Byron Armbruster papers

Collection – Box: 1

Identifier: MS-0984

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

Correspondence written while serving with the U.S. Army during World War II in Europe, detailing the life of a soldier in the 82nd, and later the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, as he is trained, transferred to England, dropped behind the lines during the D-Day Allied invasion as a paratrooper in a glider, returned to England, sent to Belgium for what would become known as the Battle of Bastogne, and ends at Berchtesgaden when Germany surrenders. Also includes photocopies of scrapbook materials including photographs, documents, clippings, and other memorabilia. Includes transcripts of correspondence.

Dates

Creation: 1942-1945

Extent

0.46 Cubic Feet (1 legal size archive box)

Scope and Contents

The Byron Armbruster World War II papers are a remarkable collection of letters written to his parents and also to his girlfriend and later, his wife, Eloise Higgins. They are remarkable as they detail the life of a soldier in the 82nd, and later the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, as he is trained, transferred to England, sent to Normandy for the D-Day Allied invasion, returned to England, sent to Belgium for what would become known as the Battle of Bastogne, and ends at Berchtesgaden when Germany surrenders. Although many of his letters are censored V-mail, they still provide excellent documentation of the war in Europe.

In addition to the letters he wrote home, the collection includes letters written to his parents from other soldiers, letters written to Eloise from an English woman who married a good friend of Byron's while stationed in England, and a letter Byron wrote to the parents of a friend who died at Normandy. All of the letters date from 1943 to 1945.

Photocopies of scrapbooks kept by Byron are also part of the collection. These scrapbooks include photographs, official documents and newspaper articles, all of which help document his World War II experiences.

Biographical / Historical

Byron Armbruster was born on February 19, 1914, to Christ and Anna Armbruster, in Napoleon, Ohio. He had been working at the Louden Packing Company in Napoleon, at the time he enlisted in March 1942. He was first attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, then to the 139th Airborne Engineer Battalion, and then to the 101st Airborne. He was first stationed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, transferring to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, until September 1943. The Division was shipped to England in preparation of the Allied invasion. On June 6, 1944, Byron took part in the Allied invasion of Europe at Normandy, having been transported on the USS Susan B. Anthony to Utah Beach. He was then transferred back to England until December 1944 when he was sent to Belgium. There, he and his battalion took part in the Battle of Bastogne when Germany tried one last offense against the Allied lines. His battalion continued into Germany and he was at Berchtesgaden when Germany surrendered. He then was sent to Austria and finally returned to the United States and was discharged in September 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart (received shrapnel wounds causing blindness in one eye), the Presidential Citation and the Croix de Guerre.

Byron married Eloise Higgins in October 1945, and they had one son, Timothy. After Eloise's death, Bryon married Rozella Hoff in 1960. He retired from Campbell Soup Company as a supervisor in 1974 and died in November 2008.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.