by Nikole Gianopoulos
An archive of the then-West Georgia College alumni Captain Lynn Elwood Witt’s military and post-war career is now resting in the special collections section of the Ingram Library at the University of West Georgia.
“We are honored to hold the papers of this esteemed World War II veteran,” said Blynne Olivieri, head of special collections at Ingram Library. “Mr. Witt performed a tremendous service for our country and we are thrilled to be able to share photographs and documents with students, faculty and the public which detail his military service.”
The distinguished soldier enlisted in the Army Air Corps when the U.S. entered the war in December 1941. Within a year, Mr. Witt was commissioned a second lieutenant and received further training at numerous other bases. He was a fighter pilot during the war and attained ace status for downing six Japanese aircraft.
Mr. Witt was eventually promoted to captain and put in command of his unit when he led his squadron in the attack of the Japanese task force near Mindoro Island in the Philippines. Due to a lack of time to re-arm the planes with 500-pound bombs, the squadron was forced to take off without them. Aircraft attacking ships during the war had a low chance of doing any damage, which is why Mr. Witt’s destruction of a destroyer was astonishing.
After the war, Mr. Witt stayed in the military making it his career and achieving the rank of colonel. Upon retirement he moved back to Bowdon with his wife Edna Strong Witt who became known as “Miss Eddie.”
The archive made up of photographs, letters, reports, citations and documents not only sum up the life of Mr. Witt but also provide a glimpse of how soldiers and their families lived during the war. His letters home contain details that reveal Mr. Witt’s life and the life of many other soldiers. Other letters tell of his downtime in New Guinea and a rainy day in San Francisco. There’s also some letters that simply have the word “free” written in place of a stamp – all soldiers could send anything home by mail without postage.
Although the Witt collection was donated too late to be included, UWG is currently hosting an exhibit on how people from this area experienced the war, both as soldiers fighting overseas and on the home front. The exhibit, Over Here and Over There: Georgia and Georgians in World War II, will run until December 7.
The Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. To schedule a visit please call 678-839-5455.
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