Frank D. Browning World War II Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2021-05-04

Contents of the Collection

The Frank D. Browning World War II Collection pertains to Browning's service as a navigator and bombardier with the 490th Bomb Squadron in the China India Burma Theater during World War II. Most of the items are dated 1942-1947, with some later dates. Materials include military records, including Browning's military business cards and a conduct guidelines sheet; a partially filled notebook, maps of China and select United States cities, photocopies of clippings and printed ephemera likely collected by Browning during his service. Additionally, there are casual black-and-white photographs that depict military aircraft and personnel, including Browning; and snapshots of local architecture and people. The collection also includes a scrapbook created by Browning for his grandson. The scrapbook holds photographs, leaflets, personal correspondence and both draft and final versions of reminisces about Browning's service.

Dates

Creation: 1942-1947, 1952-1953, 1983, 1994-1999

Creator

Browning, Frank D., 1922-2016 (Person)

Language of Materials

Some materials are in Chinese and Japanese. All other materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research but has not been fully processed. Access to the collection may be limited or may require additional processing time. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: Frank D. Browning Jr.

Frank D. Browning Jr. (1922-2016) was a navigator bombardier during World War II.

Frank D. Browning Jr. was born on April 15, 1922 to Frank Browning Sr. and Margeret (Ackerly) Browning in Connecticut. Browning attended the University of Connecticut for three years for Civil Engineering and worked as a construction engineer. On March 18, 1944, he entered active military service with the United States Army Air Forces. Much of his training took place at Selman Field, Louisiana, but he also had courses in Fort Myers, Florida and Roswell, New Mexico. Browning was placed into the 490th Bomb Squadron (also known as the Skull and Wings) as a navigator and bombardier aboard North American B-25s. He primarily served in the China Burma India Theater. Browning was honorably discharged April 21, 1946. Post-war, he worked as a civil engineer.

It is unknown when Browning married his wife Agnes (last name unknown); the couple divorced in 1972. Frank D. Browning Jr. died on September 16, 2016 in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Biography derived from donor information and records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 full-width legal size document box)

Additional Description

Separated Materials

As part of the archival processing approximately 17 items were removed and are housed in Objects Storage. Types of material include pins, flags, navigator tools, and uniform pieces. Please contact us for more details.

Processing Information

This collection has not been fully processed. Materials arrived primarily sorted by format and remain as is. Photographic materials are unsleeved, in no particular order.. Maps remain folded. With the exception of the military orders and the scrapbook, most items arrived without folders; these have been placed in folders. The scrapbook has not been disassembled but does have some loose materials within. A few loose documents arrived in plastic sleeves and numbered; these remain as is. Some documents may need redaction prior to researcher access.