Mediterranean Theater | Oral History

Mediterranean Theater

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 1376

His experiences in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. Assignment as executive officer for PT-309, PT Squadron 22, at Bastia, Corsica, 1944; interception of and engagements with German barge traffic along the western coast of Italy and the southern coast of France, 1944-45; encounters with German “F-lighter” armed barges; invasion of southern France, November, 1944; engagements with German shore batteries; participation in commando landings; capture of Italian MAS torpedo boats.