Overview
- Description
- The collection contains letters written by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in Company D of the 110th Medical Battalion attached to the 35th Infantry Division, to his wife Beatrice in Camden, New Jersey along with a small amount of photographs and issues of Stars & Stripes newspaper. His letters span May 1944 through September 1945 and describe daily army life, first in England, then France, Holland, and Germany. He describes his visit to the Dachau concentration camp in a letter dated 17 August 1945. Many letters also include enclosures primarily of clippings and pamphlets, and newsletters. He also enclosed copies of Stars & Stripes newspaper. Included is a non-sequential run from July 1944-March 1945. The photographs include depictions of Dachau; the barn massacre of prisoners at Gardelegen, Germany in April 1945; and Hitler’s bunker in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1944-1945
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Deborah Kaplan
- Collection Creator
- Robert I. Kaplan
- Biography
-
Robert I. Kaplan’s parents were born in Lithuania, and he grew up in Camden, New Jersey. He was a medic and dentist who volunteered to join the United States Army in 1941. Robert married Beatrice Slutsky in January 1942, and their first daughter, Judy, was born in 1944. He was a medic in Company D of the 110th Medical Battalion attached to the 35th Infantry Division when he was sent to Europe in May 1944. They arrived in England, and by July his division was sent to Normandy, France. They remained in France until February 1945 when they went to Holland, The Netherlands and then on to Germany. After the war was over, he was transferred to Company D, 331st Medial Battalion attached to the 106th Division. He returned to the United States in September 1945.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs. Correspondence. Newspapers.
- Extent
-
2 boxes
1 oversize box
- System of Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as three series: Series 1: Correspondence, 1944-1945; Series 2: Photographs, 1944-1945; Series 3: Printed material, 1944-1945
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- This material can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing station. There are no additional access restrictions to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- The donor, source institution, or a third party has asserted copyright over some or all of the material(s) in this collection. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
- Copyright Holder
- Ms. Deborah Kaplan
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by Deborah Kaplan, daughter of Robert Kaplan.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-10-12 15:59:37
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn556067
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
- In Copyright - Use Permitted
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Requires Research Visit
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-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
Contact Us
Also in Robert I. Kaplan collection
The collection consists of an armband, currency, flags, insignia, ration stamps, silhouette, correspondence, clippings, documents, fliers and ration cards relating to the experiences of Robert I. Kaplan, a captain and medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, who served overseas during World War II.
Date: 1944-1945
French flag brought back by an American soldier
Object
Small French flag brought back from Europe by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion associated with a letter from August 13, 1944.
Belgian flag brought back by an American soldier
Object
Small Belgian flag brought back from Europe by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter dated August 18, 1944.
Collar tab acquired by an American soldier
Object
Collar tab acquired by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter from June 13, 1944.
Patch with an eagle insignia belonging to an American soldier
Object
Badge with an eagle insignia belonging to Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter from July 25, 1944.
German Army armband found by an American soldier
Object
White armband supporting the German Wehrmacht brought back from Europe by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion and associated with a letter from November 15, 1944.
Allied Military Authority currency, 5 francs, for use in France, acquired by a US soldier
Object
Allied military currency, 5 francs, issued for use in occupied France acquired by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter dated June 13, 1944.
Allied Military Authority currency, 10 francs, for use in France, acquired by a US soldier
Object
Allied military currency, 10 francs, issued for use in occupied France acquired by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter dated June 13, 1944.
7 German food ration stamps acquired by an American soldier
Object
Seven ration stamps acquired by Captain Robert I. Kaplan, a medic in the United States Army, Company D, 110th Medical Battalion, associated with a letter from August 4, 1944. Letter from August 4, 1944.
