Finding Aid for the Wiliam Fee Second World War correspondence 2014.050.w.r
Norman Lee
Center for American War Letters Archives
09/24/2014
Leatherby Libraries
Chapman University
Orange, CA 92866
speccoll@chapman.edu
Contributing Institution:
Center for American War Letters Archives
Title: William Fee Second World War correspondence
source:
Fee, George
Identifier/Call Number: 2014.050.w.r
Identifier/Call Number: 174
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear Feet
(3 document boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1943 July 24 - 1945 November 2
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence by PFC William "Bill" Fee, USA, and his parents, Dwight and Lucille Fee, during his
service with the 11th Armored Division during the Second World War.
Physical Description: Letters are in good condition. Some have light pencil markings, written by the donor, during the postwar years.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: WWII 3
Container: WWII 2
Container: 12-16
Container: WWII 4
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Fee family.
The William Fee World War Two correspondence collection is arranged by material type, author and recipient, in chronological
order.
- Series 1, Correspondence from William Fee
- Series 2, Correspondence to William Fee
- Series 3, Correspondence to Dwight Fee
- Series 4, Miscellaneous papers and documents
- Series 5, Correspondence and materials, miscellaneous
[Item title / description; Box "n" / Folder "n"], William Fee Second World War correspondence (2014.050.w.r), Center for American
War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
This collection contains 892 letters and correspondence from Private First Class William "Bill" Fee, United States Army and
his parents, Dwight and Lucille Fee, during his service with the 11th Armored Division during the Second World War. Letters
between William and his father make up the bulk of this collection, however this collection also includes letters from Dwight
Fee, written to William's commanding officers and higher ranking military brass.
In William's letters, he writes about his daily experiences training for combat and his life in the Army. William also takes
time to answer multiple questionnaires from his father, concerning many aspects of life in the service. Topics include weapons,
tactics, supplies, uniforms and training routines.
William was wounded on March 6, 1945, when a nearby land mine exploded, while advancing his light machinegun up a hill, at
night. He sustained a half-dozen slight wounds and one major wound in the groin, from shrapnel. He received treatment in England
and at the Woodrow Wilson hospital, in Virginia. He was discharged from the hospital on September 20, 1945, but did not return
to active duty.
Included in this collection is a transcription of a retrospective diary, written by William Fee, titled "With the Eleventh
Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge". In this diary, Fee gives a detailed account of his experience as a PFC (private
first class), in the light machine gun squad of the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion, 11th Armored Division. This diary recounts
the Ardennes campaign, December 1944 through January 1945. The diary focuses on the 11th Armored Divisions time in combat
and provides some additional details of William's military deployment.
NOTE: See also 2014-049-w-r Dwight Fee First World War correspondence, Series 3, for more materials by William Fee.
There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions. For further copyright information, please contact the archivist.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945)
Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945
Basic training (Military education)
Military training camps
World War (1939-1945) -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy.
World War (1939-1945) -- Equipment and supplies
Battle casualties
World War (1939-1945) -- Casualties
Fee, Dwight
Fee, George
Fee, William
Fee, Lucille
box WWII 3, folder 1-5, box WWII 4, folder 6-8
Series 1, Correspondence from William Fee. 3272 1943-1945
Physical Description: 0.63 Linear Feet(8 folders)
Language of Material: English.
This series contains correspondence from PFC William Fee, USA during the Second World War. The bulk of the material is addressed
to his father Dwight Fee and discusses William's daily routines in the Army. This series contains letters and casual notes,
hand drawn diagrams and a few magazines clippings. Subjects of conversation include, training with an assortment of weapons,
types of drills, various training exercises, deployment to France and recovery from being wounded.
Of interest are a series of hand-written notes by William Fee, comparing weapons specifications and training practices for
different types of weapons. For example, Fee compares the older style Thompsons model 1921 A1 and M1 sub-machineguns to the
newer style M3 Grease Gun. Topics such as weight, rate of fire, magazine capacity and overall layout are discussed. These
can be found in folders 4 and 5 in box 1.
Also of interest are the letters from William concerning his recovery process while in the hospital after being wounded by
a landmine.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945) -- Battlefields -- France
World War (1939-1945) -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy.
World War (1939-1945) -- Equipment and supplies
World War (1939-1945) -- Casualties
Battle casualties
box WWII 4, folder 9-11
Series 2, Correspondence to William Fee. 3273 1945
Physical Description: 0.25 Linear Feet(5 folder)
Language of Material: English.
This series contains correspondence to PFC William Fee, USA during the Second World War. The bulk of the material was written
by his father Dwight Fee and concentrates on gathering information on William's daily routines and his life in the Army.
Being a former infantry soldier in the First World War, Dwight spends the bulk of these letters sending typed questionnaires
and asking for information regarding his son's current training practices, weapons, gear and procedures. He makes numerous
comparisons of his days as a foot soldier and the newer practices of the U.S. Army in the 1940s.
This series also contains letters from Dwight regarding Williams recovery after being wounded from an exploding landmine.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945)
Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945
World War (1939-1945) -- Casualties
Battle casualties
box WWII 5, folder 38
Series 3, Correspondence to Dwight Fee. 3274 1945 June
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet(1 folder)
Language of Material: English.
This series contains correspondence to Dwight Fee from his wife Lucille Fee during their son's hospital recovery during the
Second World War, regarding PFC William Fee, USA in June 1945.
In these letters, Lucille keeps Dwight up-to-date on William's condition.
Of interest is one Father's Day card sent to Dwight Fee, in 1945.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945) -- Hospitals
box WWII 5, folder 39
Series 4, William Fee Retrospective Diary. 3275 1944-1945
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet(1 folder)
Language of Material: English.
This series contains a transcription of a retrospective diary written by William Fee regarding his service during the Second
World War entitled, "With the Eleventh Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge". In this diary, Fee gives a detailed account
of his experience as a PFC (private first class), in the light machine gun squad of the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion, 11th
Armored Division. This diary recounts the Ardennes campaign, December 1944 through January 1945. The diary focuses on the
11th Armored Divisions time in combat and provides some additional details of William's military deployment.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945) -- Equipment and supplies
World War (1939-1945) -- Battlefields -- France
box WWII 5, folder 40
Series 5, Correspondence and Documents - Miscellaneous 3391
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet(1 folder)
Language of Material: English.
This series contains correspondence and documents of the Fee family. The majority of these correspondence deal with William
Fee's Army service and promotion as well as the wounds he sustained in March of 1945.
This series also includes letters from Dwight Fee, written to William Fee's commanding officers and higher ranking military
brass associated with the army infantry.
NOTE: See also 2014-049-w-r Dwight Fee First World War correspondence, Series 3, for more materials by William Fee.
Box 3:
Folder 5 Jan. 1943 - Mar. 1946
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945) -- Public opinion
World War (1939-1945) -- Homefront