Title: George J. Wanserski Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1940-1945

Creator:

• Wanserski, George J.

Call Number: WVM Mss 55

Quantity: 1.8 linear ft. (5 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder) of papers and 0.1 linear ft. (3 folders) of photographs.

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:

Papers and photographs of George J. Wanserski, a boatswain's mate in the Navy during World War II. The majority of the collection consists of letters Wanserski, a South Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, exchanged with his wife Florence during the war. The letters are long and fairly descriptive in chronicling both George's service with the Navy and the conditions Florence dealt with on the home front. George's letters describe his daily activities aboard a ship, the recreational activities of his fellow sailors, his Catholic faith, and his longing for his family. Florence's letters describe the growth and development of their children, the family's financial situation, and a slightly anti-German sentiment growing in the Milwaukee area. Also included are letters written by other family members to George. His military papers provide details about his service and include a continuous service certificate and summary of service in the Aleutian Islands. An undated watercolor painting, made by Wanserski, depicts the explosion of the Petersburg Mine during the Civil War. Several photographs show Wanserski and his family during the war.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00055

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George Joseph Wanserski was born on September 27, 1909 in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He grew up in the area and graduated from Racine High School. He enlisted into the United States Naval Reserves in March 1928 and put in the vast majority of his service and training in Milwaukee over the next ten years. He married Florence Lange and had two sons, George and Richard, before the start of World War II. His civilian jobs included milkman and bus driver, all in the Milwaukee area. In November 1940 Wanserski achieved the rank of boatswain's mate, first class and a month later he was called into active duty and assigned to the U.S.S. Gilmer in Seattle, Washington.

Leaving his family behind, he traveled to the Pacific Northwest and joined the crew of the Gilmer, which patrolled the coast. In the summer of 1941, his family moved to Seattle to be near him. In January 1942, Wanserski transferred to the U.S.S. Buckeye hoping it would keep him stationed near his family. The Buckeye also patrolled the coast, looking for Japanese submarines. In 1943 the Buckeye traveled north where it took part in the efforts to recapture the Aleutian Islands from Japanese forces. In May 1943 Wanserski and the crew participated in the seizure and occupation of Attu Island and one month later at Amchitka Island. Throughout the campaign, the crew of the Buckeye weathered bombing attacks by Japanese planes.

In July 1943, Wanserski was admitted to the Naval Hospital in Adak, Alaska and a month later was sent to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Seattle. He spent the remainder of the war in the states, serving as master at arms at the Naval Air Stations in Seattle and Klamath Falls, Oregon. He finished up his service at the Naval Hospital in Corvallis, Oregon and was given an honorable discharge in July 1945.

Following the war, Wanserski and his family, now including son Marty who was born during the war, returned to Racine where they had a fourth son, Daniel. He worked as a merchant and an industrial design model maker.

The papers of George J. Wanserski are divided into two series: Papers and Photographs.

Papers (1940-1945) consists mostly of the voluminous letters that Wanserski and his wife Florence exchanged during his service with the Navy in World War II. Starting during his call to active duty in 1940, George and Florence wrote letters almost daily while they were apart. George described his daily life in the Navy, his pursuit of an early discharge, the recreational activities sailors engaged in, and his love for his wife and family. Florence updated her husband about conditions on the home front, the growth and development of their sons, the family's financial situation, and her desire to be with him. In one letter, written from Racine on August 13, 1942, Florence described an evening of fun at an establishment formerly known as the German Beer Garden. She told George that the name had been changed to Wind Point Beer Garden, and that the musicians hadn't worn their Bavarian costumes since the war began. Also included are letters to George from his family, Florence's parents, and others. Correspondence with Representative Stephen Boller relates to Wanserski's unsuccessful attempt to get an early discharge because of the financial hardship his service was causing his wife and children. This series also contains some of Wanserski's military papers, including a continuous service certificate that traces his service in the Navy and Naval Reserves from 1928 through the war. A summary of service describes some encounters with Japanese forces in the Aleutian Islands. Ephemeral items include an application for a war ballot for the 1942 election, an empty war ration book, and religious materials that reflect his strong Catholic faith. A watercolor painting, presumably done by Wanserski after the war, depicts the explosion of the Petersburg Mine during the Civil War.

Photographs (1941-1944) contain shots of Wanserski and his family taken during the war. An individual photo of Wanserski shows him Navy dress uniform in 1944. Other shots show his wife, Florence, and his two oldest children, George and Dick, at home during the war. A final photograph shows Wanserski in uniform with Florence, George, and Dick.

Acquisition Information

Presented by George Wanserski, Racine, WI, 1994 and 1995. Accession Number: TR0148 and TR0266. The collection was previously known as Record Group 55.

This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).

Processing Information

Preliminary inventory by Mark Van Ells, circa 1995. Processed by Russell Horton in 2004.

	Series: Papers
	Subseries: Correspondence
	From George Wanserski
	To Florence Wanserski (wife)
Box   1 Folder   1-9	January 1940 -- August 1941
Box   1 Folder   10	December 1941 -- January 1942
Box   1 Folder   11-13	July - November 1942
Box   2 Folder   1-9	December 1942 - August 1943
Box   2 Folder   10	April 1944
Box   2 Folder   11-13	May - July 1945
Box   2 Folder   14	To Harold Wanserski (brother), 1942
	To George Wanserski
Box   3 Folder   1	From Stephen Boller (re: discharge), 1940-1942
Box   3 Folder   2	From Paul Lange (father-in-law), 1942-1945
	From Florence Wanserski (wife)
Box   3 Folder   3-11	December 1940 - September 1941
Box   3 Folder   12-13	December 1941 - January 1942
Box   4 Folder   1-12	June 1942 - August 1943
Box   4 Folder   13	December 1943
Box   4 Folder   14-17	April 1945 - July 1945, undated
Box   5 Folder   1	From Harold Wanserski (brother), 1941, 1945
Box   5 Folder   2	From Loraine Wanserski (sister), 1941-1943
Box   5 Folder   3	From Mr. and Mrs. Wanserski (parents), 1942
Box   5 Folder   4	From others, 1943
Box   5 Folder   5	Subseries: Military papers, 1940-1943	⇧
Box   5 Folder   6	Continuous service certificate, 1945
Box   5 Folder   7	Discharge certificate, 1945
	Ephemera
Box   5 Folder   8	Equipment lists, undated
Box   5 Folder   9	Menu, 1940
Box   5 Folder   10	Religious materials, 1940-1941
Box   5 Folder   11	Station billet (U.S.S. Gilmer), undated
Box   5 Folder   12	War ballot application, 1942
Box   5 Folder   13	War ration book, undated
Box   5 Folder   14	Summary of service, circa 1943
Box   5 Folder   15	Travel reimbursement forms, 1941
Box   5 Folder   16	Wages statements, 1940-1942
Ov   12 Folder   2	Watercolor, Civil War painting, undated
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Ph   9 Folder   24	George J. Wanserski [1] , 1944
Ph   9 Folder   25-26	Wanserski family [9] , 1941, 1943