125th Naval Construction Battalion Seabee's Newsletter 1944 WWII
A 1943 Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ad promoting V-Mail
A mailer promoting V-Mail for those at home writing to the men overseas.
Part of the V-Mail promotional mailer, an overview of what to write to loved ones about.
1944 WWII V-Mail
1944 WWII V-Mail
A Zenith fountain pen advertisement, encouraging buyers to "write him via v-mail."
This 1944 US Navy Seabees V-Mail features anti-Tojo imagery.
Easter ishes, sent via V-Mail in 1944.
An Independence Day greeting sent via V-Mail
A trio of US Navy V-Mails sent from Hawaii in 1944 and '45.
A 1945 ad for Emerson Electric, encouraging women to write V-Mail to their husbands overseas.
Happy Thanksgiving 1945, sent via V-Mail
A letter sent from a soldier to his infant daughter, wishing her a happy first Easter, via V-Mail.
A Valentine's Day V-Mail, sent in 1945
This V-Mail letter was returned to sender, noting the recipient had been killed in action.
Christmas greetings sent via Airgraph (the British version of V-Mail)
More Airgraph Christmas greetings.
Airgraph 1943 Montreal, Canada Jerusalem Palestine Agency Jewish Youth Aliyah ~ Sender is searching for Jewish Children
An Airgraph written to Palestine from London regarding Jewish immigration certificates.
Signed, "Wishing you all my love. Dad."
Detailed instructions for writing and sending an Airgraph.
This catalogue contained stationery templates and forms, along with instructions for sending V-Mail or Airgraph overseas.
A New Year's greeting sent by a soldier in the Middle East via Airgraph.
An unused Christmas V-Mail from 1943.
A Christmas and New Year 1943 V-Mail by the famous Jewish GI Cartoonist, Dave Breger. Breger was the person who coined the phrase GI.
V-Mail explicitly related to Jewish religion and culture isn't easy to find. This Rosh Hashanah greeting is a valued part of my collection.
This Christmas V-Mail features Donald Duck's mischeveous nephew, Dewey.
"Just suppose that instead of this mailbox you came face-to-face with the boy in uniform you've neglected to write!" This Dole Pineapple ad implores readers to use V-Mail to write to soldiers overseas.
Four Airgraphs sent between the UK and Palestine in 1943 and '44.
V-Mail sent from Corporal Frank Wolfensteein to loved ones in London.
A Gaines Dog Food ad promoting V-Mail.
Seasons Greetings from Great Britain, sent via V-Mail
A film strip of two V-Mail negatives.
Henrietta Szold 1943 Airgraph to Jerusalem, Palestine for London, UK.
This Rosh Hashanah greeting card was created by a Jewish US serviceman in the South West Pacific theater for the Jewish New Year 5705 (1944–1945) and would be used as an approved V-Mail design. The back of this card reads, "Nancy: Just returned from services. Very nice. About 1,000 men attended. We were presented with these careds. I will mail more tomorrow. Love, JS."
A Jewish New Year V-Mail message.
A loving V-Mail sent to wife and daughter by Jewish officer Leonard Cohen. (No, not that Leonard Cohen.)
A Jewish New Year greeting from Chaplain Norman Siegel, to the family of a soldier who'd attended recent services.
A letter sent by an American soldier in France, detailing how they'd been able to open the synagogue for high holidays and invite the "handful of Jews who had survived from several thousands" to worship there.
A Jewish New Year greeting sent by Lt. Al Rosenblum.
A Passover greeting sent from Italy in 1945 by Lt. Al Rosenblum.
Jewish New Year wishes sent via V-Mail
A Jewish New Year V-Mail from the Pacific Theatre
A V-Mail sent by a soldier in Africa to a friend, detailing his recent outing to a Jewish wedding—and his unfortunate mistake of sitting on the ladies' side of the church.
Kodak created both V-Mail and Airgraph, and this ad explains the method behind the medium.
An Airgraph sent to Jerusalem from Essex.
This Pitney Bowes ad encourages the use of V-Mail and offers readers complimentary forms.
A bottle of ink marketed specifically for V-Mail use.
1943 Christmas greetings, sent via V-Mail.
A 1993 satirical local post cover by Hideaki Nakano parodying WWII V-Mail as "V-D Mail" to comment on sexual health.
A cover and cachets celebrating the 50th anniversary of V-Mail.
An advertisement for a writing kit to send overseas with deployed loved ones, making it easier for them to write home.
A Pitney Bowes postage meter ad encouraging readers to use V-Mail to ensure their loved ones receive news from home promptly.
A magazine page featuring radio starlet Dinah Shore's pumpkin pie recipe—and, in the bottom left corner, her reminder to use V-Mail to write to servicemen.
This is an undated censored V-Mail illustrated to Evelyn Shaffer, Merrimac Street, Buffalo, New York. It was sent by Corporal A. E. Shaffer, 87th Dep. Rep. Squadron (Deputy Representative Squadron, APO 520 indicates that at this time the Corporal was fighting in Italy). The illustration is of a circle with a map enclosed & Berlin and a swastika in the map with a partial V visible behind the circle and the target above the circle. There is also a Morse Code dot dot dot dash for V or Victory at the bottom.
A stamp honoring V-Mail, from the USPS's 1993 "Turning the Tide" series.
A holiday V-Mail featuring an anti-Japanese Christmas cartoon.
An anti-Jewish V-Mail valentine mocking Yiddish.
A V-Mail featuring a hand-drawn anti-Hitler cartoon and (presumably) original poem.
More V-Mail Christmas greetings.
Double-Franked V-Mail sent to a soldier in South Africa
An advertisement for pencil lead marketed specifically for writing clear V-Mails.
The back of this original 1943 AP photo reads, "Washington, D.C. ~Lieutenant Frances Rich, (left) of the Women's Reserve, is the new V-Mail Officer for the Navy here. She inspects microfilm which Lt. Paul R. Grigsby shows her Lieutenant. Rich replaces Lieutenant Grigsby who is now available for combat duty. Miss Rich is the daughter of radio and screen star Irene Rich."
V-Mail containing an anti-Japanese cartoon.
An anti-Japanese Christmas greeting sent via V-Mail
A V-Mail template featuring an anti-Japanese/anti-Tojo cartoon and poem.
An anti-Japanese St. Patrick's Day greeting.
Another anti-Japanese St. Patty's Day V-Mail, representing the Japanese as one of the snakes St. Patrick famously kicked out of Ireland.
Instructions for correctly addressing a V-Mail form to ensure it's sent promptly.
Jewish New Year greetings
Jewish New Year greetings
A V-Mail from a Jewish chaplain, informing the recipients that he's enjoyed having their son in his services recently and will continue to minister to his spiritual needs.
A V-Mail message from a Jewish chaplain informing recipients that their loved one attended Rosh Hashanah services.
A V-Mail card sent from CPL Danny Grossman to my grandparents Army Navy store, wishing them a happy Jewish New Year.
A V-Mail sent from my father to his mother, informing her how to address her letters to him.
A V-Mail from my father, Sgt Bernard Philipson, to his brother Herbert, informing him that he'd arrived in England.
A V-Mail to my father, who was at Camp Polk at the time, from his friend Pvt Bok Karasikin, who was in the UK.
A 1944 V-Mail to my father from his Jewish friend Marvin Rosner.
Christmas greetings to my Grandfather Louis at his Army Navy Store, sent by his friend William Sharpe.
A V-Mail from my father to his brother Herbert. In it, he apologizes for not having written recently. "We've been on the go," he says, "giving Jerry hell." (Jerry was a common US military nickname for Germany.)
A V-Mail card bearing the Jewish chaplain's insignia, from the US 2nd Marine Division.
A box of Eversharp V-Mail pencil lead.
Several tubes of Eversharp V-Mail pencil lead.