Biography:

Born in 1919, Robert Morse, Jr., a native of Madison, Wisconsin, served as a soldier in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1940, but ultimately chose to enlist in the military. He began his training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina around August 1941. In March 1942, Morse began training to become a "Flying Cadet" in the Army Air Corps and graduated from the program in February 1943. Morse was subsequently assigned to the European theater and took part in multiple successful bombing raids over Germany. After taking part in a raid against the North German coastal city of Wilhelmshaven on February 4, 1944 in a B-17 bomber, he was classified as missing in action. It was reported that the plane he was on collided with another bomber. On February 4, 1945, Morse was formally listed as killed in action.

His older sister Marjorie, born in 1909, was a St. Cloud State faculty member in History from 1951 to 1974. She died in 1983.

Scope and Content Note:

Numbering 48 letters, his collection of letters primarily contains correspondence between Robert Morse, Jr. and his sister Marjorie, as well as some correspondence with his parents Robert and Matilda that date between September 1940 and February 1944. Robert’s letters to family discussed details of his training in the Army Air Force, including time spent training with radio communications, decryption, and encryption. Robert’s letters repeatedly reflect his uncertainty about his position, expressing both his enthusiasm for becoming an aviator and taking an active role during the war. He also expressed misgivings of the risks associated with being a bombardier, annoyance with the monotony of everyday military life, and ill feelings of his fellow enlisted soldiers towards many of their officers. Additionally, his letters also discussed activities undertaken during rare moments of downtime, including sightseeing in places like Charleston, South Carolina, watching movies, and attending concerts.

Many of Marjorie and Matilda’s letters to Robert concern the state of everyday life within Madison during his time away from home, discussing matters like fishing trips, holiday parties, and making plans to see him at different points in time. Some of these letters also mention the happenings the family neighbors and different friends of Robert, including one that discussed the loss of his friend Carl Fry (a fellow aviator reported as missing in action after a bombing raid over Germany). Additionally, many of letters to Robert from 1944 were never received by him, and they were returned by the military after he was declared missing in action in February 1944.

Lastly, many of the letters written by Robert Matilda, and Marjorie alike, reflected their thoughts on the state of World War II and American national politics during the 1940s. In this respect, several letters include commentary on developments like Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential campaigns and victories and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Likewise, multiple letters reflect the Morse’s feelings about the United States’ international allies and enemies at the time. For instance, some of Robert and Marjorie’s letters express their admiration for the efforts of British and Soviet soldiers fighting against the Axis Powers in Africa and Eastern Europe respectively, while Matilda’s writings lament that even with the war turning against them over time, the Germans and Japanese (as of January 1944) showed little interest in surrendering to the Allies.

There are 33 letters that Robert wrote Marjorie, seven letters from Marjorie to Robert, three letters from Matilda to Robert, and five letters that Robert wrote to his parents. The finding aid for these letters can be found in the World War II Veterans Collection.