Richard J. Johnson Papers and Photographs
1936-1954
WVM Mss 115
1.1 linear ft. (3 archives boxes and 2 oversize folders) of papers and 0.4 linear ft. (1 archives box) of photographs.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
(Map)
Papers and photographs of Richard J. Johnson, a private in Company B of the 707th Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division during World War II. The vast majority of the collection consists of the wartime correspondence among Johnson, his wife, and his parents. Johnson described his armored infantry training at Fort Lewis, Washington and his experiences at war in Europe to his family, while their responses described conditions on the family farm in Wisconsin and the growth and development of Johnson's daughter, Nancy. In one letter, written after U.S. Army censors lifted many restrictions, Johnson described his entire war experience, including his battalion's role in the Battle of the Bulge. A letter written by Arthur Orton, Johnson's cousin and a soldier in World War I, describes his experiences in a French hospital, mentions Johnson's parents, and comes with a YMCA Mother's Day flyer. The collection also includes military ephemera that Johnson picked up while overseas, special orders pertaining to Johnson, 7th Armored Division materials, and some war ration booklets. A large number of photographs detail Johnson's training at Fort Lewis, including many shots of himself and his fellow trainees. There are also photos from his service in Europe, three of which depict German prisoners of war, including some women, being led to a holding facility by Allied troops.
English
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