Havel, Thomas E. (Second World War correspondence)

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Havel, Thomas E. (Second World War correspondence)

2022.173.w.r

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Table of contents

Series 1, Thomas E. Havel correspondence 1944 June 4 - 1945 August 21

Physical Description: .5 Linear feet(4 folders)

Scope and Contents

This series contains approximately 70 letters written by Capt. Thomas E. Havel, USA to his wife, Elizabeth Havel née Shilts during the Second World War. Included with his correspondence were postcards, photographs, and other materials (listed below). Havel prolifically wrote in great detail about his experiences in England, France, and Germany from 1944 to 1945.

On July 19, 1944 Havel wrote to his wife from France to reflect on how much his personal feelings about serving in the military have changed since he first joined.

Havel explained:

You know how we all felt it was a waste of medical personell [sic] in the Army while in the state; well here they need all of us badly and could well use again as many. Now that I am here among these boys that heed help so badly I don't feel badly at all about our part. I feel that I did exactly the right thing by going when I was called. If I knew before what I have learned . . . I would never have grumbled about giving my time or making sacrifices. If I had to do all over gain and knew what I know now I would do exactly as I have.

On August 15, 1944 Havel wrote to Elizabeth about being part of a night convoy travelling through France. According to Havel, as his convoy began pushing further south "the small fields and large hedgerows were no longer in evidence and you could see Britany [sic] was different than Normandy. [It] was not scorched by the war as it had been in Normandy." Havel also recounted a conversation he had with a priest he met in a liberated French town who spoke about the German occupation of his home beginning in 1940. Havel speculated that the later occupational forces were S.S. troops "we are fighting now."

In his December 30, 1944 letter to Elizabeth, Havel established that he "will answer [her] air mail [and V-Mail] letters . . . and shall date the start of each letter I am answering." He consistently used this format throughout the rest of the series to respond in bulk.

The format generally contained an introductory section in which Havel wrote in the present tense, sometimes this section would be a single paragraph while in later letters could reach over a page in content. After this section, he would respond to Elizabeth's letters in chronological order by prefacing them with a section header in the following format: letter type + date written [e.g., "Air mail Dec. 6, 1944" or "V-mail Dec. 17, 1944"].

In his February 26, 1945 letter, Havel explained once again his motivations for responding to her letters in this format.

He stated:

Dearest, I got a long letter off to you yesterday but still have quite a few of your unanswered letters around. I don't know if these long letters seem tiresome to you in the manner in which I answer them but when I do it in this way it makes it seem more conversational and makes me feel as though I have spent this time visiting with you.

On March 8, 1945 Havel wrote to his wife using none-US stationary he acquired as his division pushed into Germany. This German stationary contains the following header, "Textilhaus P. Hammelstein/ Nieukerk", indicating he had passed through Nieukerk, Germany. Havel mentioned a package he intended to send to his wife that contained various items, including two German propaganda books; German trenching shovel; German bayonet; and two German flags.

He proceeded to write about amount of destruction he witnessed "in the first few German towns we entered after crossing the Rore river [potentially the Ruhr river]" but as they pushed deeper into Germany he saw less evidence of warfare and more civilians who hung white flags from their windows. He expressed great suspicion of the German civilians and stated that "by the appearance of these people in Germany you could see none of them have suffered from lack of food as have the rest of the people in Europe."

Between May 19, 1945 to June 29, 1945 Havel wrote approximately 12 letters to Elizabeth with very detailed responses to her spring 1945 letters with updates about his daily activities.

On July 5, 1945 Havel wrote from London apologizing for sounding "quite blue in the past" but admitted that receiving Elizabeth's latest letters uplifted his mood. He also observed the results of the recent UK Prime Minister Election, stating that

"Churchill is out which seemed to be quite a surprise to all the Americans over here. Someone mentioned that as he was a member of the old Conservative party and the English had seen how the Americans lived [and] acted in the past four years they wanted to get away from the old Conservative and turned to the Labor party in hopes that they too may gain the American way of life."

Havel criticized the local voters for voting Churchill out of power despite having "done so much for them in the past. How they would have how[led] had we not re-elected Roosevelt last fall because we heard remarks from them that it would have been a [catastrophe] had Roosevelt not been re-elected."

Havel shared news with Elizabeth that "the war is all but officially over" in his August 12, 1945 letter. He described the mood throughout "the streets of London with paper in bits floating down from every building and the streets a mass of moving humanity" as people set off fireworks creating a "generally . . . noisy time."

Havel wrote the last letter in this series August 21, 1945 from Paris to inform Elizabeth that we would likely return to the US in late September or early August. He closed the letter with, "I love you [and] miss you more than ever [and] anxiously look forward to the day that we shall be reunited."

This series also contains approximately:

3 postcards.
3 photographs.
2 maps, one written in English, and the second in French.
3 newspaper clippings.
1 photocopy of a newspaper clipping.
1 transcript of a newspaper article that published Capt. Havel's letter to "pie" dated April 29, 1945 in which he described the horrors suffered by "national prisoners" in Nazi concentration camps.
1 memo.
1 "Certified True Exact Copy" of an Omaha World Herald September 13, 1944 article entitled, "35th troops stopped best Hitler forces Attacked on 35 of First 45 days in action, broke key defense."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War (1939-1945) -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy.

World War (1939-1945) -- Battlefields -- France

World War (1939-1945) -- France

World War (1939-1945) -- England

Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945

World War (1939-1945) -- Germany

V-E Day (1945)

V-J Day, 1945 -- England

Series 2, Ephemera 1942 June 15 - 1942 November

Physical Description: .03 Linear feet(1 folder)

Language of Material: Some materials originally written in German have been loosely translated in this description for ease of research and keyword searchability. These may not be accurate or complete translations.

Physical Condition of Materials

These leaflets were printed on thin paper that has become brittle with age. Most exhibit small to medium tears.

Scope and Contents

This series contains four undated Nazi propaganda cards entitled:

"Adolf Hitler, Sammelwerk Nr. 15 , Bild Nr.12 - Gruppe 64."
"Adolf Hitler, Sammelwerk Nr. 15 , Bild Nr.55 - Gruppe 64."
"Adolf Hitler, Sammelwerk Nr. 15 , Bild Nr.92 - Gruppe 64."
"Adolf Hitler, Sammelwerk Nr. 15 , Bild Nr.140 - Gruppe 64."

This series also contains seven postcards with intricate appliqué artistic elements including an elderly man garbed in a green robe and hood similar to Santa Claus in his red attire and multiple examples of floral motifs.

This series also contains three booklets entitled:

"My God and My Country."
"A Salute to the Men in Service."
"For U.S. Armed Forces in U.K.: London."

This series also contains eight undated leaflets entitled:

1 copy of "Do you remember - The Olympic games in Berlin?"

This Nazi proganda leaflet written in English contains anti-American themes that blamed the US for "the terror of unscrupulous bombing, death and destruction for our families and homes and the prospect of forced labor in Siberia."

1 copy of "Saffierichein/ Safe conduct"

This leaflet contains German and English text. A passage printed on the recto states that "the German soldier who carries this safe conduct is using it as a sign of his genuine wish to give himself up" to the Allied Expeditionary Force. The verso contains German text.

1 copy of "Hi Yank"

A Nazi leaflet written using language designed to demoralize US soldiers during the Second World War. It was written in English and signed "Jerry.

3 copies of "Welcome Men of the 35th Division!"

This Nazi leaflet, written in English are addressed to the 35th Division contains language seeking to sow seeds of distrust between the USA and the UK. It mentions previous divisions fighting againts the Nazis in the Rur Valley including: 84th; the 102nd; the 29th; and "the British."

1 copy of "Aufstand" [Revolt]

This leaflet is written in German.

1 copy of "Th - FLASH - Three Power Conference Results of the big Roosevelt Stalin and Churchill confab"

This leaflet is written in English containing a table categorizing political topics discussed by Allied Forces leadership and questions whether they were firmly settled upon.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War (1939-1945) -- Germany

World War (1939-1945) -- Propaganda

Propaganda

United States -- Army -- European Theater of Operations

Printing -- History

Series 3, Other papers 1945 May 27 - 2022 April 12 2019 November 15 - 2022 April 12

Physical Description: .1 Linear feet(1 folder)

Scope and Contents

This series contains a photocopy of Capt. Havel's 35th Infantry Division citation for a Bronze Star Medal dated May 27, 1945. This collection also contains a photograph of three service medals; an 11 page printout of a webpage entitled "Medics: A History of Company A, 110th Medical Battalion in WWII"; and a 10 page photocopy of an U.S. Army Center Military History webpage entiled "Order of the Battle of the US Army - WWII - ETO: 35th Infantry Division."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

War -- Medical aspects

World War (1939-1945)

United States. -- Army.

Collection Contents

Series 1, Thomas E. Havel correspondence

Series 2, Ephemera

Series 3, Other papers