Robert E. Work collection

Identifier
irn639572
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2018.599.1
Dates
1 Jan 1945 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folders

2

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Robert E. Work (1916-2012) was born Heidolf Vierk on August 18, 1916 in Celle, Germany. He immigrated to the United States with his parents and sister in 1923 and settled in California. In 1941 he enlisted with the United States Army Air Corps. He rose to the rank of captain and was a Chief Interrogator for German prisoners-of-war, including Hanna Reitsch, Hitler's personal pilot. He continued to serve with the United Sates Air Force for the duration of his career, and retired as a colonel. Robert was married to Rosalyn Mitchell Work and had two sons, Mitchell Robert and Joel Christopher.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Mitchell R. Work and Joel Work.

Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Joel and Mitchell R. Work, sons of Robert E. Work.

Scope and Content

The collection contains 2 letters by Joseph and Magda Goebbels written from the Führerbunker in Berlin, dated April 28, 1945, addressed to Harald Quandt, son of Magda Goebbels (held in a Allied POW camp); and an interrogation report of Hanna Reitsch, Hitler's personal pilot, written by Robert E. Work, Captain, Air Corps Chief Interrogator, dated November 1, 1945. The interrogation report gives background on how Hanna Reitsch received the letters, German transcriptions, English translations, and Reitsch's evaluations of their content. Also included is a copy photograph portrait of Robert E. Work.

System of Arrangement

The collection is arranged as two folders. Folder 1 of 2: Letters and interrogation report, 1945 Folder 2 of 2: Photograph of Captain Robert E. Work, undated

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.