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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Machine Gun Company, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division
  • Location of Service: France
  • Highest Rank: Private

View full service history

"Most of the men were drinking water out of shell holes, taking a chance, as most of the holes were full of gas." (Typescript diary, page 24)

As a member of the 313th Machine Gun Company, Harry Frieman spent much of the war buried deep in the notoriously brutal trenches of France. His diary offers striking descriptions of the World War I combat experience: constant artillery fire, very little fresh water or food, and trips "over the top." Frieman's notes include his personal account of the day that it all ended: November 11, 1918. At the time of the Armistice, Frieman's unit was caught in a trap, surrounded on three sides by German troops, and might not have survived much longer.

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[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

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[ Diary of Harry Frieman ]
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[ Typescript diary of Harry Frieman ]
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[ "Baltimore Troops 'Go Over the Top' " [newsclipping] ]
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[ Untitled newsclipping detailing the death of purportedly the last American soldier of the war, in the minutes before the Armistice [1918] ]
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[ U.S.S. Leviathan "Troop Billet" card with handwritten notation "Went across" ]
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[ U.S.S. Paysandu "Troop Billet" card with handwritten notation "Returned on" ]

Show more resources (6)

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[ Form letter from General Pershing praising American troops for their service [2/28/1919] ]
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[ Soldier's Individual Pay Record Book ]
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[ "Over Here" Preparing for "Over There" at Camp Meade, Maryland ]
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[ Olive green handkerchief with H.F. 1917 U.S. written on it ]
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[ Harry Frieman's dogtags ]
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[ Operations Map 79th Division A.E.F. [4/26/1919] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Harry L. Frieman Collection

Names

  • Frieman, Jack
  • Frieman, Harry L.

Home State

  • FL

Headings

  • -  Frieman, Harry L.
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Notes

  • -  The veteran was born in Ukraine.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Machine Gun Company, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division
    • Location of Service: France
    • Highest Rank: Private
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1919 - 1920)
  • Artifact: Artifact [2 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1917 - 1920)
  • Manuscript: Maps [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 04/26/1919)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1919)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 06/07/1919)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1919)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/23600

Cite as

  • Harry L. Frieman Collection (AFC/2001/001/23600), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Service Unit

Gender

Highest Rank

Service Entrance

Discharge Status

Interviewee

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:

Frieman, Jack, and Harry L Frieman. Harry L. Frieman Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.23600/.

APA citation style:

Frieman, J. & Frieman, H. L. (1917) Harry L. Frieman Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.23600/.

MLA citation style:

Frieman, Jack, and Harry L Frieman. Harry L. Frieman Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.23600/>.