Harold Raskin World War II Diary and Images - Diary, "Blind Landing on Iwo Jima"

About the Project

Harold Raskin was born on June 20, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. Raskin was attending Brooklyn College when the United States entered World War II and Raskin enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Raskin was sent to Iwo Jima in March 1945 as part of the Army Airways Communications System, 7th AACS Wing Ground Control Approach (GCA) unit . As a part of this unit, Raskin assisted pilots in making Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) landings in times of zero visibility. During his time in Iwo Jima, Raskin kept a diary which he entitled, "Blind Landing on Iwo Jima." After the war, Raskin returned to Brooklyn College to complete his education and then he worked as a furniture salesman in his family's furniture store until his retirement in 1990. Harold Raskin died on June 12, 1996.

This collection consists of a bound copy of Harold Raskin's typewritten diary kept during his time as part of the Army Airways Communications System, 7th AACS Wing Ground Control Approach (GCA) unit. The diary, entitled "Blind Landing on Iwo Jima," covers the dates January 2, 1945 to August 20, 1945. The collection also includes digital image scans of 34 photographs and one document loaned to the Archives for copying by Harold Raskin's son, Donald Raskin. The images depict daily life and U.S. Army Air Forces operations in Iwo Jima during the period of 1945-1946 and include aerial views of Iwo Jima. Aircraft depicted in the images include the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Family (Model 345). The scanned document is an operational log for the Army Airways Communications System, 7th AACS Wing Ground Control Approach (GCA) unit, dated April 3, 1945.

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Project Progress (details)

140 pages completed

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140

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Complete