An Oshkosh aviator describes being shot down over Italy and life in a German prisoner of war camp.

Paul and Loa Fergot Papers, 1942-1945. (selections).

Paul Fergot, a U.S. Army Air Corps navigator during World War II from Oshkosh, in Winnebago Co., was shot down over Italy in 1944 and held as a prisoner of war in Germany until his release in 1945. The first six letters digitized here pre-date his capture, and describe Italy, his thoughts on fighting the Germans, the possibility of having to bail out of an airplane, war losses, being stationed in Italy, his 50 required missions, the incidents that led to him being awarded a Purple Heart, bailing out of a plane as it goes down, and how luxury items are rationed. The final four documents include two postcards from Paul as a prisoner of war, a letter from his P.O.W. camp requesting a package, and his excitement at the thought of returning home to his wife. Three boxes of additional papers, including his wife Loa's manuscripts and more than 100 photocopies of photographs documenting camp life (described here), exist in paper form in the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. These documents are made available online through a partnership between the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Public Television.

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