Oral History Interview with Thomas L. Stafford, November 20, 2009

Oral History Interview with Thomas L. Stafford, November 20, 2009

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas L. Stafford. Stafford joined the Army in March 1943. He was trained as a quartermaster and sent to England as a replacement. Stafford volunteered to join the 6th Combat Engineer Amphibious Special Assault Brigade which was attached to the 29th Infantry Division. He describes landing on the wrong part of Omaha Beach on D-Day being sent to find a sergeant who had combat fatigue. Stafford was then sent to the 87th Infantry Division where he participated in front line combat from the Battle of the Bulge through … continued below

Physical Description

45 p.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas L. Stafford. Stafford joined the Army in March 1943. He was trained as a quartermaster and sent to England as a replacement. Stafford volunteered to join the 6th Combat Engineer Amphibious Special Assault Brigade which was attached to the 29th Infantry Division. He describes landing on the wrong part of Omaha Beach on D-Day being sent to find a sergeant who had combat fatigue. Stafford was then sent to the 87th Infantry Division where he participated in front line combat from the Battle of the Bulge through the end of the war in Germany. He became a platoon leader and eventually received a battlefield commission. Stafford discusses crossing the Rhine under heavy fire and seeing Buchenwald soon after it was liberated. One of his proudest achievements occurred when he accepted the surrender of two German division near the end of the war.

Physical Description

45 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH02780
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1605700

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Thomas L. Stafford, November 20, 2009 - ark:/67531/metapth1609511

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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