Alexander Gordeuk Papers
The materials in this collection date from 1942 to 1997, but the bulk of the materials are dated between 1943-1945 or 1996. The collection consists of three series: Memoirs, ASTP Course Materials and Intelligence and Education (I & E) Materials. The Memoirs series (July 1996) consists of 31 handwritten memoirs of Gordeuk's experiences in the US Army in World War II in the United States and Europe and a letter from Gordeuk to Dr. G. Kurt Piehler. The ASTP Notebooks series (1942-1944) consists of two bound notebooks of printed lectures, published materials and handwritten notes, publications, a page of notes dated 1986 and a letter dated April 10, 1997. The Intelligence and Education (I & E) Materials series (1944-1945) consists of several dozen US Army publications and reports and Gordeuk's course preparation notes.
- Dates
- 1942-1996
- Extent
- 0.8 Cubic Feet (2 manuscript boxes)
- Language of Materials
- Undetermined
Summary: The Memoirs series (July 1996) consists of 31 handwritten memoirs of Gordeuk's experiences in the US Army in World War II in the United States and Europe and a letter from Gordeuk to Dr. G. Kurt Piehler.
- Dates
- July 1996 (1 folder)
Includes a July 15, 1996, letter from Gordeuk to Dr. G. Kurt Piehler, then director of the Rutgers Oral History Archives, explaining that he wrote these 31 brief (1-4 pages) reflections on his military service after their oral history on April 1 stirred up his memories. Unless noted, they are handwritten originals.
The titles and subject of each piece are:
"Krieg ist Kaput"
Encounters a burgermeister in Southern Germany.
"How We Lost Our General"
MG John B. Wogan is wounded by a sniper.
"Pin Point Bombing"
Comments on a site bombed by the Allies.
"Destruction of Cities"
Comments on the devastation of Central German cities.
"Missed Target"
The Army Air Force fails to hit a cement factory.
"Fraternization"
Comments on relations between German women and white and African-American soldiers.
"A Christian in a Sea of Chaos" (photocopy)
Comments on a factory of Slavic slave laborers and their friendship with the elderly German solder left to guard them.
"Fighting the Wrong People"
Gordeuk's friends hold the Germans in higher esteem than the French, until he demonstrates that the Germans stole from the French.
"A Civilized Way to Wage War"
Gordeuk encounters the wives and camp followers of Hungarian Army POWs in Eggenfelden, Germany.
"Ethnic Differences and Song"
Reflections on the French, Hungarian, Italian, Belgian and Soviet displaced persons at Eggenfelden.
"Was Our Intelligence Adequate? Mishandled?"
Gordeuk meets a friend stationed in the Pentagon and attempts to volunteer for duty in Trieste, Italy, as a Serbo-Croat translator.
"The Communist Threat in Europe"
Comments on the reaction of the displaced persons to the spread of Communism across the continent.
"Army of Occupation in Germany"
Critique of Army of Occupation officers.
"Navy Marksmanship"
Navy gunners fail to destroy a mine in the English Channel.
"Crippled Troopship"
The USS Marine Devil breaks down 60 miles out of New York Harbor.
"On the Way to Japan"
Comments on preparations for the invasion of Japan at Camp Cooke, California.
"Reaction to the Dropping of the A-Bomb"
A critique of the use of the bomb; Gordeuk explains that knew of the potential for the atomic bomb from a physics course with Dr. David D. Porter at Rutgers.
"Selected for Special Study"
Describes how he entered the ASTP.
"The Army-a Broadening Experience"
Comments on Camp Sutton, North Carolina and environs; criticizes medical care in the US Army.
"A Memorable Experience"
A German headquarters unit surrenders.
"Wanton Destruction"
Comments on the needless destruction of property by GIs during the occupation.
"Difference Between Enlisted Men and Officers"
A critique of officers.
"For Want of a Nail…"
Explains how poor eyesight led to difficulties in the service.
"How to Run an Army"
A critique of officers.
"Sleeping With a Rattlesnake"
Comments on the differences between "country" and "city" boys in training.
"Racism in the Army"
Gordeuk speaks out against a segregation policy proposed in his quartermaster unit.
"Ethnic Strife"
Two soldiers fight over a German woman.
"Keeping Fit at ASTP"
Comments on physical training in the ASTP and tensions between the ASTP men and regular soldiers in the 13th Armored Division.
"Sense of Balance"
Calls on Americans to recognize the role the USSR played in winning World War II.
"Red Cross"
Criticizes the Red Cross for charging GIs for coffee and doughnuts.
"Who Won the War?"
Gordeuk posits that American industry and Soviet blood won the war.
- Dates
- 1996, July 1
Summary: The ASTP Notebooks series (1942-1944) consists of two bound notebooks of printed lectures, published materials and handwritten notes, publications, a page of notes dated 1986 and a letter dated April 10, 1997.
- Dates
- 1942-1944 (4 folders)
A mixture of copies of typed lectures, hand-written notes and a publication, The Battle for the Balkans, reprinted from the November 1943 Free World Magazine.
- Dates
- 1943, Summer 1
A mixture of copies of typed lectures and hand-written notes. The lectures herein cover "The War Department's European Occupation Trainees on German Industrial Organization, Summer, 1943," "Intellectual History of Germany," military science, Balkan Studies, international relations and the Serbo-Croat language.
- Dates
- 1943-1944.
A mixture of copies of typed lectures, hand-written notes and materials added after the war. Identifies his ASTP unit as ASTU #3918, Comp. A-3, UC-Berkeley. The materials cover a course entitled "Foreign Area (Europe) and Language Studies" with Professor Milutin Krunich. Includes a letter dated April 10, 1997, about the notebooks and a list of facts, terms and quotes (c. 1986).
- Dates
- 1943-1944; 1986; 1997.
Copies of The Great Stalin Five-Year Plan for the restoration and development of the National Economy of the USSR for 1946-1950(1943) and Taschen-Weltatlas der Luftwaffe (1942), a German language atlas.
Summary: The Intelligence and Education (I & E) Materials series (1944-1945) consists of several dozen US Army publications and reports and Gordeuk's course preparation notes.
- Dates
- 1944-1945 (8 folders)
Gordeuk's notes on a course entitled, "Individual Responsibility for Participation in the War."
Instructional materials prepared by the US Army on post-war planning, redeployment to the Pacific, Fascism, war criminals and the home front. All are undated, except for a sheet entitled "What's Wrong With the Germans," dated November 10, 1944.
A publication used to educate soldiers on various issues, including the progress of the war, the occupation, the GI Bill of Rights. Included here are Vol. III, nos. 10 (3/10/45), 18 (5/8/45), 19 (5/15/45); vol. IV, nos. 2 (5/22/45), 3 (5/29/45), 4 (6/5/45), 5 (6/12/45), 6 (7/19/45), 7 (7/26/45) and 9 (7/10/45).
- Dates
- March-June 1945.
A publication outlining I & E sessions on issues such as the home front, why the war was fought, foreign policy issues and Allied nations. This collection includes issues 19 through 30.
- Dates
- 1945.
Typewritten instructional material prepared by the 13th Armored Division's Intelligence Section (G-3) at Camp Bowie, Texas. They were for use in instructing soldiers on such issues as Frank Capra's Why We Fight series, the Geneva Convention, the fear in battle, the future of Europe and propaganda. Included here are nos. 1 to 3, 5 to 8 and 11, dating from March 6, 1944, to September 13, 1944.
- Dates
- March-September 1944.
A publication used to educate soldiers on various issues, including propaganda, guerilla fighters, Allied nations, orientations, the progress of the war and the GI Bill of Rights. Included here are issues 31-45, 47-52, 57-58, 61, 65-66, 69, 72-74, and a supplement, dating from July 31, 1944, to June 2, 1945.
- Dates
- July 1944-June 1945.
A series of three information pamphlets, nos. 1 "Food" (5/25/45), 2 "Propaganda" (6/2/45), and 3 "Fascism" (6/9/45).
- Dates
- May-June 1945.
A publication used to instruct I & E officers in disseminating information to their units. Included here are vols. 1-2, 5, 7 and 9, dating from April 24, 1945, to June 19, 1945.
- Dates
- April-June 1945.