Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Audio Recording Norman Philip Swaney Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: F Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Corporal
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/23453
Drafted just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Corporal Norman Swaney entered the Army Air Corps in January 1942, and volunteered for "the glory outfit"-the paratroopers. As a member of F Company of the 101st Airborne, although he lost a lot of buddies, he terms his experience in Normandy a "piece of cake" compared to what was to come. Wounded by shrapnel during Operation Market Garden, he recuperated in England before rejoining his unit in France, only to be taken prisoner by the Germans on January 3rd, 1945, during the Battle of Bastogne. Put through a series of work camps and eventually transferred to Stalag IX-B, he was liberated in early April 1945, and arrived stateside before his family had even been notified that he was a POW.
Norman Philip Swaney Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayJumping into Normandy; landing in a hayfield, in the wrong location; gathering with the rest of his unit 00:27:12.0 - 00:29:38.0
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PlayAdvancing through Normandy; in France through late July; never wounded 00:36:05.0 - 00:38:12.0
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PlayOperation Market Garden; jumping into Holland; constant action; running out of ammunition; wounded and evacuated; waking up in the hospital in England 00:38:44.0 - 00:43:10.0
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PlayBattle of Bastogne; bitter cold; Germans all around before he knew it; taken prisoner 00:44:01.0 - 00:45:51.8
More Resources
Norman Philip Swaney Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
Share
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PlayBattle of Bastogne; bitter cold; Germans all around before he knew it; taken prisoner 00:00:00.0 - 00:03:20.0
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PlayInterrogation; marching into Ardennes Forest; working first collecting wood and then taking care of horses 00:03:39.0 - 00:07:28.0
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PlayTransfer by boxcar to prisoner of war camp in Bad Orb, Germany; conditions on boxcar; spent three weeks in Stalag IX-B before liberation 00:09:03.0 - 00:15:35.0
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PlayLiberation; importance of having clothing and shoes while a POW; buddy who died of gangrene 00:13:03.0 - 00:15:35.0
About this Item
Title
- Norman Philip Swaney Collection
Names
- Legacies: Stories from the Second World War
- Swope, Thomas A.
- Swaney, Norman Philip
Home State
- Ohio
Headings
- - Swaney, Norman Philip
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Prisoner of War -- United States
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: F Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
- Location of Service:
- Highest Rank: Corporal
- Dates of Service: 1942-1945
- Prisoner of War: Yes
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2004-09-18)
- Photograph: Copy photographic print [2 items] -- Portrait (collected 1942-2004)
- Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2002-09-04)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-09-18)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2004-09-18; 2007-11-30)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/23453
Cite as
- Norman Philip Swaney Collection (AFC/2001/001/23453), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image
- online text
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Camp Wolters, Texas
- England
- European Theater
- Fort Benning, Georgia
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina
- Normandy, France