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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps; Air Force
  • Unit of Service: Air Force Escort Group; 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
  • Location of Service: Normandy, France; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Captain

View full service history

"There were a lot of pilots who didn't make it who were better than I." (Interview)

At the age of seven, Robert Powell was taken for a ride up into the clouds by a barnstorming pilot, and he was hooked on flying from then on. In wartime Europe, he flew escort missions for bombers, but his favorite job was the most dangerous one: strafing ground positions. He was in his element on D-Day and during the first weeks of the invasion, helping to distract the enemy and provide cover for Allied troops. Since his retirement, Powell has been documenting the history of his squadron in writing and on video.

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About this Item

Title

  • Robert H. Powell Collection

Names

  • Wheeler, Justin
  • Powell, Robert H.
  • Babcock, Robert
  • Blue Star Mothers / Amber Waves of Grain

State of Birth

  • WV

Home State

  • GA

Headings

  • -  Powell, Robert H.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
    • Location of Service: Normandy, France; European Theater
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1944
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: Air Force Escort Group
    • Highest Rank: Captain
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1954
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 01/26/2003)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 01/26/2003)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/5342

Cite as

  • Robert H. Powell Collection (AFC/2001/001/5342), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Wheeler, Justin, Robert H Powell, Robert Babcock, and Blue Star Mothers / Amber Waves Of Grain. Robert H. Powell Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05342/.

APA citation style:

Wheeler, J., Powell, R. H., Babcock, R. & Blue Star Mothers / Amber Waves Of Grain. (1942) Robert H. Powell Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05342/.

MLA citation style:

Wheeler, Justin, et al. Robert H. Powell Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.05342/>.