Top of page

Earl Ritter standing next to a Piper Cub, his parachute slung over his shoulder [7/4/1942]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: 100th Heavy Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
  • Location of Service: Fort MacArthur, California; Saint Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Chicago, Illinois; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Columbus, Ohio; Smyrna, Tennessee; Arlington, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nebraska; Maine; Scotland; England; Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug, East Prussia, Germany
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/43348

View full service history

Earl W. Ritter Collection
Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ Letter to wife, Mrs. Ruby Ritter, informing her that her husband has been awarded the Air Medal [10/4/1944] ]
[ Identity papers from the P.O.W. camp where Mr. Ritter was interned ]
[ My Travels in Germany as a P.O.W. ]
[ Newsclipping: "She Waited, Then She Heard--He's Alive" ]

About this Item

Title

  • Earl W. Ritter Collection

Names

  • Ritter, Earl W.
  • Koch, James Julius
  • Schumacher, Mark A.
  • Schumacher, Phyllis
  • Schumacher, Kurt
  • Boy Scouts of America

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • California

Headings

  • -  Ritter, Earl W.
  • -  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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: 100th Heavy Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
    • Location of Service: Fort MacArthur, California; Saint Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Chicago, Illinois; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Columbus, Ohio; Smyrna, Tennessee; Arlington, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nebraska; Maine; Scotland; England; Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug, East Prussia, Germany
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1941-1945
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-04-23; 1994-12-31)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1985-05-08)
  • Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1945-05-05)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944)
  • Photograph: Digital print [12 items] -- Photographs (collected 1942-1994)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 2006-09-25)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/43348

Online Format

  • audio
  • image

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/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

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

Recording:

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

Photograph:

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

Computer file:

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

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), 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:

Ritter, Earl W, James Julius Koch, Mark A Schumacher, Phyllis Schumacher, Kurt Schumacher, and Boy Scouts Of America. Earl W. Ritter Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43348/.

APA citation style:

Ritter, E. W., Koch, J. J., Schumacher, M. A., Schumacher, P., Schumacher, K. & Boy Scouts Of America. (1941) Earl W. Ritter Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43348/.

MLA citation style:

Ritter, Earl W, et al. Earl W. Ritter Collection. 1941. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.43348/>.