Title: Donald E. Fisher Papers and visual materials
Inclusive Dates: 1944-1945

Creator:

• Fisher, Donald E.

Call Number: WVM Mss 1858

Quantity: 0.4 linear ft. (2 half archives boxes) of papers, and 0.4 linear ft. (1 archives box, 1 folder, and 17 negative flaps) of photographs, and 1.18 gigabytes (452 files in 91 folders) of digital files and 1 digital video disc.

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 still images of Donald E. Fisher, a Madison, Wisconsin resident who served with the PT boat squadrons of World War II. The collection includes a detailed photographic record of the progress of Donald's service, from his enlistment in Daytona Beach, Florida, service in both the European and Pacific theaters, to his discharge in Hawaii. Papers include his personal diary and manuscripts, which document the trials and tribulations faced by him and his fellow crew members. Of particular interest is the Blue Jackets manual which doubled as his diary, containing a detailed timeline of Donald's ports of call in the European theater of operations, photographs and a documentary on the skirmish between his squadron and a German convoy off the coast of Jersey, and memoirs and photographs of D-Day. Also included are photographs and records of Donald's family and his post-war life, which is illustrated in memoirs celebrating his life as well as correspondence detailing his graduation from college and job search after the war. Also included in the collection is a research file dedicated to documenting the PT boats and crews of the Second World War, organized by boat number, which includes a poster showcasing the unit art of each squadron from the war, a video documentary on the recovery of the wreck of PT 509, and a disc of digitized records and photographs both from Donald himself as well as other PT sailors he knew personally.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss01858

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Donald Eugene Fisher was born in Beloit, Wisconsin. The son of a career Army officer, he moved frequently with his father's changing duty stations. He spent his youth in northern Wisconsin, where his father was commanding officer of depression-era Civilian Conservation Corp camps at Cable, Seeley, and Townsend, Wisconsin. Donald attended Namakagon, Spider Lake and Antigo elementary schools. When his father became commanding officer of Camp Madison (now the University of Wisconsin Arboretum), Donald attended Madison West High School. He graduated from Daytona Beach High School, where his father became commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps camp in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Donald joined the Navy when he was 17 years old and volunteered for PT (Patrol Torpedo) boat service. After his training, he was assigned to PT 503 of RON (PT boat squadron) 34. He saw action on D-Day off the coast of France during the Normandy invasion, and joined the forces occupying Cherbourg. While in France, his RON fought a skirmish against a German convoy, in which PT 509 was destroyed. Returning to Britain, he helped prepare PT 503 and other ships in RON 34 for transfer to the U.S.S.R. under the terms of Lend-Lease, and then was transferred to the Pacific aboard PT 277 of RON 23, and later on, PT 297 of RON 16. Donald served in the South Pacific until the Japanese surrender. During his service he earned three Purple Heart medals for injuries sustained in combat, as well as numerous other awards for the actions in which his boat and squadron were engaged.

Shortly after the war, Don met and married Jenny Hynek, and had four children: Patricia, Michael, Cheryl, and John. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and received a BS degree in economics in 1949. He was hired by General Casualty Insurance Company in Madison as a claims adjuster in 1950, rising to the office of president and CEO in 1966. He held this position until his retirement in 1982. In 2005, he moved to Rochester, Minnesota with his wife and lived there until he passed away in 2013.

The Donald E. Fisher collection is organized roughly along the same lines as it was set by his son Michael, and falls into three series: Donald E. Fisher, Relatives, and the Research File.

The Donald E. Fisher series encompasses papers and photographs relating to the life and service of Donald, the bulk of which coming from immediately before, during, and after the war, and is organized chronologically. Biographic and memoirs pertain to personal accounts written by Donald E. Fisher about some of his experiences during the war.

His pre-war materials largely consist of photographs and negatives from a visit to Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, which was a major Army recruitment center during the war. The date of this visit is not certain, but it was indicated as being pre-war by Michael Fisher, and it would be safe to surmise it is sometime between Donald's graduation in 1943 and his enlistment in 1944.

The military service subseries first covers the period of Donald's training, from his enlistment in Jacksonville, Florida, radioman training in Auburn, Alabama, to the commissioning of RON 34 in the Brooklyn Naval Yard and its subsequent shakedown cruise to Miami, Florida. Portland, Britain contains photos of the harbor that RON 34 was berthed in, as well as photographs of maintenance and repairs being done on the boats, and American personnel and their lodging. D-Day photographs include images of American personnel and equipment being loaded onto transports, the invasion stars that were painted on the bows of participating vessels, and ships sailing to Normandy. Of note from D-Day are photographs of wounded and killed sailors from the mine-sunk destroyer U.S.S. Rich being loaded onto PT 503. Photographs of Cherbourg highlight the harbor, French civilians, the war damage, and U.S. equipment and personnel at the landing beaches near the city surrounding areas. This also includes a description of the skirmish between RON 34 and a German convoy that occurred off of the coast of Jersey, and photographs of the wreckage of PT 509, which was sunk during the battle. The photographs of London and Rosneath, Scotland, as well as the Blue Network interview, were made after the end of Donald's combat operations in Europe, and cover his period of leave in London and the preparation of PT 503 and other boats for transfer to the Soviet Union under the terms of Lend-Lease. Philippines include photographs of boat crews Donald served with, souvenirs, and civilians and architecture, and both American and Japanese aircraft.

Donald's post-war materials largely come from immediately after the war. They include photographs of Donald and his crew in Hawaii after their return from the Pacific Theater, correspondence and records pertaining to the completion of Donald's service and the rights and opportunities now available to him as a veteran. Also included are a series of letters dealing with his application to the Naval Reserve, lists of fellow graduates of West High School's Class of '43, and an article on the funeral of Boyd Brumm, a crewmate from PT 503 who was killed in action off of Jersey.

Relatives covers material related to Donald's family included in the collection, especially including photographs of his father, and of his siblings Bob, Jerry, and Peggy, and sister-in-law Helen. The photographs of his father, Robert W. Fisher, include pre-war photographs from his days as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp commander as well as a wartime photograph when he was an Army major and commander of a Womens Army Corps camp in Florida.

The Research File consists of materials gathered by Donald E. Fisher during and after the war pertaining to the PT boats he served on and with, and includes pictures of PT boats in action (on patrol, performing maneuvers) which is primarily organized by the PT boat's number. Two boats, upon which Donald served, PT 277 and PT503, are particularly represented. The file also includes a poster showcasing the unit artwork of all the PT boat squadrons from the Second World War, a DVD of digitized material both from Donald E. Fisher's collection as well as additional material from fellow PT boat sailors, and a DVD copy of “The Last Patrol,” a documentary exploring RON 34's skirmish off Jersey and the search for the wreck of PT 509.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Michael Fisher, 2013. Accession Number: Mss 2013.104.

Processing Information

Processed by Duane Rodel in 2013.

	Series: Donald E. Fisher
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographies and memoirs
Box   3	Blue Jacket manual and diary
Box   2 Folder   1	Pre-War, undated [3]
PhN   6 Folder   18	Negatives, undated ctd. [4]
	Subseries: Military Service	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2	Records
Box   2 Folder   2	Jacksonville, FL, 1943 [7]
Box   2 Folder   3	Auburn, AL, 1943 [15]
Box   2 Folder   4	Brooklyn Naval Yard, 1943 [5]
Box   2 Folder   5	Miami, FL, 1944 [3]
Box   2 Folder   6-9	Portland, Britain [34]
Box   2 Folder   10-11	D-Day [10]
Box   2 Folder   12-15	Cherbourg, France [39]
Box   1 Folder   3	Skirmish off Jersey, 1944
Box   2 Folder   16	Wreck of PT 509, 1944 [3]
Box   2 Folder   17	London, Britain, 1944 [5]
Box   1 Folder   4	Blue Network interview, 1944
Box   2 Folder   18	Rosneath, Scotland, 1944 [7]
Box   2 Folder   19-21	Philippines [32]
Box   2 Folder   22	Japanese attack and aircraft, 1945 [3]
	Subseries: Post-War	⇧
Box   2 Folder   23	Donald and crew in Hawaii, 1945 [7]
Box   1 Folder   5	Correspondence, 1946
Box   1 Folder   6	Boyd Brumm funeral, 1948
Box   1 Folder   7-8	Graduation and applications, 1949
Box   2 Folder   24	Reunions, undated [2]
Box   1 Folder   9	West High School, 1973
	Series: Relatives	⇧
Box   2 Folder   25-26	Robert W. Fisher, undated [5]
Box   2 Folder   27	Helen and Bob Fisher, 1944-1945 [5]
Box   2 Folder   28	Peggy and Jerry Fisher, 1945 [1]
Box   1 Folder   10	Series: Research File	⇧
Box   2 Folder   29	Subseries: PT Boats in action [12]
Box   2 Folder   30	PT Boats in New York Harbor, undated [4]
Box   2 Folder   31	PT 117-285, 1945 [10]
Box   2 Folder   32	PT 277, 1945 [1]
Box   2 Folder   33	PT 324-498, 1945, undated [4]
Box   2 Folder   34	PT 501-502, 1945 [3]
Box   2 Folder   35-38	PT 503 and crew, 1944 [32]
Box   2 Folder   39	PT 504-520, 1944 [9]
Box   1 Folder   11	Poster
Box   2 Folder   40	Unidentified PT personnel and officers, undated [4]
Box   2 Folder   41	Other ships, undated [6]
DVD User   1 Folder   25	Digital audio-visual archive
DVD User   1 Folder   24	“The Last Patrol”