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Winslett, Edmund J. (0103458): Difference between revisions
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|class_section=6B | |class_section=6B | ||
|class_rank=Captain | |class_rank=Captain | ||
| | |birth_date=4 June 1897 | ||
|birth_year=1897 | |birth_year=1897 | ||
|death_year=1986 | |death_year=1986 | ||
|nativity= | |nativity=United States | ||
|religion= | |religion=Protestant | ||
|overseas=Y | |overseas=Y | ||
|confidence=high | |||
|confidence= | |||
|class_number=16 | |class_number=16 | ||
|class_display=16 | |class_display=16 | ||
|arm_or_service=Coast Artillery Corps | |||
|birth_place=Alabama | |||
|rank_final=Major | |||
|specialty=Photographic interpretation; invasion planning | |||
|division=PI Team 131 | |||
}} | }} | ||
<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Edmund J. Winslett''' (1897 | '''Edmund J. Winslett''' (4 June 1897 – 1986) was a career U.S. Army officer who trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 16) in photographic intelligence, supported Luzon operations, helped plan the unexecuted invasion of Japan, and later handled visitor liaison and POW-exchange work in Korea. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Edmund J. Winslett was born in Alabama on 4 June 1897. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (mining engineering) and was commissioned an infantry officer in 1917. In 1919 he served as a first lieutenant (regimental S-2, base section). By the outbreak of World War II he had about twenty-four years of commissioned service and was assigned to coastal artillery defense of the U.S. homeland. | |||
Winslett trained at Camp Ritchie with Class 16 in photographic interpretation and became officer in charge of PI Team 131. After a brief European assignment he was ordered to the Pacific. His team supported the Luzon campaign under difficult conditions similar to other photo-intelligence units—poor communications, inadequate cameras, and supply shortages—before he was tasked in 1945 with invasion planning for Japan, including concepts for landings that would split Japanese forces among Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. The landings never occurred after Japan’s surrender. | |||
Promoted to major after the war, Winslett commanded the Visitors Liaison Office, Headquarters I Corps, in Japan through the Korean War period, working in public relations and negotiations. Near the end of the Korean Conflict he helped negotiate prisoner exchanges, drawing on interrogation and interview skills from Camp Ritchie training. He retired after roughly thirty years of service. He died in 1986. | |||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
* See RG 319; Box 4838 (?) | * See RG 319; Box 4838 (?) | ||
* PI 131 | * PI 131 (also noted as Temp 127) | ||
* Aughinbaugh notes that much individual detail of Winslett’s Japan-invasion planning work remains inaccessible or redacted in the papers he used | |||
== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
| Line 49: | Line 57: | ||
| row_source || both | | row_source || both | ||
|} | |} | ||
== Timeline == | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline"> | |||
<div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | |||
* 4 June 1897 — Born in Alabama. | |||
* 1917 — Commissioned infantry officer. | |||
* 1919 — 1st Lt (regimental S-2, base section), Infantry. | |||
* January 1942 — Noted as 2nd Lt (timeline research); serving in coastal artillery defense. | |||
* July 1943 — Served with 18th Coast Artillery as 1st Lt. | |||
* 1943–1944 — Camp Ritchie Class 16; officer in charge, PI Team 131. | |||
* Brief European intelligence assignment, then Pacific; Luzon photographic interpretation support. | |||
* 1945 — Assists planning for invasion of Japan (operation never executed). | |||
* Postwar — Promoted to Major; Visitors Liaison Office, HQ I Corps, Japan. | |||
* Korean War period — Public relations / negotiations; prisoner-exchange work late in the conflict. | |||
* Retires after ~30 years’ service. | |||
* 1986 — Died. | |||
</div> | |||
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
* Camp Ritchie | * [https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ghj/vol17/iss1/5 Kevin M. Aughinbaugh, “The Castle of Intelligence: Camp Ritchie Maryland and the Military Intelligence Training Center during the Second World War,” ''The Gettysburg Historical Journal'' 17 (2018), art. 5] ([https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1201&context=ghj PDF]) | ||
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data | |||
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records | |||
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present) | * NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present) | ||
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present) | * 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present) | ||
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Edmund J. Winslett for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed) | |||
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Winslett, Edmund J. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: EDMUND J. WINSLETT.doc) | |||
Latest revision as of 01:06, 18 September 2026
| Edmund J. Winslett | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 June 1897 Alabama |
| Died | 1986 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Coast Artillery Corps |
| ASN | 0103458 |
| Rank | Major |
| Rank at Ritchie | Captain |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944) |
| Section | 6B |
| Specialty | Photographic interpretation; invasion planning |
| Unit / division | PI Team 131 |
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Edmund J. Winslett (4 June 1897 – 1986) was a career U.S. Army officer who trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 16) in photographic intelligence, supported Luzon operations, helped plan the unexecuted invasion of Japan, and later handled visitor liaison and POW-exchange work in Korea.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Edmund J. Winslett was born in Alabama on 4 June 1897. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (mining engineering) and was commissioned an infantry officer in 1917. In 1919 he served as a first lieutenant (regimental S-2, base section). By the outbreak of World War II he had about twenty-four years of commissioned service and was assigned to coastal artillery defense of the U.S. homeland.
Winslett trained at Camp Ritchie with Class 16 in photographic interpretation and became officer in charge of PI Team 131. After a brief European assignment he was ordered to the Pacific. His team supported the Luzon campaign under difficult conditions similar to other photo-intelligence units—poor communications, inadequate cameras, and supply shortages—before he was tasked in 1945 with invasion planning for Japan, including concepts for landings that would split Japanese forces among Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. The landings never occurred after Japan’s surrender.
Promoted to major after the war, Winslett commanded the Visitors Liaison Office, Headquarters I Corps, in Japan through the Korean War period, working in public relations and negotiations. Near the end of the Korean Conflict he helped negotiate prisoner exchanges, drawing on interrogation and interview skills from Camp Ritchie training. He retired after roughly thirty years of service. He died in 1986.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- See RG 319; Box 4838 (?)
- PI 131 (also noted as Temp 127)
- Aughinbaugh notes that much individual detail of Winslett’s Japan-invasion planning work remains inaccessible or redacted in the papers he used
Gallery[edit | edit source]
After you are autoconfirmed, upload a photo and add [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]] here, or set |photo=Example.jpg in the infobox.
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 89 |
| Class_ASN | 3458 |
| Class_Name | WINSLETT, Edmund J. |
| match_method | pass2_unique_name |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 4 June 1897 — Born in Alabama.
- 1917 — Commissioned infantry officer.
- 1919 — 1st Lt (regimental S-2, base section), Infantry.
- January 1942 — Noted as 2nd Lt (timeline research); serving in coastal artillery defense.
- July 1943 — Served with 18th Coast Artillery as 1st Lt.
- 1943–1944 — Camp Ritchie Class 16; officer in charge, PI Team 131.
- Brief European intelligence assignment, then Pacific; Luzon photographic interpretation support.
- 1945 — Assists planning for invasion of Japan (operation never executed).
- Postwar — Promoted to Major; Visitors Liaison Office, HQ I Corps, Japan.
- Korean War period — Public relations / negotiations; prisoner-exchange work late in the conflict.
- Retires after ~30 years’ service.
- 1986 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Kevin M. Aughinbaugh, “The Castle of Intelligence: Camp Ritchie Maryland and the Military Intelligence Training Center during the Second World War,” The Gettysburg Historical Journal 17 (2018), art. 5 (PDF)
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Edmund J. Winslett for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Winslett, Edmund J. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: EDMUND J. WINSLETT.doc)