Letters Home During World War II
This lesson plan was developed by the Office of School Services as part of the Letters from the Front, 1898-1945 teachers companion guide for the secondary-level classroom. Please adapt it to fit your students' needs.
Background Information
Letters from the Front, 1898-1945 is a part of the Voices of Wisconsin Past, a series of books that present episodes from the state's history in the words of ordinary men and women. In this particular lesson, students will have the opportunity to analyze primary sources, by examining the letters of World War II soldier, Roy F. Bergengren.
Documents
"Letters of Roy F. Bergengren." In Letters from the Front, 1898-1945, edited by Michael E. Stevens. Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1992. Kanetzke, Howard. "Questions." In A Teacher's Companion Guide to Letters from the Front, 1898-1945. Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1992.
[Read an excerpt from the book.]
As a young adult, Roy F. Bergengren, Jr., moved to Madison, where his father was one of the founders of CUNA credit union. Bergengren worked at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison for five years before enlisting in the army in 1941. He served as an aircraft controller with the 311th Fighter Control Squadron, 63rd Air Defense Wing, and with the 78th Fighter Control Squadron, 2nd Air Defense Wing, rising to the rank of major. By the time of his discharge in 1945, Bergengren had seen action in England, Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. After the war, he received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Florida and also taught at that institution. He served as president of Daytona Beach Community College for fourteen years and died in 1982 at the age of sixty-seven. He wrote to Don Anderson and other co-workers at the Wisconsin State Journal.
Suggested Activities
- Have students identify and describe any useful historical evidence included in each of these letters.
- Lead a discussion about how each of these letters supports or challenges standard historical interpretations, including those in U.S. history textbooks.
- Have students write a response to the Roy as if the student is Roy's contemporary. Finding appropriate information for this written response may involve interviewing a community member with memories of World War II, reviewing contemporary magazines or other popular reading material, or doing further reading on the topic and time period.
|
