Title: Martin Gutekunst Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1943-1994

Creator:

• Gutekunst, Martin

Call Number: WVM Mss 407

Quantity: 0.4 linear ft. (1 archives box and 1 oversize folder) of papers and 0.2 linear ft. (1 archives box) 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 the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, related to his World War II service in the 2nd Beach Battalion as a combat demolition man with a focus on his participation in the D-Day landing. The core of the collection are lengthy letters spanning 1944 and 1945, written by Gutekunst to his family. The letters offer details of military service and often use humor to reassure and comfort family members. Letters discuss stateside training, inconsistencies of mail delivery, visits to London, appreciation of the Red Cross, and seeing a U. S. O. Show. He touches upon the invasion of France, living in pup tents, many uses of a military helmet, translating German literature for other soldiers, and leave in Hawaii. Transferred from the European theater to the Pacific theater in preparation for the invasion of Japan, Gutekunst was stationed in the Philippines and on Okinawa. He writes about island invasions, lack of church services for soldiers, lack of alcohol for enlisted men, his impressions on the war's end, and occupation duty in Japan. The collection also includes a series of “round robin” style letters Gutekunst wrote home that were typed by his sister, Dorothy Pokel, and circulated between members of the Gutekunst family. Of note are two round robin letters sent to servicemen from Mt. Cavalry Lutheran Church providing information on the congregation members in service. Also included in the collection are personal military papers he received from the Personnel Center in St. Louis and newspaper clippings from Milwaukee newspapers about the anniversary of D-Day many of which include quotes from Gutekunst and his family. There is also a reminiscence of his service written around 1990. The oversized folder contains a May 24, 1990 section of the Milwaukee Journal about the Normandy Invasion and an issue of the New Orleans Times-Picayune celebrating the opening of the National World War II Museum. Photographs show the camp and scenes on Okinawa including the signal station, military cemetery, and an interesting shot of Gutekunst shaving using a mirror on a truck. Other photos show Gutekunst's return to Normandy in 1994 and his trip to the opening of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. There are several images of the Gutekunst family including one of Martin and his brother Bill, both in uniform.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00407

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Martin Gutekusts was born January 1, 1917 in New Fame, Wisconsin one of nine children of Carl and Otilla Gutekunst. He attended Lutheran school through St. John's Church in New Fame and graduated from Kewaskum High School. Gutekunst was drafted into service in 1943 while working as a draftsman at Milwaukee Boiler Manufacturing Company. He served with the 2nd Naval Beach Battalion in both the European and Pacific Theaters, and landed on D-Day.

He returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin after the war, attending the University of Wisconsin for two years, eventually returning to work at Milwaukee Boiler Manufacturing Company where he worked as a chief engineer until retirement. He married Lois in 1947, steeling in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and raising three children.

The papers of Martin Gutekunst are divided into two series: Papers and Photographs.

Papers (1943-1994) consist of letters, awards, newspaper clippings, and ephemeral materials. The letters comprise the bulk of this series and provide a detailed account of World War II service in two theaters. Letters to his family often use humor to deflect attention from the dangers Gutekunst faced. In the summer of 1945, the Gutekust family moved to a new home, and many of the letters from July 1945 discuss this. In September 1945, Gutekust began writing from Japan, and a September 17, 1945 letter mentions that he is glad to be in Japan rather then finishing his service stateside. The family exchanged round robin letters in 1944 and 1945, when Dorothy Pokel typed Martin's letters home, these letters ofen include comments from Dorothy and news from the Pokel family. The Mt. Cavalry letters contain a great deal of information about service men and women from the congregation and show one organization's efforts to stay connected with service members.

Other materials include detailed memoirs written originally for inclusion at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, copies of his military records, newspaper clippings of D-Day commemorative articles in Milwaukee papers, and stories from the opening of the D-Day museum.

Photographs (1943-1945) consist of images taken during Gutekunst's military service and several images relating to his experiences as a veteran. The bulk of the military service images were taken on Okinawa and document military life there. Images include the Okinawa signal station, military cemetery, and the camp. Notable are the family pictures taken in 1944 while Gutekunst was home on leave following the D-Day invasion. Martin, and his brothers who also served in WWII all wear military uniforms and pose with their mother, Otilla, and other family members.

The veteran images document Gutekunst's involvement in the National D-Day Museum (now the National World War II Museum) in New Orleans and include photographs of the exhibits and the events surrounding the museum's opening. Gutekunst's 1994 trip back to Normandy is included, and images show Martin on the beach where he landed in 1944. Of interest is a photo of Jim Keeney, the man who captured Tokyo Rose taken at a 1991 reunion.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Martin Gutekunst, Oconomowoc, WI, 1991 and 2005. Accession Number: V1991.10 and Mss 2005.067.

Processing Information

Processed by Abigail Norderhaug in 2007.

	Series: Papers
	Subseries: D-Day
Box   1 Folder   1	Anniversary materials, 1984
Ov   16 Folder   10	Commemorative newspapers, 1990; 2000
Box   1 Folder   2	Published D-Day stories, 1964-1984
	Subseries: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   3-13	Letters home, 1943-1945
Box   1 Folder   14-15	Round Robins (family), 1944-1945
Box   1 Folder   16	Round Robins (Mt. Cavalry Church), undated
Box   1 Folder   17	Ephemera, 1944-1945
Box   1 Folder   18	Memoirs, undated
Box   1 Folder   19	Okinawa newspaper stories, 1995
	Subseries: Military Papers	⇧
Box   1 Folder   20	Awards and commendations, 1944-1961
Box   1 Folder   21	Records, 1943-1990
	Series: Photographs	⇧
	Subseries: Military Service
Box   2 Folder   1	Japan
Box   2 Folder   2	Okinawa [5]
Box   2 Folder   3	Camp [3]
Box   2 Folder   4	Signal station [3]
Box   2 Folder   5	Soldiers [4]
	Groups
Box   2 Folder   6	Training [4]
Box   2 Folder   7	Unknown [4]
	Stateside
	Home on leave
Box   2 Folder   8	Family photographs [5] , 1944
Box   2 Folder   9	Martin at home [3] , 1944
Box   2 Folder   10	Individual images [4]
Box   2 Folder   11	Milwaukee Boiler Office [2]
	Subseries: Veteran	⇧
Box   2 Folder   12	Keeney, Jim [2]
Box   2 Folder   13	Martin's collection [2]
Box   2 Folder   14	Normandy Beach, D-Day + 40 [2]
Box   2 Folder   15	Martin's collection [2]
Box   2 Folder   16	D-Day Museum [6]
Box   2 Folder   17	Outside the museum [6]