Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Abel Kessler Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 441st Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion
- Location of Service: Camp Stewart, Georgia; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Washington, DC; India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/3133
Brooklyn native Abel Kessler rose through the ranks to become a reporter at the New York Times. His background in journalism led to his assignment as an information officer for the Army in India. The sparse numbers of U.S. troops in the CBI made his newsletter an important lifeline for the men who were so far away from each other and so disconnected from events going on in the rest of the world. Kessler's appreciation for the Indian people is exceeded only by his deep admiration for the men he served with.
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayHow he wound up in an artillery unit; commissioned as an officer; becoming a public information officer; his duties; avoid sending out photos that might reveal anything sensitive to the enemy; flying to India rather than taking a ship. 00:06:43.4 - 00:14:06.3
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PlayHis base in northeastern India; the C-46 aircraft was nicknamed the flying coffin; at the end of the war, there were 397 men unaccounted for from the flights over the hump; very few combat troops to stop Japanese entering India. 00:14:57.3 - 00:18:33.2
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PlayNot much reporting on what was going on in the CBI and soldiers were hearing from home: What are you doing there?; working with British and Australian allies. 00:19:33.0 - 00:22:01.2
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PlayOn leave to Darjeeling in the Himalayas; he could not eat any "native" food; when in Calcutta on assignment he would go to Firpo's, a fine European restaurant that was off-limits. 00:25:55.2 - 00:28:15.3
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PlayMorale problems; threat of going in to China hung over their heads; hazardous conditions for driving; "more soldiers killed by jeeps than Japs; processing a group of soldiers to go home; they were all killed when their plane hit a mountain. 00:32:45.0 - 00:35:15.7
About this Item
Title
- Abel Kessler Collection
Names
- Kessler, Abel
- Larson, Glenn F.
- Veterans History Project of Rossmoor
Headings
- - Kessler, Abel
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 441st Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion
- Location of Service: Camp Stewart, Georgia; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Washington, DC; India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Dates of Service: 1942-1946
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2011-03-30)
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-01-17; 2007-01-17)
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-10-24)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/3133
Cite as
- Abel Kessler Collection (AFC/2001/001/3133), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Camp Davis, North Carolina
- Camp Stewart, Georgia
- China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- India
- Washington, DC