Albert J. "Ab" Haas Jr. Letters, 1943 - 1945

File — Box: 4253.003, Folder: 008

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of fifteen letters written mainly between May 3 and November 17, 1945 (one was written on September 19, 1943) by Albert J. "Ab" Haas Jr., Carpenter's Mate 2nd class, Co. D. 8th Naval Construction Battalion. The letters are to his brother, Lt. Robert O. Haas of the 345th Bomb Group. In the letters Haas complains about the lack of liberty, the food and living conditions, and how he hopes that he, Robert and another brother, Pete, also in the armed services, all make it home okay. He tracks the number of missions his brothers have flown and tries to calculate how much longer it will be before they go home. In one letter, after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Haas complains bitterly about the promotion of unnamed officers. He also describes a two week period as a "wild goose chase" when his group is moved from Iwo Jima to Hirokure, Japan. After five days there they are ordered to Guam. Then, two hours out of Guam their orders are changed and they move to Saipan. But before they reached Saipan, they are ordered back to Guam. He says "We are dirty, grimy, and stinking."

Dates

1943 - 1945

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.