The James F. Frenzel aviation diary (dated 1917-1919; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a diary of Frenzel's enlistment and participation in the Aviation Branch of the United States Army while deployed overseas in France during World War I.
2009ms132.0021: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: James F. Frenzel aviation diary, 1917-1919, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
James F. Frenzel (1894-1950) lived in Indianapolis, Indiana before enlisting in the U.S. Army on May 31, 1917. He was the son of Oscar Frenzel (1862-1929), who was a cashier at a bank, and Lilly Frenzel (b. 1871). James was the oldest of five children. He wanted to study aviation but his father disapproved of his son's aspirations. His father eventually relented after the U.S. declared war on Germany and before James enlisted in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps. He spent eight weeks at ground school in Champaign, Ill. and then three months at flight school at Chanute Field, Rantoul, Ill. He was assigned to the 108th Aerosquadron upon completion of flight school and deployed overseas to France which he arrived on December 29th, 1917 after a month long journey. He was then assigned to the 3rd Aviation Training Center at Issoudun, which was the largest aviation base in France. Frenzel eventually became a flight instructor in 1918.
The James F. Frenzel aviation diary collection (dated 1917-1919; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a diary of Frenzel's enlistment and participation in the Aviation Branch of the United States Army while deployed overseas in France during World War I. The diary offers rich descriptions of Frenzel's experiences flying planes during training and while serving overseas in France along with unique descriptions of WWI pilot training and the dangers associated with learning to fly WWI-era planes.
The James F. Frenzel Aviation diary is part of the Wade Hall Collection of American letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.