Herbert Heidepriem—World War II Collection

Content Description

The collection consists of digital files of letters, photographs, news clippings, maps, military records and interviews concerning the service of Herbert Heidepriem in World War II. Herbert Heidepriem (1922-1993) was born in Custer (S.D.) to Eric and Vivian (Adair) Heidepriem. In 1942, Herbert joined the United States Army Infantry and was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division, 423rd Regimental Headquarters Company as a radio operator. He was shipped overseas in October 1944. His company was stationed at Buchet, Germany in December 1944 during the German army’s Ardennes Offensive, more popularly known as the “Battle of the Bulge.” Herbert and Eliot Annable, a fellow radio operator, hid out in the Ardennes Forest for five days before making contact with American forces. Heidepriem was wounded later in the war, spending several months of convalescents in England. He was discharged from the Army in March 1946. The bulk of the collection consists of World War II era correspondence between Corporal Herbert Heidepriem and his friends and family. The collection was arranged into four series: newspaper clippings, photographs, military paperwork and correspondence. The collection also includes an oral history interview, from 2018, with Eliot Annable concerning his and Herbert’s time during the Battle of the Bulge. The items were run through the South Dakota State Archives, Digital Preservation Program and saved in the following location, N:\Archives\Digital Collections\ ACCESSIONED. The original materials and a copy of the digital files were also donated to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Acquisition Type

Gift

Restrictions Apply

No