Fred Montanari’s memories of the Battle of the Bulge. Gys Landsberger’s story of escaping from the Nazis through the mountains of Spain. Jim Principi’s description of the air and sea war in the Pacific as seen from the carrier Intrepid. None will be lost.   They are part of the Ridgefield Historical Society’s Oral History Project, which has preserved the memories of many World War II veterans. 

The World War II archive at this point includes the recollections of twenty three men and eight women.  They tell stories of the war in Europe, the Pacific and at home.  Recollections from the home front include Helen Pfeifer setting up prisoner of war camps across the South and Midwest, Artie Frattini guarding captured German soldiers at a prisoner of war camp and Margaret Malval’s days as a plane spotter on Ridgefield’s East Ridge.  

The World War II collection, started in January 2006, follows five months in which more general memories of Ridgefield in the early and middle years of the twentieth century were collected from ten people.   The Ridgefield Oral History Project will continue to grow, and anyone with suggestions of people with recollections of World War II or Ridgefield in the old days is invited to call Betsy Reid at 438-1104 or leave a message with the Ridgefield Historical Society at 438-5821.