Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: 570th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
  • Location of Service: European Theater; Krems, Austria
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant

View full service history

"You can't take things for granted. The old saying, 'It'll never happen to me,' is so foolish." (Video Interview)

Stalag 17 wasn't just a hit play and an Oscar-winning movie. It was a real POW camp, located near Krems, Austria, and home to thousands of Allied airmen from October 1943 to the end of the war. One of its residents was American aerial gunner Donald Cassidy, who was shot down over Germany in November 1943. Cassidy found he had to fashion his own food utensils, but he somehow managed to find enough to eat to keep his weight from dropping precipitously. The highlight of any day in Cassidy's barracks was a news report read out by a G.I. nicknamed Whitey; if no guards were within earshot, Whitey would offer the lowdown on the progress of Allied troop advances.

More Resources

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[ Photo Album ]
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[ Letter from the Adjutant General to Mark Cassidy [14 December 1943] ]
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[ Letter from Howard F. Bresee to Mrs. M. A. Cassidy [15 March 1944] ]
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[ Letter from Howard F. Bresee to Mr. M. A. Cassidy [23 June 1944] ]
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[ Donald Cassidy, letter to Mark Cassidy [June 4, 1944] ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Donald Cassidy, letter to Mark Cassidy [July 28, 1944] ]

Show more resources (7)

View 2 images in sequence.
[ Donald Cassidy, letter to Mrs. M. A. Cassidy [October 11, 1944] ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Donald Cassidy, letter to Mark Cassidy [November 12, 1944] ]
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[ Donald Cassidy, letter to Mr. And Mrs. M. A. Cassidy, May 14, 1945. Signed by Dwight Eisenhower [19 July 1960] ]
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[ Telegram from Donald Cassidy to Mrs. M. A. Cassidy [ June 13, 1945] ]
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[ News clipping depicting Don Cassidy, Jerry Gerber, and Air Force Captain Joseph McConnell at premiere of film "Stalag 17." ]
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[ Cover of notebook for course in "Practical Elec.", course taken in POW camp. ]
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[ Map of Stalag XVIIB ]

About this Item

Title

  • Donald G. Cassidy Collection

Names

  • VA Healthcare System, New Jersey
  • Healy, Alice
  • Battle, Lillie
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Adele L. Moorehead
  • Claire Honeker
  • Cassidy, Donald G.

State of Birth

  • NY

Home State

  • NJ

Headings

  • -  Cassidy, Donald G.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 570th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
    • Location of Service: European Theater; Krems, Austria
    • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1945
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Other Manuscript Material [1 item] -- (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [2 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected unknown)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- (collected 1943 - 1945)
  • Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/1599

Cite as

  • Donald G. Cassidy Collection (AFC/2001/001/1599), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Va Healthcare System, New Jersey, Alice Healy, Lillie Battle, National Court Reporters Association, Adele L. Moorehead, Claire Honeker, and Donald G Cassidy. Donald G. Cassidy Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01599/.

APA citation style:

Va Healthcare System, N. J., Healy, A., Battle, L., National Court Reporters Association, Adele L. Moorehead, Claire Honeker & Cassidy, D. G. (1942) Donald G. Cassidy Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01599/.

MLA citation style:

Va Healthcare System, New Jersey, et al. Donald G. Cassidy Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.01599/>.