Register of the William P. Miller papers
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff, Beaudry Allen, Jessica Lemieux
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2008, 2014, 2015, 2020
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: William P. Miller papers
Date (inclusive): 1939-1974
Collection Number: 77074
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
7 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 5 motion picture film reels
(7.1 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The William P. Miller papers (1939-1974) document United States Army Signal Corps operations in North Africa, Germany, Italy,
and France during World War II. Includes a letter, biographical information, motion picture film, photographs, and a Nazi
flag. Digital copies of select records also available at
https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.
Creator:
Miller, William P., 1905-1973
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
Box 2 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials
must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection,
they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1977.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William P. Miller papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Alternate Forms Available
Biographical Note
William P. Miller served as a lieutenant colonel in command of the United States Army Signal Corps personnel division in the
Sixth Army Group during World War II. He was deployed to North Africa, Italy, Corsica, France, and Germany and was awarded
six Battle Stars, two Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit, and Croix de Guerre with Palm.
Scope and Content of Collection
The William P. Miller papers consist of news clippings, a military order, printed matter, photographs, motion picture film,
and a Nazi flag relating to Miller's career with the Sixth Army Group of the United States Army Signal Corps. The collection
mainly consists of the photographs and film reels, which depict United States operations in North Africa, Italy, France, and
Germany during World War II. The collection also includes personal papers and printed matter from his civilian position in
the insurance business.
Related Collection(s)
Dachau (Concentration camp) miscellaneous records, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion pictures
World War, 1939-1945 -- Pictorial works
United States. Army. Signal Corps
Biographical File
1944-1974
Scope and Contents note
Consists of news clippings, military orders, telegrams, printed matter, an eulogy, and a Nazi flag relating to Miller's military
career and personal life.
box 3
Correspondence from Herman Goering to General Eisenhower
1945 May 6
box 1, folder 3
Miscellany
1945-1974
Scope and Contents
Includes military passes and records, clippings, and tourist brochures from Berchtesgarden.
box 2
Nazi flag
undated
Access
Box 2 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
Motion Picture Film
circa 1943-1945
Scope and Contents note
Five unique amateur films, made from approximately 1943 to 1945, featuring footage of the North African and European theaters
during World War II. Included are remote landscapes in Morocco seemingly untouched by war intercut with battle-scarred cities
at the center of conflict. Shot on silent 16mm Kodachrome film.
reel 1
Moulay Idriss, Khenifra
circa 1943
Access
Use copy available on-site for immediate use. Use copy reference number: 77074_f_0010696.
Scope and Contents note
16mm reversal original, silent, edited, color.
Scenes of the Moroccan cities Moulay Idriss and Khenifra. Footage includes shots of local inhabitants; cityscapes; a remote
village with thatched huts; and ancient ruins. The ruins are likely the remains of the Roman city Volubilis in Morocco. The
ruins are also pictured among the unstamped photographs in the collection and identified as Volubilis in Miller's list. Reel
1 also includes shots of US servicemen riding in jeeps in the Moroccan countryside and sharing tea with their hosts in what
appears to be the home of a local Khenifra townsman.
reel 2
Casablanca, Marrakech, Meknes
1943
Access
Use copy available on-site for immediate use. Use copy reference number: 77074_f_0010692.
Scope and Contents note
16mm reversal original, silent, edited, color.
Scenes of Casablanca, Marrakech, and Meknes. Footage includes shots of local villagers and townspeople both inside and outside
of the city walls; flower gardens, homes, mosques, and other buildings; Moroccan soldiers marching in formation and riding
on horseback; a group of children in tattered clothing huddled in a doorway in a city; a man in a fez hat posing for the camera
just outside the city; a US serviceman walking on a busy city street alongside local townspeople; women in traditional attire
with baskets on their heads on a village road; a Moroccan officer patrolling a city street; and a child among livestock at
a watering hole.
reel 3
Africa, Algeria, Corsica, St. Tropez, Toulon
1944
Access
Use copy available on-site for immediate use. Use copy reference number: 77074_f_0010694.
Scope and Contents note
16mm reversal original, silent, edited, color.
Scenes of Algiers, Corsica, and the port cities of Saint Tropez and Toulon in southern France. Footage includes battle ships
in the Bay of Algiers and in the port of Saint Tropez; the Notre Dame d'Afrique (Our Lady of Africa), a Roman Catholic church
built by French colonists in Algiers in 1872; a child and two adults on a cliff watching what appears to be a damaged warship
in the Bay of Algiers; US servicemen in front of the Hotel Napoleon Bonaparte; a German minefield, most likely in France;
a sign with skull and cross bones and the words "Achtung Minen" (Warning Mines) next to a field barricaded by barbed wire;
and a downed aircraft in a field.
reel 4
Germany
circa 1945
Access
Use copy available on-site for immediate use. Use copy reference number: 77074_f_0010687.
Scope and Contents note
16mm reversal original, silent, edited, color.
Scenes of bombed cities in Germany. The cities featured are Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Footage includes shots of military
trucks driving through rubble-lined streets with rows of heavily damaged buildings; a collapsed railway bridge over the River
Rhine between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen; a pontoon bridge with soldiers in the foreground and military trucks on the bridge
heading into the city; and the damaged Rosengarten concert hall in Mannheim. The U.S. Corps of Engineers likely constructed
the pontoon bridge to allow access to the city after the main bridge was compromised. Miller's film features the damaged bridge
before the Ernie Pyle Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1945.
reel 5
Germany, Austria
1945
Access
Use copy available on-site for immediate use. Use copy reference number: 77074_f_0010684.
Scope and Contents note
16mm reversal original, silent, edited, color.
Scenes of Germany and Austria. Footage includes Adolf Hitler's mountain home Berghof, in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden,
Germany, with armed soldiers patrolling the grounds; U.S. servicemen gathered in a German town and walking along an overpass
in the Alps; two destroyed bridges; and a sign for Brenner Pass.
Photographs
1943-1969
Scope and Contents
Consists of images from North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. The photographs mainly follow the final months of the war
with the United States Army pushing through Eastern France and into Germany. There are prints and negatives of frontline battles,
wreckage, and civilian life. Of particular note are prints of "Colmar Pocket," or
Brückenkopf Elsaß, Allied liberation, and Dachau concentration camp.
box 1, folder 5
Portraits of William P. Miller
undated
General
Formerly part of Envelope K.
box 1, folder 4
Portrait of Emil Fengner
undated
box 1, envelope 7-12
U.S. Signal Corps medal ceremony and dinner
1945 February-April, undated
General
Formerly Envelope K.
box 1, envelope 13
Commercial landscape photographs of Germany, including the Königsee, the Alps, and Berchtesgaden by Huber-Photo
undated
General
Formerly part of Envelope H
box 1, envelope 14
Postcards of Germany
undated
General
Formerly part of Envelope H
box 1, envelope 15-16
Daily Life, in camp
undated
General
Formerly part of Envelope H
box 1, envelope 17
Negatives
undated
General
Formerly Envelope O. Includes images from U.S. Signal Corps medal ceremony.
box 1, folder 4
Item list of North African photographs
1943 June
box 4, envelope 1-12
North Africa
1943
General
Formerly Envelope G
box 4, envelope 13-16
North Africa
1943
General
Formerly Envelope H
box 4, envelope 17-25
North Africa
1943
General
Formerly Envelope J
box 5, envelope 1-4
Soultz, France, ruins from Nazi bombing
1944 December 31-1945 January 8
General
Formerly Envelope 9.
box 5, envelope 5-7
Alsatian refugees, bridge bombing, aerial shots of Eastern France
1945 January 13-19
General
Formerly Envelope 10.
box 5, envelope 8-10
Active combat and German strongholds
1945 January 25-31
General
Formerly Envelope 2.
box 5, envelope 11-14
Eastern France, soldiers and refugees
1945 January-February
General
Formerly Envelope 1.
box 5, envelope 15-18
Eastern French civilians, German occupied paper factory, and German prisoners
1945 January-February
General
Formerly Envelope 3.
box 5, envelope 19-20
Front line activities
1945 January-February
General
Formerly Envelope 11.
box 5, envelope 21-23
German prisoners, French infantry, Battle for Colmar, liberation celebrations
1945 February 2-3
General
Formerly Envelope 4.
box 5, envelope 24-26
Colmar pocket
1945 February 3-4
General
Formerly Envelope 5.
box 5, envelope 27-29
Colmar pocket
1945 February 4-7
General
Formerly Envelope 6.
box 5, envelope 30-32
Front line investigations, Colmar celebration, aerial views
1945 February 7-8
General
Formerly Envelope 7.
box 5, envelope 33-36
Front line fighting and civilian evacuation
1945 February 6-9
General
Formerly Envelope 8.
box 5, envelope 37-38
Military movement East
1945 February 11-14
General
Formerly Envelope 12.
box 5, envelope 39-41
Eastern France and Germany, including aerial shots of bombing
1945 February 14-16
General
Formerly Envelope 13.
box 6, envelope 1-3
Panorama views of enemy-held Saar river
1945 February 15-17
General
Formerly Envelope 14.
box 6, envelope 4-8
Battle of Colmar, including views of Statue of Liberty design models
1945 February 15-17
General
Formerly Envelope 15.
box 6, envelope 9
Saar region and Baccarat, France
1945 February 18-19
General
Formerly Envelope 16.
box 6, envelope 10
Baccarat, France and Differten area of Germany
1945 February 19
General
Formerly Envelope 16.
box 6, envelope 11
Colmar mass decoration ceremony
1945 February 20
General
Formerly Envelope 16.
box 6, envelope 12
Forbach area
1945 February 21
General
Formerly Envelope 16.
box 6, envelope 13-15
German border
1945 February 21-22
General
Formerly Envelope 17.
box 6, envelope 16
Allied forces building roads
1945 February 27-28
General
Formerly Envelope 18.
box 6, envelope 17-18
Enemy positions
1945 March 2-15
General
Formerly Envelope 19A.
box 6, envelope 19-21
Forbach, France
1945 January-March
General
Formerly Envelope 19B. Includes prints of amphibious training, Yugoslav military, German surrender, and POW hospital escape.
box 6, envelope 22
Infantry in France
1945 March 5-12
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 6, envelope 23
River crossing demonstration, infantry and artillery in France and Germany
1945 March 10-13
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 6, envelope 24-25
Assault training and new construction for tank passes
1945 March 13-15
General
Formerly Envelope 20.
box 6, envelope 26-27
Battle for Uttweiler
1945 March 15
General
Formerly Envelope 21A. Includes prints of Bitche, France and Eschringen, Germany.
box 6, envelope 28-29
Saarbrücken area, Germany
1945 March 15-16
General
Formerly Envelope 21B.
box 6, envelope 30-33
Infantry to the front
1945 March 16-17
General
Formerly Envelope 22.
box 6, envelope 34-36
7th Army troops pushing through German held territory
1945 February 22-March 18
General
Formerly Envelope 23A.
box 6, envelope 37-39
7th Army reconnaissance troops and retaking the German line
1945 February 25-March 18
General
Formerly Envelope 23B.
box 7, envelope 1-3
Saarbrücken, Germany cavalry reconnaissance
1945 March 18-20
General
Formerly Envelope 24A.
box 7, envelope 4-5
Enemy fire and post air-raid, France and Germany
1945 March 19-20
General
Formerly Envelope 24B.
box 7, envelope 6-8
Infantry movements
1945 March 20-24
General
Formerly Envelope 25. Includes prints of freed Russian women, civil affairs authority being established, and General Alexander
Patch being awarded honorary citizenship of Luneville, France.
box 7, envelope 9-10
Trenches, German prisoners, Rechtenbach, Germany
1945 March 24-26
General
Formerly Envelope 26A.
box 7, envelope 11-12
Rhine river crossing
1945 March 27-28
General
Formerly Envelope 26B.
box 7, envelope 13-14
Bombings into Aschaffenburg and German slave labor freed
1945 March 28-30
General
Formerly Envelope 27.
box 7, envelope 15-16
Rhine river crossing and no man's land
1945 March 30-31
General
Formerly Envelope 27A.
box 7, envelope 17-20
Erbach, Germany
1945 April 1-2
General
Formerly Envelope 28.
box 7, envelope 21
Infantry and tanks in Germany
1945 April 1-8
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 7, envelope 22-23
Tanks and infantry in Germany
1945 April 2-4
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 7, envelope 24
Smashed buildings and fortifications on the Siegfried Line, Germany
1945 April 3-4
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 7, envelope 25
Rubble in Nurnberg and Stuttgart, Germany
1945 April 3-20
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 7, envelope 26
Wurzburg and Aschaffenburg, Germany
1945 April 5
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 7, envelope 27
Damage to German towns, bridges, and railyards
1945 April 5
General
Formerly part of Envelope B. Includes aerial views.
box 7, envelope 28
Gemunden, Hullrich, and Aschaffenberg, Germany
1945 April 5-6
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 7, envelope 29
Wurzburg, Germany
1945 April 5-11
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 7, envelope 30
Gemunden, Germany
1945 April 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 7, envelope 31
Landscapes and views of damage in Germany and France
1945 April 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope B.
box 7, envelope 32
Assault on Gemunden, Germany
1945 April 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 7, envelope 33
Camp de Bitche, France and Gemunden, Germany
1945 April 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope L.
box 7, envelope 34
Infantry and armored divisions in France and Germany
1945 April 6-7
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 7, envelope 35
Heilbronn and Frankenthal, Germany
1945 April 8
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 7, envelope 36
Airplane engine factory, Mosbach, Germany
1945 April 8-9
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 7, envelope 37
Artillery fire, tanks, and munitions in Germany
1945 April 8-9
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 7, envelope 38
Damage to German towns, bridges, and railyards
1945 April 10
General
Formerly part of Envelope B. Includes aerial view.
box 7, envelope 39
Wurzburg, Germany
1945 April 10
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 7, envelope 40
Wurzburg and Bamberg, Germany
1945 April 10-14
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 7, envelope 41
General damage done by Allied bombings in Germany
1945 April 11-15
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 7, envelope 42
Schweinfurt and Heilbronn, Germany
1945 April 11
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 7, envelope 43
Aftermath of fighting in various German towns
1945 April 12-13
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 1
Civilians and destruction in German towns
1945 April 13
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 8, envelope 2
Destruction caused by aerial bombing; German civilians and prisoners
1945 April 14-16
General
Formerly part of Envelope B.
box 8, envelope 3
Infantry in Germany, clearing a roadblock
1945 April 14
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 4
Schweinfurt, Germany
1945 April 14
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 5
Infantry in Germany, including Waldenburg
1945 April 16
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 6
Geisselhardt, Germany
1945 April 17
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 8, envelope 7
Infantry and Armored Division in Germany
1945 April 17-20
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 8
Darmstadt, Germany
1945 April 18
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 8, envelope 9
Nurnberg and Polling, Germany
1945 April 18-20
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 8, envelope 10
Destruction and civilians in Germany
1945 April 18-25
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 8, envelope 11
Nurnberg, Germany
1945 April 18-25
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 8, envelope 12
Rothenberg and Nurnberg, Germany
1945 April 19
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 8, envelope 13
Nurnberg, Germany
1945 April 20-24
General
Formerly part of Envelope B.
box 8, envelope 14
Infantry in Germany
1945 April 20-23
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 8, envelope 15
Infantry in Germany
1945 April 21-26
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 16
Nurnberg, Germany
1945 April 24-25
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 8, envelope 17
Ulm and Lauingen, Germany
1945 April 24-25
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 8, envelope 18
Ulm and Heidelberg, Germany
1945 April 25-26
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 8, envelope 19
Nurnberg, Germany
1945 April 27
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 20
Infantry and tank divisions in southern Germany
1945 April 27-30
General
Formerly part of Envelope F.
box 8, envelope 21
Nurnberg and Munich, Germany; Reutte, Austria
1945 April 27-30
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 8, envelope 22
Liberation of Allied prisoners of war from Stalag VII-B; 19th German Army surrender
1945 April 27-May 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope D.
box 8, envelope 23
Germany, Oberammergau area
1945 April 29
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 8, envelope 24
Infantry advance from Germany into Austria
1945 April 29-30
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 8, envelope 25-27
Landsberg atrocity and prison
1945 April 28-30
General
Formerly Envelope 29.
box 8, envelope 28-30
Dachau concentration camp liberation and conditions
1945 April 28-May 3
General
Formerly Envelope 30.
box 8, envelope 31-32
Dachau concentration camp liberation and conditions
1945 April-May
General
Formerly Envelope 31.
box 8, envelope 33-34
Dachau concentration camp liberation and conditions
1945 April 29-May 3
General
Formerly Envelope 32.
box 8, envelope 35-37
Dachau concentration camp liberation and conditions
1945 April-May
General
Formerly Envelope 35.
box 9, envelope 1
Munich, Germany
1945 April 30
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 9, envelope 2
Schnaritz and Reutte, Austria and Stuttgart, Germany
1945 May 1-3
General
Formerly part of Envelope L. Includes 2 prints depicting German rocket scientists who fled their Experimental Station and
Peenedmunde, including Wehrner Von Braun, inventor of the V-2 rocket.
box 9, envelope 3
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Hotel Forelle, Plan See, Austria
1945 May 1-3
General
Formerly part of Envelope B.
box 9, envelope 4
Schwab-Gemund and Munich, Germany
1945 May 1
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 5
Schongau and Schwabisch Gmund, Germany
1945 May 2
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 6
Goppingen, Germany and Auland, Austria
1945 May 2
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 7
Stuttgart, Germany
1945 May 3
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 8-9
Munich, Germany and Innsbruck, Austria
1945 May 3
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 9, envelope 10
Southern Germany, Austria, and the Brenner Pass in Italy
1945 May 4
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 9, envelope 11
Various landscapes and towns in Austria
1945 May 4
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 12
Salzburg, Austria
1945 May 4
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 13
Brenner Pass, Italy
1945 May 4
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 14
German and Austrian soldiers surrendering and captured airplanes
1945 May 5
General
Formerly part of Envelope A.
box 9, envelope 15-16
German surrender
1945 May 5
General
Formerly Envelope 33. Includes prints of German Army Group "G" unconditional surrender at Haar, Germany. The represented delegation
included Lt. Jacob L. Devers, Gen. Alexander M. Patch, Lt. Gen. Wade Haislip, Major Gen. John O'Daniel, Brig. Gen. Pearson
Menoher, and Edward Ott.
box 9, envelope 17-19
German surrender
1945 May 5
General
Formerly Envelope 34. Includes prints of German Army Group "G" unconditional surrender at Haar, Germany. The represented delegation
included Lt. Jacob L. Devers, Gen. Alexander M. Patch, Lt. Gen. Wade Haislip, Major Gen. John O'Daniel, Brig. Gen. Pearson
Menoher, and Edward Ott.
box 9, envelope 20
Innsbruck, Austria and Berchtesgaden, Germany
1945 May 5
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 21
Liberation of French prisoners in Austria, Valuable art in Wehern, Germany
1945 May 5-6
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 22
Soldiers surrendering in Austria and Germany; American troops visit Berchtesgaden, Germany
1945 May 5-6
General
Formerly part of Envelope C.
box 9, envelope 23
Prisoners liberated and surrendering, Germany and Austria
1945 May 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope M.
box 9, envelope 24
Munich, Germany
1945 May 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 9, envelope 25
Seefeld, Landeck, and Entbruck, Austria
1945 May 6
General
Formerly part of Envelope E.
box 9, envelope 26
Augsburg, Germany
1945 May 7
General
Formerly part of Envelope L.
box 9, envelope 27
Salzburg and Bad Reichenhall, Austria
1945 May 7
General
Formerly part of Envelope L.
box 9, envelope 28
V-E Day at Dachau
1945 May 8
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 29
V-E Day in Austria
1945 May 8
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 30
V-E Day in Germany
1945 May 8
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 31
Tegern Sea, Germany
1945 May 8
General
Formerly part of Envelope L.
box 9, envelope 32-33
Parades and review
1945 May 9-10
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 34-35
Munich, badly battered
1945 May 9-10
General
Formerly part of Envelope N.
box 9, envelope 36
Austria
1945 May 11
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 9, envelope 37
Munich, Germany
1945 May 12
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 9, envelope 38
Stolen art cache, Neuschwanstein Castle, Chiemsee, Germany
1945 May 13
General
Formerly part of Envelope I.
box 1, folder 6
California Insurance Holding Company System Regulatory Act
1969 August 30