Herman Berger papers


Collection 3575

1946-1947
(0.6 Linear feet ; 2 boxes)

Summary Information

Repository
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Creator
Berger, Herman.
Title
Herman Berger papers
ID
3575
Date [inclusive]
1946-1947
Extent
0.6 Linear feet ; 2 boxes
Author
Finding aid prepared by Cary Hutto.
Sponsor
Processing made possible by a generous donation from the Abington Junior High History Club.
Language
English
Mixed materials [Box]
1-2

Preferred citation

Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Herman Berger papers (Collection 3575), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

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Abstract

Herman Berger was born in 1927 and grew up in Philadelphia. He was drafted into the Army in early 1946 and after basic training (at Ft. Meade, Maryland) was sent to clerk typist school (at Camp Lee in Virginia). He was posted briefly to Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, then sent to occupied Japan and assigned to duty as a clerk typist at U.S. military general headquarters in Tokyo, where he served from September 1946 to February 1947. During this time he reached the rank of corporal. Berger returned to the United States in February and was discharged from the Army in March 1947. After military service, Berger attended Temple University in Philadelphia under the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. His first jobs after graduation included working at the credit department at Gimbel’s department store and as an office manager for a credit card company.

The collection consists of letters from Herman Berger to his mother, Miriam Berger, and other relatives, and from Miriam Berger to Herman, during his military service, from basic training through his posting in Tokyo. Herman Berger’s letters discuss his training, work life, and recreational activities during evenings and weekends. There are approximately 110 letters by Herman Berger and 70 letters by Miriam Berger, and they are housed in Box 1 and Box 2, Folder 1.

In addition to letters, the collection also contains souvenirs and ephemera (Box 2, Folder 2) that Herman Berger sent to his family in Philadelphia from Japan. A list of the items is included in the copy of an official letter that was sent as well. There are also three insignia patches. Most of the programs are from the Ernie Pyle Theatre, Tokyo, and there are also menus, holiday ephemera, brochures, and form letters. There are also several dozen photographs (Box 2, Folder 3) that date from Berger's time in occupied Japan in late 1946 and early 1947. Almost all the photographs are identified with either typed or handwritten information on verso. There are pictures of Berger, alone and with friends; Japanese citizens; and various buildings, including the Ernie Pyle Theatre.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania ; 2013.

1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19107
215-732-6200

Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Herman Berger, 2010-2012.

Accession numbers 2010.051, 2010.063, 2011.002, 2012.001

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Related Materials

Related material

A Soldier Called Keith (typescript) by Keith Winston, 1944-1945 (Am .19105)

Frank Gordon Bradley World War II correspondence (Collection 3548)

Henry J. P. Hobbs papers, 1937-1946 (Collection 1465)

Earl Leas correspondence, 1943-1945 (Collection 3417)

Edward Psulkowski letters, 1939-1968 (Collection 3123)

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Controlled Access Headings

Genre(s)

  • Correspondence.

Geographic Name(s)

  • Camp Lee (Va.)
  • Camp Stoneman (Calif.)
  • Fort George G. Meade (Md.)
  • Japan--History--Allied occupation, 1945-1952.

Personal Name(s)

  • Berger, Herman.

Subject(s)

  • Soldiers--Family relationships--United States--History--20th century.
  • World War, 1939-1945.

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Collection Inventory

Box Folder

Letters from Camp Meade and Camp Lee circa March-July 1946 

1 1

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Letters from Camp Stoneman, the S. S. Bonita, and Japan August-September 1946 

1 2

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Letters from Japan October-November 1946 

1 3

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Letters from Japan December 1946-January 1947 

1 4

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Letters from Japan February 1947 

1 5

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Letters from Miriam Berger July-September 1946 

1 6

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Letters from Miriam Berger October-November 1946 

1 7

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Letters from Miriam Berger December 1946-February 1947 

2 1

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Programs, maps, clippings, newsletters, and other ephemera 1946-1947 

2 2

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Photographs and postcards 1946-1947 

2 3

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