Original U.S. WWII 101st Airborne 401st Glider Infantry Co. E Christmas 1942 Dinner Menu with Ephemera of Harvey Willis

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. The 401st Infantry Regiment was constituted on March 12th, 1918 but never called to active service. On June 24th, 1921 the regiment was assigned to the 101st Infantry Division as organized reserves. Since the 101st Infantry Division was already an established division on paper and had a basic structure, it was chosen to become the second Airborne Division. Consequently, the 401st was de-activated as a Infantry regiment on August 15th, 1942 and reconstituted on August 16th, 1942 as an Airborne Infantry Regiment at Camp Claiborne, LA. It consisted of two battalions that would land in gliders or by transport aircraft into a landing zone secured by paratroop forces.

This is a fantastic Christmas dinner menu for Company E, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division on December 25th, 1942. The interior page has broken off of the menu, but it is still intact, and on the middle page shows a yardlong photo of the company, with a complete roster of men in the company, including Harvey Willis, who this menu belonged to. There is also ephemera belonging to William T. Willis, his brother.

The menu comes with several bits of ephemera, including veterans organization membership cards, photos from childhood, funeral notices for Harvey, and a very interesting photo of Harvey Willis and a friend who died in a foxhole with him. The soldier’s name was Harlan E. Graham, and this could use some more research.

A fantastic group of 401st Glider ephemera, ready for further research and display.