William J. Alexander | Oral History

William J. Alexander

OH 1931

Veteran of the World War II Pacific Theater. Decision to join U.S. the Navy in January 1941. Experiences in service prior to declaration of war; service at Cavite Naval Shipyard, Philippines; capture during a battle on the island of Corregidor; reflections on surviving as a prisoner of war (classified as MIA), planning and implementing an escape with fellow prisoners. Escape and return to American troops. Post-war Navy service.

OH 1288

Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 15, USS Randolph, USS Noble. His experiences as a PT boat skipper in the North African and European Theaters and various other duties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Early naval career, 1941-42; assignment to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Center, Melville, Rhode Island, October, 1942; association with future President John F.

OH 1166

Scientist, engineer, physicist. His role in the development of the proximity fuze in World War II. Education and technical training; employment with the Office of Scientific Research and Development, 1942; technical aspects of developing the proximity fuze; practical applications of the proximity fuze in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean Theaters; comments about the roles of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins, and Vannevar Bush.

OH 1284

His experiences as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippine Islands during World War II. Assignment to patrol-torpedo boats in the Philippines,1941; orders from General Douglas A.

OH 1363

Journalist. His experiences as a Japanese language interpreter/interrogator in the Pacific Theater during World War II; and his observations as a journalist while covering the proceedings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Pre-war career in journalism; U.S. Navy Japanese Language School, University of Colorado, 1942-43; assignment to the 4th Marine Division, 1943; Roi-Namur and Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, 1944; interrogation of Japanese prisoners-of-war; Saipan and Tinian, Mariana

OH 1208

His experiences as a fighter pilot in the European, Mediterranean, and Pacific Theaters during World War II. Primary training, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 1940; secondary training, Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas, 1941; advanced training, Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas, 1941; assignment to the 31st Fighter Group, 1942; training in the Bell P-39 Airacobra; move to England and assignment to fly a Spitfire; Dieppe Raid, August 19, 1942; North African Campaign, 1942-43; comments about General George S.