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Inventory of the Lt. Kenneth G. Maddox Papers,
93m04 Inventory of the Lt. Kenneth G. Maddox Papers, 1830-1990 (bulk 1943-1944) Archives Staff Special Collections Special Collections Kentucky History Center Kentucky Historical Society 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 USA Phone: (502) 564-1792, ext.4470 Fax: (502) 564-4701 URL: http://history.ky.gov/ Kentucky Historical Society 1993 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 2000. ENG Inventory of the Lt. Kenneth G. Maddox Papers, 1830-1990 (bulk 1943-1944) Contact Information Special Collections Kentucky History Center Kentucky Historical Society 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 USA Phone: (502) 564-1792, ext.4470 Fax: (502) 564-4701 URL: http://history.ky.gov/ Processed by: Staff Date Completed: 1993 Encoded by: Apex Data Services Copyright 1999 Kentucky Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. Lt. Kenneth G. Maddox Papers, 1830-1990 (bulk 1943-1944) 93M04 Maddox, Kenneth G., 1919-1944 1 box,.5 c.f. plus 2 volumes. Fair, but the Maddox Bible and some of the genealogical material is in poor shape --> Kentucky Historical Society. Special Collections & Archives. Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-1931 Access at KHS only. Use microfilm, transcriptions or images when available. For microfilmed copies see Clift number(s): None. Permission for commercial use must be requested from the Kentucky Historical Society. Special Collections. [Identification of item], Lt. Kenneth G. Maddox Papers, 1830-1990 (bulk 1943-1944), 93M04,Library Special Collections and Archives, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort. Maddox was born in Louisville May 6, 1919. He enlisted in the army in 1941, joining the 138th Field Artillery of the 38th Division. Maddox attended Officer Training School and graduated as a second lieutenant. He was later assigned to the 28th Division, known as the "Keystone Division," and received promotion to the rank of first lieutenant. Maddox was posted to England. Following the Normandy invasion, his unit went to the front lines in France in 1944. The division participated in the liberation of Paris. By October 1, Maddox was in Germany. Employed on a mission every day in the campaigns of that fall and winter, Maddox and his troops moved to Luxembourg in November. Maddox commanded an anti-tank gun crew defending a bridge to Clervaux, Luxembourg, December 18 in the Battle of the Bulge, which had commenced two days earlier. The officer alone saw an approaching German soldier coming to attack the crew from the rear. After shouting an unheard warning, Maddox exchanged fire with the German. Both men were hit. The German fell down a cliff, according to the American witnesses. The American crew was forced to leave their wounded commander behind and flee the area by scaling the cliff. Maddox was evacuated to a German field hospital where he died of his wounds or complications on Christmas Day, December 25. This collection contains the World War II letters of U.S. Army Lieutenant Kenneth G. Maddox to his family. Also present are genealogical materials relating to the Maddox and Edmondson families. The bulk of the collection consists of Maddox's letters home to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Maddox of Louisville, and his brother and sister-in-law, Hunt and Doris Edmondson Maddox, then of Montgomery, Alabama. Some of the letters are in the photographed V mail form. One original V mail document is included. The letters begin in 1943 when Kenneth Maddox was stationed in England. In these early letters, he spoke of sightseeing in that country, army life, and events at home. Following the D-Day invasion and his unit's transfer to the front, the tone of Maddox's letters reflect his battle experiences. He described the French countryside, his efforts to communicate in French, and the people he encountered. Included are details about the liberation of Paris and other French towns and descriptions of punishment administered to collaborators and girls accused of fraternizing with the Germans. Many of his letters included requests for warm clothing to be shipped from home. As his unit moved to Germany, Maddox wrote about staying in abandoned barns and houses, and bombing raids in the area. He spoke of the effect of combat on his nerves and his gratitude for his religious upbringing. He expressed interest in going into business with his brother after the war and was concerned that the war in the South Pacific awaited him when the war in Europe was over. Maddox's last full letter described in detail two days' liberty granted him and some of his troops in Paris in early December, 1944. A telegram dated the 20th sent Christmas greetings to his parents. Postwar items include a letter from one of Maddox's men, Staff Sergeant Bob Weisenseel to the late officer's aunt, Mrs. Edwin A. Hill, Jr. Weisenseel responded to Hill's letter informing him of Maddox's death. Weisenseel was one of three men in the anti-tank crew saved by Maddox. A portion of another letter, probably written by Maddox's mother to family members, told of Weisenseel's visit to the family in Louisville after the war to tell of Maddox's service. This letter noted the heavy casualties suffered by Maddox's regiment, with only 548 of 3000 surviving. The collection includes a photograph of Maddox in uniform, believed to be taken during his posting in England in 1944. A memorial service in Maddox's honor was held in Louisville April 14, 1985. A transcription of a minister's eulogy, the service program, and a laudatory letter from an official of Clervaux, Luxembourg, are present. A memorial to Maddox was dedicated by the Keystone Club of the Boy Scouts of America at the Scout camp at Covered Bridge in Oldham County. Maddox was a charter member of the Keystone Club, founded in 1938 by twenty-one Scout leaders to support leadership training and fellowship among Scout leaders. The collection includes two family Bibles of the Maddox and Edmondson families, with genealogical information. Genealogical charts compiled by Doris Edmondson Maddox and a Civil War-era letter are also present. Arrangement: Chronological Variant Name: Maddox-Edmondson Families Creator's Occupation: Army officer County: Jefferson; Oldham Maddox, Kenneth G., 1919-1944 Maddox, George R., 1889-1977 Maddox, Oma Mae Bunker, 1888-1960 Maddox, Maurice Huntoon, b. 1915 Maddox, Doris Edmonson, b. 1916 Edmondson family United States-- Army-- Division, 38th-- Field Artillery, 138th United States-- Army-- Division, 28th Boy Scouts of America Germany-- Heer World War, 1939-1945--Areial operations-- American World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations-- British World War, 1930-1945--Campaigns--Luxembourg World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Germany World War, 1939-1945--France World War, 1939-1945--Great Britain World War, 1939-1945--Germany World War, 1939-1945--Luxembourg Ardennes, Battle of the 1944-1945 V-mail Genealogy Great Britain--History--20th century France--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 Germany--History--1933-1945 Louxembourg--History Loiusville (Ky.)--History Clervaux (Luxembourg)--History Paris (France)--History--1940-1944 Container List Year: 1943 Date: November 23 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM hoped to get around Britain to see cities. He said he couldn't tell what he was doing or where he was but that things were going according to his guesses when he was still home. He told of a dance he attended and his shyness and bad luck in meeting girls of the area. He asked about home events, particularly the annual football game between Male and Manual High Schools in Louisville, expressing favoritism for Male. Year: 1943 Date: November 29 Description: KGM, V-mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM reported receiving: dog? Skippy's paw print separately, as the Army didn't photograph it and send it as V-mail, but as a regular letter. Year: 1943 Date: December 8 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. The letter includes descriptions of trips around London, England. Year: 1943 Date: December 15 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM reported he's glad to receive the Courier-Journal even if it's late to get local news. He talked about movies he attended, generally some a few years old. Year: 1944 Date: February 13 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM reports getting a large pack of mail, including late Christmas cards, presents, etc. He wrote of having his third egg since leaving the U.S. He was spending time with a local family, the Lewises. Mr. Lewis was to take him sightseeing if he could come up with a required business reason to use his car. Year: 1944 Date: March 9 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM talks about listening to a radio, hearing shows of Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Fibber McGee. Year: 1944 Date: March 19 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM talks about Hunt's draft status being one-A, gives Hunt advice on Army practices, advises him not to volunteer for anything, particularly overseas duty, and advises him to try to get into the Quartermaster department. He advised him to do anything to stay out of the infantry. He also wrote about seeing Scottish soldiers, and a show he saw. Year: 1944 Date: April 30 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM reported six nurses biked over to his camp. He borrowed one of the bikes and rode over his camp. Year: 1944 Date: May 6 Description: KGM, ALS to Maddox family. KGM's birthday. KGM tells of pet "Kaintuck": type not specified. He commented "I would give a month's pay without a minute's hesitation to buy a chocolate malted milk and to keep Fourth Street all lit up, particularly tonight, (Derby night)." Year: 1944 Date: May 15 Description: KGM, ALS to parents (Mr. and Mrs. George Maddox). KGM's birthday cake arrived damaged. He told of his change to Platoon leader on Anti-Tank Platoon of his Battalion and had jeep assigned to him. Year: 1944 Date: May 19 Description: KGM, V mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM is taking advantage of newly assigned jeep because he has been walking steady for two years now. Year: 1944 Date: June 9 Description: KGM, V mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. He referred to D-Day invasion, expressing his gladness that it was underway. Year: 1944 Date: June 19 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM told about his dates with an American nurse. Year: 1944 Date: June 22 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM denied rumors that he'd hurt his leg in a blackout and spent a month in the hospital. He gave details about his nurse friend Joyce Hornberger. A portion of this letter is missing. It apparently concerned the activities of his friend Bill Murphy's division on D-Day and was probably censored. Year: 1944 Date: July 23 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM reported he was now in France and was sorry he didn't pay more attention to French class in high school. He described his efforts to communicate with French people. Year: 1944 Date: July 25 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. Description of French countryside. Year: 1944 Date: July 28 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. Things were "definitely going our way" but said it was unknown how long to "finish the job." Year: 1944 Date: August 8 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM apparently had gone into battle. He was very busy and was having a hard time finding time to write, and no time even to shave. He referred to digging and foxholes, and asked them to remember "every thing will work out for the best." Year: 1944 Date: August 18 Description: KGM, V mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM tried to speak French to 10-year-old boy with no success. He said all French wanted to shake hands, and reported it became tiresome but soldiers had to do it to preserve relationship. Year: 1944 Date: August 18 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. A shower KGM took the day before this letter was the second time in two weeks he'd been able to take his shoes off. He reported he is "plenty scared at times" but trusted he'll be home in the near future. Year: 1944 Date: August 19 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM replied to some earlier question from his mother about Christmas gifts, saying not to worry about them, as his situation changed rapidly, making it hard to "keep up with myself and a two blanket roll." He reported he had some warm clothes for the winter. Year: 1944 Date: August 26 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM warned against believing press reports that the war is over. He wrote that prospects were fair, but the situation was still hot. He said he had been under all types of fire, and described his capture of a German soldier. He also described the French countryside, and meetings with French people, including two women, (one of whom took his picture and he responded in kind). He also told of seeing another girl whose hair had been shaved by the French Underground for fraternizing with Germans. Year: 1944 Date: September 3 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM described being kissed by girls as his unit marched into towns. He reported France overflowed with beautiful girls. Year: 1944 Date: September 3 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM expected some day to be in Berlin. This letter was written on an original V-Mail form. Year: 1944 Date: October 31 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM noted coming of Halloween and said that he enjoyed the pictures he had recently received. He wrote "in the haste of leaving our last position which was of course after dark I must have left them on that library table. I know that German family will enjoy looking at them when they return to the remains of their home." He wrote the letter from a dugout. Year: 1944 Date: September 21 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM described his unit's entries into French towns and the enthusiasm of French population. He also wrote of the roundup of collaborators, particularly girls accused of fraternizing with the enemy, and the ritual punishment of such girls, including having their heads shaved and being verbally abused by spectators. He described at length an encounter with a group of men, fearing they were German troops, only to discover they were Luxembourgers who had hid from the Germans in the woods. He spoke of fear he would be sent to the South Pacific after the war in Europe ended. Year: 1944 Date: September 24 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM requested warm clothes as cold had already set in. Year: 1944 Date: October 1 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote that he was now in Germany and the weather was very disagreeable. He said he and others chased cows, pigs, and sheep out of barns and houses. He also spoke of German respect for old buildings. The weather was very rainy, almost like England. He wrote of French and German currency and exchange rates. Troop morale suffered due to early darkness. KGM was unable to attend church services because chaplains usually were unable to conduct them due to conditions on the front. He reported he had attended services that day in a barn stall fixed up with candles by soldiers. He and colleagues were eating animals hit by shrapnel. Year: 1944 Date: October 6 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM told that his division had liberated Paris and he could then provide some details. He reflected on his previous wish to visit three cities, London, Paris, and Berlin, and the fact that the war had taken him to two of the three already. He expressed his wish to "trade that last city: Berlin for New York or better still Louisville." Year: 1944 Date: October 12 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM's unit was taking a short rest. He noted his unit had been written up in Pennsylvania newspapers, particularly the PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER, for its role in the liberation of Paris. He discussed purchases of savings bonds and noted his fifth anniversary in military service. He expressed again his concern that the war in the South Pacific would long outlast the war in Europe. Year: 1944 Date: October 23 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote he was grateful to finally receive pictures and noted that several of officers pictured were no longer alive. He reported he was in a nice German home. He spoke of Allied bombing of civilian areas and general bombing raids, and talked of pranks and diversions played by GI's. In an additional note, dated the next day, the 24th, he discussed hisrequests for clothing and the fact that officers were required to purchase their own clothing, even in combat. Year: 1944 Date: October 25 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM hoped to establish a small business with Hunt after the war. Year: 1944 Date: October 30 Description: KGM, V mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM wrote from "three feet under" in a dugout. Year: 1944 Date: November 5 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM spoke of "uncertainty of things at all times" after three months in combat and the effect on his nerves. He said he had had his "fill" of action, but was not complaining, as he was thankful he hadn't been harmed so far. He felt his regular attendance of religious services was a sign the war had not changed him and that he would be able to fit "right back into the same kind of life I've always lived." His unit was then located in a dense woods. He spoke at length about Christmas, giving instructions to buy gifts for those to whom he usually gave gifts, and writing about the many packages he had reason to expect. Year: 1944 Date: November 6 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM enclosed official photograph of the liberation of Paris: no longer present with the letter. Year: 1944 Date: November 12 Description: KGM, V mail to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM wrote he no longer liked snow. Year: 1944 Date: November 12 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM wrote that the October 2 issue of LIFE magazine contained information about his outfit. Year: 1944 Date: November 15 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM gave nicknames of his outfit, "Bloody Patch," "Bloody Bucket," "Bucket of Blood," and "Keystone." Year: 1944 Date: November 21 Description: KGM, V mail to parents. KGM wrote from Luxembourg, where he was billeted in a private home and teaching English to the family's children. Year: 1944 Date: November 23 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote that he was still in the private home in Luxembourg. He gave Thanksgiving wishes and relayed his thankfulness for his upbringing, particularly his religious training. He gave details about the family in whose home he was staying. The husband was in a German prison camp, so the wife ran the farm and cared for the four children. He stated his hope the war would be over by Easter. He also reported on a full Thanksgiving dinner enjoyed by his unit and the local mayor. The letter was on the letterhead of the American Red Cross, with Maddox's division, the 28th Infantry, printed on the heading as well. Year: 1944 Date: November 28 Description: KGM, ALS to Doris and Hunt Maddox. KGM referred to some business deal in the works with Hunt, and his willingness to live in the South, presumably Alabama, where Hunt then resided. He stated he and his unit had a mission every day. Year: 1944 Date: November 28 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote that he took his first bath in five months at the mayor's house and heated water with a blow torch. Year: 1944 Date: December 5 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote while serving as Duty Officer all night. He talked about the importance of mail on general morale and regretted the death of his Uncle Trigg. He had a 48-hour pass for Paris but could not take it if circumstances changed. He observed that local children in Luxembourg must work hard to fill manpower shortage. Year: 1944 Date: December 12 Description: KGM, ALS to parents. KGM wrote that seven truckloads of men were given a sudden pass to Paris, for which he had to make last-minute arrangements. Officers stayed at the Hotel Edouard VII. He visited his nurse friend,: Lieutenant Joyce Hornberger, who was now stationed at the 217th Hospital in Paris. He retailed his visit, including a stop in a Parisian cabaret, sightseeing, and seeing soldiers from all over the world. Year: 1944 Date: December Description: KGM, Christmas card to parents. The card bears the words "Happy Christmas 1944" over a red-printed image of a Christmas tree on the left and a coat of arms and the words "Grand-Duchy of Luxemburg" in the upper right. KGM signed the card. Year: 1944 Date: December Description: KGM, Christmas postcard to parents. The card shows landmarks of Paris, a GI climbing the top of the Eiffel Tower holding a holly sprig, and "A Merry Xmas" printed down a star-spangled banner. Maddox's signature is in the lower right corner. Year: 1944 Date: December 20 Description: KGM, telegram to parents. Sent Western Union, with Christmas greetings. Year: 1945 Date: July 23 Description: Staff Sgt. Bob Weisenseel, ALS to Mrs. Edwin A. Hill, Jr., aunt of Kenneth Maddox. Weisenseel was one of Maddox's men and was saved by Maddox's heroic action in firing at an approaching German soldier. Weisenseel responded to Hill's letter informing him of Maddox's death, speaking of feelings of admiration and brotherhood for Maddox in service. Weisenseel reported that he had corresponded with Joyce Hornberger, who had also received notice from Hill of Maddox's death. Weisenseel gave the names and addresses of the other two men in the tank crew saved by Maddox's action. They were Charles Schumaker of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Joseph Russinko of Garfield, New Jersey. Year: 1945 Date: October 24 Description: Maddox's mother?: Mrs. George R. Maddox, TL to?: family members, apparently The writer told of Bob Weisenseel's visit to Maddox family to describe the action in which Maddox fell in battle. Maddox was protecting his gunner crew by exchanging fire with a German soldier coming from the rear. Both were hit, the German falling down a cliff. The crew, under a sergeant's command, had to flee the area by scaling the cliff and were forced to leave Maddox behind. The soldiers later found Maddox's jeep but his personal items were gone. The soldiers believed Maddox died when he was hit, but the family had been informed otherwise, without knowing what complications or factors caused his death a week after being wounded. The soldiers reported that their regiment, originally 3000 soldiers, had only 548 survivors at war's end. A portion of the letter is missing. Year: 1985 Date: April 14 Description: Memorial service transcription by Doris Maddox, with service program and other associated material. The service was sponsored by the Boy Scouts' Keystone Club, of which Kenneth Maddox was a charter member. The Keystone Club was formed in 1938 by twenty-one Scout leaders to encourage leadership training in Scouting. The service noted the dedication of a permanent memorial to Maddox at Covered Bridge Camp in Oldham County. Year: 1944 Description: Photograph, Lieutenant Kenneth G. Maddox, in uniform. Transcriptions / Images