ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

NORTH DAKOTA PRISONER OF WAR REPORTS

COLLECTION: OGL #786

DATES: 1910s-1982; Bulk Dates 1941-1945

SIZE: 1.25 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The North Dakota Prisoner of War Reports were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Elmer Lian, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on October 27, 1982 (Acc.#82-1046).

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

Edward and Elmer T. Lian Papers, OGL#208
Kriegieland: Conversations with ex-POWs Video #1018-1040, 1427-1433
Stalag Luft I POW 55th Anniversary, Video #1460-1462

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The North Dakota Prisoner of War Reports consist of lengthy questionnaires completed by North Dakota prisoners of war from World War II and the Korean War. The questionnaires highlight the experiences of serviceman held in various prisoner of war camps in Germany, Japan and Korea. In addition to the questionnaires, many photocopied photographs, letters, telegrams and other documents are included.

The North Dakota Prisoner of War Reports was a project officially supported by the North Dakota Ex-Prisoner of War Organization and the Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota. Elmer Lian, Grand Forks, North Dakota, designed and administered the project in 1982 in order to preserve the history of North Dakota's prisoners of war. Lian himself was a prisoner of war in Germany in 1944 and 1945. Lian also separated the questionnaires into four separate volumes. (The collection was re-processed in February 2003. The interviews were taken out of the volumes, and placed individually in file folders.)

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1
Folder

  1. Allen, Henry E. of Dickinson: Germany
  2. Behle, William of Valley City: Germany
  3. Boyd, Dorwin R. of New Rockford: Germany
  4. Bonemeyer, Maurice of Fargo: Germany
  5. Burns, Edward A. of Bowman: Japan
  6. Byars, Rhynard of Fairdale: Japan
  7. Carlascio, J.A. of Jamestown: Japan
  8. Carlson, Orlean E. of Devils Lake: Germany
  9. Carlson, Perhsing Y. of Bismarck: Germany
  10. Cole, Brownell H. of Valley City: Japan
  11. Deede, Jerry of Fargo: Germany
  12. Dolejsi, Joe of Bismarck: German
  13. Everson, Lloyd C. of Dunseith: Germany
  14. Fliflet, Orval of Hannaford: Germany
  15. Foster, Charles C. of Minot: Japan
  16. Frank, Peter E. of Fargo: Germany
  17. Helmer, Alvin O. of Lidgerwood: Germany
  18. Holmgren, Lester E. of West Fargo: Germany
  19. Huber, Vernon R. of Mandan: Korea
  20. Johnson, Albert A. of Milnor: Germany
  21. Knudson, Glenn C. of Larimore: Germany
  22. Lian, Elmer T. of Grand Forks: Germany
  23. McCloud, Merlin S. of Maddock: Germany
  24. Medenwaldt, Dennis of Minot: Germany
  25. Murphy, Eugene P. of Grand Forks: Germany
  26. Ott, George L. of Reeder: Germany
  27. Petterson, Bernard of Binford: Germany
  28. Schmit, Rev. David of Drake: German
  29. Scholand, Joseph of Reynolds: Germany
  30. Schuld, Nick of Richardton: Germany
  31. Selliken, Juline B. of Grafton: Germany
  32. Sortland, Donald of Souris: Japan
  33. Soderberg, Willard D. of Portland: Korea
  34. Sortland, Sam of Ambrose: Japan
  35. Stone, Floyd L. of Walhalla: Korea
  36. Tastad, Herald of Portland: Germany
  37. Tjomsland, Gordon J. of Menoken: Germany
  38. Tofte Edwin of Epping: Germany
  39. Walker, Dan of Mayville: Germany
  40. Wenger, George of Flasher: Germany
  41. Zahn, Sylvester of Linton: Germany
  42. Correspondence sent by Elmer Lian along with questionnaires

SEPARATIONS RECORD

The following photocopied photographs were placed in the Orin G. Libby Oversized Manuscript Collection:

OGL#786-1 Crew of bomber Dakota Demon, no date
OGL#786-2 Bomber Mean Kid, June 1944
OGL#786-3 Crew of bomber Mean Kid, no date

Return to: Military History

Special Collections Home Page Contact Special Collections Chester Fritz Library Home Page