Remembering World War II

On June, 6, 1944 160,000 Allied troops landed on a Nazi-occupied stretch of French coastline in Normandy, France. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by the end, the Allies gained control of the Normandy coast, signaling the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day, we’d like to draw your attention to a few examples of World War II resources in Special Collections & University Archives:

Leroy M. Sullivan correspondence and papers

Sullivan was a University of Chattanooga (UC) student who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 and was killed in action in 1943. This collection includes Leroy’s diary as well as letters to his friend, Grady M. Long, who donated the material.

Portrait of Leroy Sullivan taken in 1940 or 41. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Portrait of Leroy Sullivan taken in 1940 or 41.

First page of an April 11, 1941 letter from Leroy Sullivan to a few of his friends. Letter courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — First page of an April 11, 1941 letter from Leroy Sullivan to a few of his friends.

Cover of one of Sullivan's diaries. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Cover of one of Sullivan’s diaries.

Thomas R. Jones, Sr. correspondence

PFC Jones served in the United States Army from December 1943 until December 1945. During this time, Jones wrote to his wife, Mary Mildred, describing basic training, homesickness, and Allied occupation in Belgium and Germany. At one point, Mary received a notice from the War Department that her husband had been wounded in action. Jones replied that this was “news” to him and that the War Department had “failed to let [him] know about it.”