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

Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org. 

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 1, folder 1

Correspondence 1943-1974

box 3

Correspondence from Herman Goering to General Eisenhower 1945 May 6

box 1, folder 2

Retirement book 1970

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