilhelm Meyer. The World War II sub-series includes many candid shots of 32nd Division soldiers in the field in the Pacific theater.
