Ivan Schwartz Papers and Still Images
1936-2003
WVM Mss 1452
0.7 linear ft. (1 archives box and 1 oversized flat box) of papers, 0.5 linear ft. (1 archives box and 1 oversized flat box) of photographs, 0.1 linear ft. (1 negative flap) of negatives.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
(Map)
Manuscripts, photographs, and scrapbook pages pertaining to the service of Ivan Schwartz, a Reedsburg, Wisconsin resident who served with Company D, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division during World War II. Schwartz served with the Civilian Conservation Corps prior to being conscripted into service prior to Pearl Harbor. Manuscripts in the collection include military service papers, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and various papers documenting his service in World War II. Correspondence includes letters, V-mail, and postcards sent by Schwartz to his parents while undergoing basic training and in active service in Europe. During his basic training and stateside service, Schwartz discusses drills, learning to use various weapons, undergoing field training, and his various leisure activities. He states in one letter (January 14, 1941) that he was not happy to have been drafted, and frequently mentions throughout other letters that he desired to return home. Correspondence from overseas service reassures his parents that he is alright and that he hoped to be home soon. One letter (January 14, 1944) mentions having several letters returned due to censor violations, and another letter (December 25, 1944) describes his Christmas celebrations. A letter, dated August 6, 1944, is the only letter that describes combat; mentioning being caught in artillery fire and being strafed by German aircraft. Correspondence to Schwartz includes two letters and greeting cards from friends also in the military. Military papers include service records, miscellaneous memos, and information pertaining to his decoration of the Bronze Star. Souvenir materials include information on objects Schwartz acquired while in Europe, a Christmas dinner menu and napkin, and a German propaganda leaflet. Newspaper clippings, a personal bible and hymnal, typed memoirs, and his participation in funding the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. are also included. The scrapbook pages were from three different scrapbooks that document his service in both the CCC and Army. Scrapbook 1 includes photographs from his work in the CCC and also includes images from his basic training. Schwartz included names and descriptions on the majority of the images. Scrapbook 2 consists primarily of images from his time in Europe. A fellow soldier smuggled in a camera and made duplicate images for Schwartz. Included are unique images of his unit during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, Christmas celebrations, mortar and machine gun setting up positions, soldiers posing with local residents and children, German prisoners, and various destroyed buildings and tanks. One interesting photograph shows all of the men, including Schwartz, that were the first draftees from Sauk County, Wisconsin in 1941. Scrapbook 3 was put together by his mother, Alice, while he was in the service. It consists primarily of newspaper clippings concerning the war, but also includes some correspondence sent home by Schwartz. Of particular interest is the first V-mail his family received from him after D-day, the piece of paper pulled from a hat that allowed him to travel home on leave in 1945, and the telegram his parents received when he arrived back in the United States. Loose photographs include images of Schwartz in uniform and posing with family members, images sent home to his family, and fellow soldiers. The one photo negative is of an identified loose photograph. After the war, Schwartz settled in Reedsburg, Wisconsin where he worked as a fishing guide and a house painter.
English
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