Morton N. Cohen collection

The Morton N. Cohen collection includes personal photographs taken by Morton N. Cohen while he served in the United States 95th Infantry Division, as well as a typed manuscript of the history of the 95th Infantry Division. The photographs reveal scenes from the Division’s travel throughout France, Germany, and Holland. Of particular note are photographs of the arrest of Franz Von Papen, former Vice-Chancellor of Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1934, photographs of a Soviet prisoner of war (POW) concentration camp located in Warstein, Germany, and photographs of soldiers on ships returning to the United States. The printed materials in the Morton N. Cohen collection include the “History of the 95th Signal Company,” written by Wilson C Beneditz, Oscar Hackbarth, Ray Carr, and Younger Tomas. This typed document chronicles the activities of the Signal Company of the 95th Infantry Division in Europe. The booklet, Bravest of the Brave: The Story of the 95th Infantry Division, traces the European route of the 95th Infantry Division with US Signal Corps photographs. It was printed by Desfosses-Neogravure in Paris, France. The 9V Victory magazine provides a photographic record of the combat achievements of the 95th Infantry Division. It was published by the Public Relations Office of the 95th Infantry Division and features photographs by the US Army Signal Corps, Associated Press, French Press Agency, and the 95th Infantry Division. The magazine’s inside cover contains an inscription written by Morton Cohen. The photographs in the collection were taken by Morton N. Cohen while serving with the 95th Infantry Division. The photographs include the arrest of Franz Von Papen, who was discovered at his son-in-law’s hunting lodge in the Ruhr, a concentration camp for Soviet POWs in Warstein, Germany, and towns and city scenes from the 95th Infantry Division’s advance through Europe. The photographs capture the everyday experiences of United States soldiers in Europe, significant war damage in towns and cities, the wreckage of German aircraft, captured German soldiers, European civilians, and the return of United States soldiers on ship. The photographs are arranged by location, when identified, and are dated between 1944 and 1945. Several of the photographs include annotations written by Morton N. Cohen.

The Morton Cohen collection is arranged into two series: Series 1: Manuscript, circa 1945 Series 2: Photographs, 1944-1945