Papers and photographs, 1942-2000.

ArchivalResource

O'Dair, James R., 1923-. Papers and photographs, 1942-2000.

Papers and photographs, 1942-2000.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/76767315

Papers and photographs of James R. O'Dair, a bombadier in the 77th Bomb Squadron who was stationed in the Aleutian Islands and was interned in the USSR for six months after his B-25 was forced to make an emergency landing in Siberia during World War II. The majority of the papers concern the bombing mission that O'Dair flew in September 1943 over the northern most islands of Japan, his subsequent internment in the USSR, and his top-secret release in February 1944. The collection contains a diary that O'Dair kept during throughout his internment and a hand-written Russian vocabulary text he compiled. Also included are several letters that O'Dair's parents received from the War Department, informing them that their son was missing. Magazine and newspaper clippings provide secondary analysis of some of the same events described in the diary. O'Dair traced the journeys of his internment on a map of Asia. Photographs depict him both before and after his service. And three video productions touch upon O'Dair's war experiences, including two oral history interviews.

Papers 0.3 In. ft. (1 archives box and 1 oversized folder)Photographs (1 folder), and.Videorecordings : 5 videocassettes (300 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center