Register of the Donald Wayne Richardson collection

Finding aid prepared by Lucy Hernandez

Hoover Institution Library and Archives

434 Galvez Mall

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 94305-6003

hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu

URL: http://www.hoover.org/library-and-archives

Title: Donald Wayne Richardson collection

Date (inclusive): 1935-2000

Collection Number: 2022C15

Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives

Language of Material: In English and German

Physical Description: 1 manuscript box, 2 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder (2.34 Linear Feet)

Abstract: The Donald Wayne Richardson collection (1935-2000) is composed of two photographic albums, maps (of Bad Reichenhall, Germany and Berchtesgadener Alpen, Austria), a certificate to retain a captured German pistol, a patrol report of the area south of Konigess, and a pair of Lederhosen owned by Hermann Göring. A member of the 327th Gilder Infantry, Lt. Richardson was involved in the search of Göring's hunting lodge in the southern German Alps, south of Berchtesgaden in May 1945. One photographic album obtained from the search includes images of landscapes in the Alps, Göring's family, hunting and hunting gifts from Hitler.

Creator: Richardson, Donald Wayne, 1923-2001

Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Access

Content from this collection has been digitized. Original materials are closed due to their fragility.

Use

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Acquisition Information

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2022.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Donald Wayne Richardson collection, [Box no., Folder no. or permalink], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Biographical Note

Donald Wayne Richardson was born July 12, 1923, in Gorham, Maine. An accomplished ice and rock climber, he served as a specialist in alpine combat during World War II. Additionally, Richardson was a member of the 327th Gilder Infantry that searched Hermann Göring's hunting lodge in the southern German Alps, south of Berchtesgaden, in the last weeks of May 1945.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection contains two photographic albums, a map of Bad Reichenhall, Germany circa 1940s, a map of Berchtesgadener Alpen circa 2000s, a certificate from 1945 to retain a German pistol captured by Lt. Richardson, a 1945 report of the Patrol in the Area South of the Konigess, and a pair of lederhosen owned by Hermann Göring.

Of note is one photographic album that was obtained by the American soldiers from Hermann Göring's hunting lodge in the southern German Alps, south of Berchtesgaden (possibly located off of Lake Obersee, Roth, Germany), after Göring was captured in Bavaria on May 9, 1945. Göring's lodge was searched by the 327th Glider Infantry (of which Richardson was a member) for military equipment. The album, from Lutz Heck to Göring, includes black-and-white images of Göring's hunting, the German-Austrian border, the Alps, family photographs, and images of the hunting gifts (live animals taken from the Berlin Zoo) from Hitler to Göring. One photograph features an image of an eagle claimed to have been a gift from Mussolini.

Related Materials

"Hermann Göring's 1935 Photo Album : A Contradiction of Humanity" by Neal Walter Fortner, 2014. View in Searchworks.

Digitized Content

Content from this collection has been digitized and is available via the Hoover Institution Library & Archives Digital Collections portal .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Germany

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Berchtesgaden (Germany)

Photograph albums

Photographs

Göring, Hermann, 1893-1946

United States. Army.. Glider Infantry Regiment, 327th