Activities

You’ve Got V-Mail! The Role of Letters and Communication in World War II
Guiding Question:
Overview:
Using an interactive timeline from the American Battle Monuments Commission, letters, videos and primary and secondary source analysis, students will explore the experiences of both servicemembers and families during and after the war.
Activity
Historical Context
Letter writing served as the main source of communication between soldiers on the front lines and their loved ones back home. World War II gave rise to Victory-Mail, or V-Mail, which allowed those across the world to express their feelings and share in their experiences. V-Mail employed a new technique. The postal service photographed and the letters and placed them on microfilm, or a reel of film. This technique saved the military much needed space to ship military supplies overseas. Thousands of letters were reproduced on thumb-nail sized microfilm rolls, which made it easier to send the letters overseas. Once the microfilmed letters reached their intended destination, the military “blew up” the letter to a legible size and printed them.
Objectives
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to
- Understand the role that letters played in connecting service members with their families; and
- Write a letter from the perspective of either a service member who fought in World War II or the next-of-kin of a service member who died during the war.
Standards Connections
Connections to Common Core
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions;
Connections to C3 Framework
D2.His.1.6-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts;
D2.His.14.6-8. Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past;
Materials
- Group A: Battlefield Experience Materials
- Group B: Battlefield Experience Materials
- Group C: Homefront Experience Materials
- Group D: Homefront Experience Materials
- Group A and B: V-Mail Writing Assignment and Rubric
- Group C and D: Letter Writing Assignment and Rubric
- computers with internet access and speakers
Lesson Preparation
- Divide students into four groups.
- Make copies of the Materials and Writing Assessment for each student in each of the four groups (A-D):
- Make copies of the V-Mail Writing Assignment and Rubric for students in groups A and B.
- Make copies of the Letter Writing Assignment and Rubric for students in groups C and D.
- Set up classroom technology and test all online resources before class.
Procedure
Activity One (60 minutes)
- Project the World War II Interactive Timeline in the front of the room.
- Ask students to identify the U.S. and France on the map.
- Click through the years at the bottom of the timeline (1939-1945) to review the evolution of the Allied control zones through time and the evolution of number of campaigns.
- Divide the class into four groups (A through D).
- Ask students how service members and families stayed in touch during World War II.
- Remind students that the communication went both ways: to the service members and from the service members.
- Distribute the materials and writing assessment to each group of students. Monitor and assist as needed.
- Teacher Tip: Preview each group. Some groups include more or less reading and can be adapted to students with various needs.
- Show the film, Letters [18:13], to the students to help them understand the value of these letters and the chain of communication between the homefront and the battlefield.
Assessment Materials
- Distribute copies of the V-Mail Writing Assignment and Rubric for students in groups A and B.
- Distribute copies of the Letter Writing Assignment and Rubric for students in groups C and D.
- Review the directions with the students.
- Teacher Tip: Students can complete this assessment independently or in small groups at teacher discretion.
- The V-Mail Writing Assignment Rubric and the Letter Writing Assignment Rubric can be used to evaluate student work.
Methods for Extension
- Students and teachers interested in learning more about families in World War II can download and read Matthew Elms’ book, When the Akimotos Went to War.
- Teachers can enhance students’ interest in the role of the connections between the battlefield and the homefront by exploring these related lesson plans on ABMCEducation.org:
Adaptations
- Teachers can build student groups based on the accessibility of the documents within each group.
Sources
Primary Sources
Blank V-mail envelope
University of North Texas Libraries Special CollectionsDisposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead, 1946
United States Department of WarFilm, Decision (1946)
National Archives and Records AdministrationJohn F. Kennedy, Remarks at East Coast Memorial to the Missing at Sea Dedication, New York, May 23, 1963
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (JFKPOF-044-026-p001)Letter, Curtis A. Kirkwood to Mrs. A. T. Kirkwood, 1944
State Historical Society of MissouriLetter, Donald Brown to Andrew Brown, April 5, 1944
Courtesy of Joyce SorensenLetter, Donald Brown to Andrew Brown, April 9, 1944
Courtesy of Joyce SorensenLetter, Donald Brown to Kleme [last name unknown], April 29, 1942
Courtesy of Joyce SorensenLetter, Major General J.A. Ulio to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Brown, August 28, 1944
Individual Deceased Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration - St. LouisLetter, Major General Thomas B. Larkin to Mrs. Barbara N. Vrtatko, January 15, 1948
United States Department of the ArmyLetter, Ralph Gilliland to Mrs. J. B. Gilliland, September 17, 1944
State Historical Society of MissouriLetter, Water S. Gunnarson to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Gunnarson, November 15, 1944
State Historical Society of Missouri
Secondary Sources
Film, Letters [18:13]
American Battle Monuments CommissionMatthew Elms, When the Akimotos Went to War
American Battle Monuments CommissionPrivate Donald E. Brown Fallen Hero Profile and Eulogy
ABMC EducationPrivate First Class James Vrtatko Fallen Hero Profile and Eulogy
ABMC EducationWorld War II: A Visual History
American Battle Monuments Commission