"Mansfield Cousins" (Second World War correspondence and photographs)

Contributing Institutions Collection Guides Browse Map About OAC

What are Collection Guides?

> Home > Chapman University > Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Center for American War Letters Archives

Collection Guide

∞ https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8g167bv/

Collection Title:

Collection Number:

Get Items:

"Mansfield Cousins" (Second World War correspondence and photographs)

2018.110.w.r

No online items

Contact Chapman University::Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Center for American War Letters Archives

View entire collection guide

Printable Guide [HTML]

Search this collection

Table of contents

Series 1, Richard L. Wappner 1943 February 11 - 1944 March 7

Creator: Wappner, Richard Leroy, 1915-1986

Physical Description: 0.025 Linear feet(21 correspondence)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Technical Sergeant Richard Leroy Wappner, United States Army Air Force (10/12/1915 - 04/20/1986) graduated from Case College of Mortuary Science in Cleveland, Ohio and worked at the Wappner Funeral Directors in Mansfield, a company he part owned.

TSgt. Wappner enlisted in the USAAF on June 16, 1942 at Fort Hayes in Columbus and was honorably discharged on September 6, 1945, having served in England, North Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Sicily, and France with the 182nd QMSCA, 1135th QMCSGA, and the 15th Air Force Transport Group.

Scope and Contents

This series contains nineteen letters, including V-Mail, and two postcards from T/Sgt. Richard L. Wappner, USA to his sister Helen during the Second World War. Also included are four photographs, copied from the originals.

Series 2, Karl W. Wappner 1941

Physical Description: 0.001 Linear feet(2 photographs)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Technical Sergeant Karl William Wappner, United States Army (1/24/1919 - 8/29/1971) was born in Mansfield, Ohio and owned Wappner Meat Market before enlisting on February 26, 1941. He trained at Fort Hayes and Fort Stevens and served in the Pacific Theater with Company C 186th Infantry Division, 41st Infantry Brigade, Combat Team of the 40th Infantry Division before an honorable discharge on January 10, 1946.

Scope and Contents

This series contains two photographs of TSgt. Karl W. Wappner, USA in uniform during the Second World War. The photographs are copies of originals.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States. -- Army.

World War (1939-1945)

Photographs

Series 3, Eugene R. Wappner 1943 May 28 - October 15

Creator: Wappner , Eugene Russell, 1921-1965

Physical Description: 0.02 Linear feet(4 photographs, 5 v-mail)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Pharmacist's Mate Eugene Russell "Gene" Wappner, United States Navy (7/28/1921 - 1/20/1965) was born in Mansfield, Ohio and worked at the Wappner Meat Market and enlisted in the navy July 8, 1942. He served on the USS Oberon in the Mediterranean and North Africa, with involvement in the invasion of Italy with British Forces and was honorably discharged December 13, 1945.

Scope and Contents

This series contains five v-mail sent by PhM Eugene R. Wappner, USN during the Second World War as well as four photographs of PHM Wappner taken during the war. The photographs are copies of originals. One of the photographs is with his brother TSgt. Richard Wappner, USA in North Africa in May 1943.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States. -- Navy

World War (1939-1945) -- North Africa

World War (1939-1945) -- Italy

Series 4, Leonard M. Wappner 1941-1944

Physical Description: 0.001 Linear feet(2 photographs)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Leonard Martin "Pete" Wappner, United States Merchant Marines (5/23/1924 - 10-12-1991) was born in Mansfield, Ohio and was employed by Ohio Brass before serving with the Merchant Marines for three years aboard the Liberty Ship SS John Constantine in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

Scope and Contents

This series contains two photographs of Leonard M. Wappner, USMM taken during the Second World War. The photographs are copies of originals.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Merchant marine -- United States

World War (1939-1945) -- Pacific Area

World War (1939-1945)

Series 5, Charles P. Hunt 1943

Creator: Hunt, Charles Philip, 1919-2004

Physical Description: 0.02 Linear feet(2 photographs, 1 letter, 2 v-mail)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Sergeant Charles Philip "Bud" Hunt, United States Army (8/3/1919 - 7/25/2004) was born in Mansfield, Ohio and enlisted on June 28, 1941 at Fort Hayes. He served in North Africa and took part in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, eventually making his way to Germany as a decoder on a tank with his artillery battalion. He was honorably discharged on July 2, 1945.

Scope and Contents

This series contains correspondence from Sgt. Charles P. Hunt, USA sent during the Second World War, as well as two photographs. Included are one full form v-mail and one small v-mail. The photographs are copies of originals, and include one in uniform and one of Pvt. Hunt decoding while sitting in a tank.

The full form v-mail gives a short description of fighting and list of places he had been through Tunisia and Algeria, and includes a stamp with a palm tree and a swastika he took from some Germans. The small v-mail describes beating Italians on Sicily and how easy it was, "why you don't even need a gun, about all of them are on our side already."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States. -- Army.

United States. -- Army. -- Field Artillery

World War (1939-1945)

Photographs

World War (1939-1945) -- United States -- Equipment and supplies -- Pictorial Works.

Series 6, James P. Wappner 1942

Physical Description: 0.001 Linear feet(1 photograph)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Yeoman Second Class James Philip "Jim" Wappner, United States Navy (3/9/1921 - 4/2/1979) was born in Mansfield, Ohio and enlisted in teh navy on September 17, 1942. He was assigned to the naval air training base in Pensacola, Florida and served on the USS Tulagi CVE-72 before an honorable discharge on April 10, 1946.

Scope and Contents

This series contains one photograph of YM2C James P. Wappner, USN in uniform in Pensacola, Florida during the Second World War.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States. -- Navy

Series 7, Frank Stimler 1942-1945

Creator: Stimler, Frank

Physical Description: 0.02 Linear feet(4 v-mail)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Technician Fifth Grade Frank "Pinky" Stimler, United States Army was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio and enlisted on October 31, 1942 and served with Headquarters Company, Seventh Army until his honorable discharge on October 24, 1945.

Scope and Contents

This series contains four v-mail from TEC5 Frank Stimler, USA during the Second World War. He wrote to his friend from home, William Wappner.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War (1939-1945)

United States. -- Army.

World War (1939-1945) -- Europe

Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945

Series 8, John R. Gilmore 1941 October 31 - 1943 September 22

Physical Description: 0.02 Linear feet(2 photographs, 1 v-mail, 1 graduation flyer, 3 photocopies)

Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Captain John Rolin Gilmore, United States Army Air Force (8/18/1920 - 3/4/2001) was born in Coshocton County, Ohio and attended Ohio State University before enlisting on March 15, 1941 and graduating the Air Corps Advanced Flying School on October 31, 1941 at Brooks Field, Texas. He served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy as a reconaissance pilot with the 111 Reconnaissance Squadron until his honorable discharge on July 7, 1947.

Scope and Contents

This series contains materials relating to Capt. John R. Gilmore, USAAF during the Second World War. Included are one v-mail, one graduation flyer from the Air Corps Advanced Flying School, two photographs and three photocopies of clippings and an invitation to the graduation.

The photographs are of Lt. Gilmore and his father, and one of him with his wife, Clarabelle and child John R. Gilmore, Jr. The clippings describe his acceptance as a flying cadet and a letter he sent home describing the hazards of reconaissance flying in a P52 fighter-type plane and friendly fire.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States -- Army -- Air Forces

World War (1939-1945) -- North Africa

World War (1939-1945) -- Italy

Air pilots, military

Series 9, Family photographs 1946 November 28

Physical Description: 0.001 Linear feet(3 photographs)

Language of Material: English.

Scope and Contents

This series contains three photographs, black and white, of the Wappner family on Thanksgiving 1946. In the picture there is a cake that had "Welcome Home" written on it to celebrate the safe return of all of those in the family that served during the Second World War. Names are written on the back of each photo, these are copies of originals.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Photographs

Series 10, "Mansfield Cousins" clippings 1942-1946

Physical Description: 0.001 Linear feet(3 photocopies)

Language of Material: English.

Scope and Contents

This series contains three photocopied clippings about the various brothers and cousins of the Wappner family from Mansfield, Ohio. They include stories about their service and a short article about the return home of the last relative from active service.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

World War (1939-1945)

V-E Day (1945)

United States. -- Army.

United States. -- Navy

Newspaper clippings

Collection Contents

Series 1, Richard L. Wappner

Series 2, Karl W. Wappner

Series 3, Eugene R. Wappner

Series 4, Leonard M. Wappner

Series 5, Charles P. Hunt

Series 6, James P. Wappner

Series 7, Frank Stimler

Series 8, John R. Gilmore

Series 9, Family photographs

Series 10, "Mansfield Cousins" clippings