Muhlenberg College World War II Records Collection, 1943 - 1947
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MC-WWII-02
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises photographs, class lists, course schedules, promotional brochures, and correspondence pertaining to the implementation of the Navy V-12 and V-5 programs, covering the period from 1942-1946. Additionally, it contains materials relating to other College progams and initiatives pertaining to World War II, dating from 1940.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1943 - 1947
Historical Note
Muhlenberg College prepared for World War II by assessing the needs of its students and their families as young men who would soon be called to fight; the ways in which the College could contribute to the national war effort; and how the College could survive when its target demographic was needed elsewhere. The Navy programs that commenced on campus in 1943 were a large part of the response, but even before that, the College mobilized by supporting the early military programs such as the V-1, organizing scrap drives, and more.
On July 1, 1943, the Navy V-12 College Training Program was implemented on college campuses across the United States. Designed to supplement the officer ranks of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with college-educated men, this program offered mutual benefit to colleges and universities whose student bodies had been dramatically thinned by military service. By the end of the war, 131 college and universities had participated.
The V-12 was an accelerated program: colleges would operate for three four-month semesters each year, allowing students to complete a baccalaureate degree in two years. Once they had received their degrees, the Navy men would report to Midshipman’s School, and after four months of additional training, they would be commissioned as ensigns in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Marine candidates would proceed to boot camp and Officer’s Candidate School, after which they would be commissioned as second lieutenants.
Muhlenberg’s first cohort of sailors and marines arrived on July 1st, and comprised 260 “bluejackets” and 200 Marines. The number of civilian students during the two years of the Naval programs fluctuated between 110 and 150 each term.
“By sundown on Saturday, 3 July, every member of the unit had taken his physical examination, his swimming test, his strength test, had been inoculated, and had been registered for his academic schedule. As a result classes started regularly at 0800 on the morning of Monday 5 July, and Muhlenberg was the only V-12 College in the country that made this record.” --Naval History of the Navy V-12 Unit: Muhlenberg College
On July 1, 1943, the Navy V-12 College Training Program was implemented on college campuses across the United States. Designed to supplement the officer ranks of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with college-educated men, this program offered mutual benefit to colleges and universities whose student bodies had been dramatically thinned by military service. By the end of the war, 131 college and universities had participated.
The V-12 was an accelerated program: colleges would operate for three four-month semesters each year, allowing students to complete a baccalaureate degree in two years. Once they had received their degrees, the Navy men would report to Midshipman’s School, and after four months of additional training, they would be commissioned as ensigns in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Marine candidates would proceed to boot camp and Officer’s Candidate School, after which they would be commissioned as second lieutenants.
Muhlenberg’s first cohort of sailors and marines arrived on July 1st, and comprised 260 “bluejackets” and 200 Marines. The number of civilian students during the two years of the Naval programs fluctuated between 110 and 150 each term.
“By sundown on Saturday, 3 July, every member of the unit had taken his physical examination, his swimming test, his strength test, had been inoculated, and had been registered for his academic schedule. As a result classes started regularly at 0800 on the morning of Monday 5 July, and Muhlenberg was the only V-12 College in the country that made this record.” --Naval History of the Navy V-12 Unit: Muhlenberg College
Extent
.7 Linear Feet
Provenance
Muhlenberg College Office of Public Relations; Office of the President
Repository Details
Part of the College Archives (Muhlenberg College Collection) Repository
Contact:
Trexler Library
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew Street
Allentown PA 18104 United States
[email protected]
Trexler Library
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew Street
Allentown PA 18104 United States
[email protected]