Abstract
Over the past two decades, historians have begun using oral histories to reinterpret the history of World War II. Earlier historians have relied heavily on official documents, journalists’ accounts and the letters, diaries, and memoirs of commanders and staff officers, leaving out the experiences of the common soldier. Oral histories have provided more detailed, personal, and emotional accounts of WWII than the written records. My research combines the oral histories of the 32nd Infantry Division, the Red Arrow Division, with written sources in order to gain new perspectives and insight into the soldiers’ experiences in WWII during the New Guinea campaign.
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