Title: Sterling W. Schallert Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1898-2001

Creator:

• Schallert, Sterling W.

Call Number: WVM Mss 104

Quantity: 0.6 linear ft. (2 archives boxes and 4 oversized folders) of papers, 0.8 linear ft. (1 archives box, 2 flat boxes, and 3 oversized folders) of photographs, 0.1 linear ft. (1 master tape, 1 master disc, 1 user disc) of sound recordings.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

The papers and photographs of Sterling W. Schallert, a Navy officer who served aboard Landing Ship-Tank (LST) 465 in the Pacific during World War II. Collection contains materials from his wartime service as well as his research and writings regarding the history and role of LSTs in the U.S. Navy. Included are numerous leaflets of Japanese propaganda, aimed at Australian soldiers, that are colorful and sometimes sexually explicit in trying to convince their targets that the Americans were betraying them. Schallert's handwritten notes from Midshipman school provide insight into wartime training in the Navy while collected poems and songs reveal ways in which soldiers and sailors found humor in their service. Numerous articles, by Schallert and others, provide insight into the history of several LSTs, including 465, as well as amphibious assaults in which LSTs were used like Leyte Gulf. A list of LSTs built in Wisconsin provides a local connection. The wartime reminiscences of fellow LST crewman Alvin Steinbach are in the collection, along with papers relating to the Philippine War service of Schallert's uncle Frank Schallert and also George Van Norman. Photographs include two scrapbooks with pictures of Schallert in uniform, the launching of LST 465, and LSTs in action during the war. A large photograph shows Moro Bay, California where Schallert served at the end of the war. Candid photographs from Frank Schallert show Philippine natives and U.S. soldiers while those from Van Norman include the Company F, 18th U.S. Infantry baseball team and a military funeral. Also included is an audio recording of Schallert discussing his time spent on shore patrol duty in San Francisco and how much he enjoyed being a supply officer on an LST during the war.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00104

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Sterling William Schallert was born in Watertown, Wisconsin on December 17, 1919. He graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 1937 and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1937 to 1941, concentrating on the study of law during his senior year. He entered the United States Navy on December 31, 1941 as part of the V-7 program. He received four months of stateside training at the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University and graduated with the rank of ensign in October 1942.

He then went to San Diego to receive additional training in preparation for service in the Pacific theater. Schallert left the U.S. for Australia in April 1943 aboard LST 465, one of the newly designed Landing Ship-Tank vessels. During the war, Schallert served as a supply officer and participated in action at Woodlark, Kiriwina, New Britain, Lae, the Admiralty Islands, Hollandia, and Leyte. LST 465 transported U.S. Army infantry troops, including some from the 32nd Division, as well as Marines and even Australian troops. In March 1945, Schallert was transferred to a naval training base in Moro Bay, California, where he served until his separation from the Navy in November 1945.

Schallert returned to Wisconsin, completed his law degree, and worked as an attorney. He became very active in the United States LST Association, writing articles for the newsletter, Scuttlebutt, and doing extensive research on the history and role of LSTs in World War II.

The papers of Sterling W. Schallert are divided into 3 series: Papers, Photographs, and Audio Recordings.

Papers (1899-2001) contains materials relating to Schallert's World War II service and also reflects his great interest in researching the history of Landing Ships-Tank (LSTs) and World War II amphibious assaults. Wartime materials include two pieces of Japanese propaganda, intended for Australian troops, which are fairly sexually explicit and encourage the men to return home before Americans steal their wives and sweethearts. The notebooks contain Schallert's handwritten notes taken in classes at Midshipman school in San Diego. The hand-decorated folder was made to hold his collection of poems and songs, which show the humor through which soldiers and sailors viewed their service at times. The path he took to the Pacific theater and back to the United States is traced on two maps. The biographical information/reminiscences folder contains a narrative description of his service during the war years. Following the war, Schallert collected and wrote articles pertaining to LSTs, Naval ships in general, and amphibious assaults (largely involving LSTs) during the war, many of which can be found in this series. The materials relating to the LSTs, in particular, contains information that would be difficult to find elsewhere. He also has the World War II reminiscences of Alvin Steinbach, a Wisconsin native who served aboard a different LST than Schallert. Some certificates and a newspaper clipping document the Spanish-American War service of Schallert's uncle, Frank, and a photocopied burial card reveals the details of his service at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Photographs (1898-1945) contain two scrapbooks that document Schallert's World War II service. While they contain mostly photographs, there are some assorted paper documents in them. The 1943-1945 scrapbook, in particular, contains foreign currency and several pages of colorful Japanese propaganda (similar to that found in the Papers series) that is less sexually suggestive but equally adamant in telling Australian soldiers that their best interests lie in surrendering. The photographs in the scrapbooks show Schallert in uniform, LSTs in action, and other crew members in both formal and informal poses. There are also shots of Schallert's ship, LST 465, at its launching and in action in the Pacific along with pictures of other LSTs. A large photograph of Moro Bay, California reflects his final assignment of the war at the Naval base located there. This series also contains photographs relating to Frank Schallert and George Van Norman. Several shots of Frank in uniform and candid photographs of U.S. soldiers and Philippine natives document his service overseas during the Philippine War. The three Van Norman photographs consist of a group shot of Company F, 18th U.S. Infantry, the unit's baseball team in baseball uniforms, and a military funeral, presumably Van Norman's.

Audio Recordings contains tapes and discs of Schallert discussing his time spent on shore patrol duty in San Francisco and how much he enjoyed being a supply officer on an LST during the war.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Sterling Schallert, Madison, WI, 1995-2002. Accession Number: TR0410, TR0560, TR0737, TR1053, TR1072, TR1334..

Processing Information

Processed by Russell Horton in 2006.

	Series: Papers
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical information/reminiscences, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Historical writings/articles, undated
Ov   23 Folder   3	Oversized articles, 1992-2001
Box   1 Folder   3	Patriotic brochures and flyers, 1999, undated
	Subseries: Military materials	⇧
Ov   22 Folder   3	Folder of songs and sayings, circa 1944
Box   1 Folder   4	Home front materials, circa 1944
Box   1 Folder   5	Japanese propaganda [2 originals, 1 copy] circa 1944
Ov   16 Folder   8	Maps, circa 1945
Box   1 Folder   6	Notebooks, Midshipman school, 1942-1943
Box   1 Folder   7	Personal service records, 1942-1945, 1954
Box   1 Folder   8	Poems and songs, circa 1943-1945
	Subseries: Research materials	⇧
Box   1 Folder   9	Amphibious assaults, 1974, 1988
Box   1 Folder   10	Iwo Jima, undated
Box   1 Folder   11	Leyte Gulf, 1944
Ov   23 Folder   4	Oversized articles, 1945, 1995
Box   1 Folder   12	Navy ships, 1989-2001
Box   1 Folder   13	Landing Ships-Tank (LSTs), [1944-2001]
Box   1 Folder   14	LST 171, 1992
Box   2 Folder   1	LST 456, 1998-2001
Box   2 Folder   2	LST 464, 1997, undated
Box   2 Folder   3	LST 465, undated
Box   2 Folder   4	LSTs built in Wisconsin, 1997-1999
Box   2 Folder   5	World War II reminiscences of Alvin C. Steinbach, undated
Box   2 Folder   6	Frank Schallert (uncle), 1899-1901, undated
Box   2 Folder   7	George Van Norman, Burial card, undated
	Series: Photographs	⇧
	Subseries: Military materials
PhOv   8 Folder   8	Moro Bay, California [1] circa 1945
Box   3 Folder   1	Sailors [4] , circa 1945
	Scrapbooks
Box   4 Folder   1	1941-1945
Box   5 Folder   1	1943-1945
	Subseries: Naval ships	⇧
Box   3 Folder   2	LSM 380 [4] , undated
Box   3 Folder   3	LST 465 [6] , circa 1945
PhOv   15 Folder   2	Launching [2] , 1943
Box   3 Folder   4	LST 1156, Model [2] undated
Box   3 Folder   5-7	LST 1190 [18] , undated
Box   3 Folder   8	Frank Schallert [3] , undated
Box   3 Folder   9-10	Philippine natives [9] , circa 1899
Box   3 Folder   11-12	U.S. soldiers [12] , circa 1899
PhOv   12 Folder   2	George Van Norman, circa 1898, 1918
	Series: Audio Recordings	⇧
	Subseries: Interview
Am   1 Folder   9	[1]
CdM   1 Folder   1	[1]
CdU   1 Folder   1	[1]