Oral History Spotlight: Warren Wilt
The historic Potsdam Conference was held near Berlin, Germany from July 17 to August 2, 1945. It would be the last WWII meeting of the three heads of government from the U.S., U.K. and U.S.S.R. President Truman, British Prime Minister Churchill (and his successor Clement Attlee) and Soviet Premier Stalin convened to discuss how the world would recover from the war, how they envisioned the post-war world, and issued a declaration that they would demand unconditional surrender from Japan.
What would a soldier tasked with helping to guard President Truman at this event think or feel at such an important time in history? Mr. Warren Wilt gives us the answer to that question in this week’s edition of our Oral History Spotlight series. Wilt was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and saw combat from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge. Due to severe frostbite, He was hospitalized and eventually returned to duty as an MP. Two months after the war in Europe ended, he was assigned to help guard the American president at Potsdam. Listen to Mr. Wilt as he recounts these memories and many more from our collection of recordings
