Prior to getting drafted in World War II, Warren Harold Schwartz of Massachusetts received a degree in Journalism from Boston University and served a short stint at the Boston Globe, first writing obituaries and then covering local politicians.  He also started his own advertising agency just before going overseas.  Hoping to have a career as writer after the war, Schwartz practiced his craft, writing more than 500 letters home between 1941 and 1945, and the vast majority survive to this day.  Schwartz entertained his mother, other family members, and his eventual fiancé, Naomi Hurwitz, with stories about his experiences as a soldier in the 9th infantry, covering the many fronts where he was assigned—Africa, Sicily, England, D-Day plus 4, France, Belgium, and Germany.  He fought in some significant battles, including the Battle of the Bulge.  But, mostly, he described the daily life of a soldier, wrote about the people he was meeting (including locals), and commented on the various officers (including generals) under which he served.

Our aim here is to share a sampling of his letters. The long-range goal is to find an archival home for the letters and a student or researcher interested in transcribing them and making the texts searchable, for use in teaching and scholarship.  You might begin with Schwartz’s letter, “Africa Bound,” written “Somewhere at Sea” on December 19, 1942.  Another one we have just finished is about ecumenical religious services at Rosh Hashana in Sicily in 1943.  There will be more to come!

Acknowledgments

Hearty thanks are owed to Martha Robert and Mindy Mitchell, daughters of Warren Schwartz, for their generosity in making these letters accessible.

This is a project of the Wired Humanities Projects, Stephanie Wood, Director.  For further information, contact the Director by email, writing to: swood [at] uoregon [dot] edu