Robert E. Byrns Collection

The Robert E. Byrns Collection documents the military career, instructional activities, and research interests of Colonel Robert E. Byrns from the 1930s through the late 1980s, with particular emphasis on his service in the Armored Force Replacement Training Center (AFRTC) and Armored School at Fort Knox, Kentucky; his work with Special Training Units during World War II; and his later involvement with the Army Field Forces Arctic Test Branch in Alaska. The materials reflect Col. Byrns’s roles as an instructor, researcher, officer, and participant in both armored and amphibious training programs.

The collection includes extensive training, instructional, and administrative records from Fort Knox (1941-1948), such as documents outlining the organization and procedures of the AFRTC and Armored School; research and evaluation division reports; lectures and notes on classification, academic training, and mobilization programs; and Special Training Unit (STU) operational files. STU materials contain case studies, personnel evaluations, orders, training directives, academic materials, disciplinary records, and research on substandard personnel and literacy instruction. Also present as programs, manuals, newsletters, and certificates related to Col. Byrns’s instructional and student roles at Fort Knox.

A significant portion of the collection documents amphibious operations and armored tactics, including notes, reports, photographs, technical booklets, and standard operating procedures for amphibious tractor battalions and landing vehicle operations during World War II. These materials include reconnaissance reports, landing craft modification suggestions, and operational diagrams.

The collection also provides documentation of Col. Byrns’s service in Alaska, particularly his work with the Army Field Forces Arctic Test Branch at Big Delta (1949-1951). Materials include photo albums, photographs, sketches, reports, and observers’ notes on Exercise North Star (1951, 1954). Oversized photographs further illustrate Arctic testing activities. Additional items related to Alaska include National Guard sketches and a certificate from the Order of Arcticians.

Col. Byrns’s military career is further represented by personnel records spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s; certificates related to professional organizations and military qualification; correspondence with the Veterans Administration; and documents concerning his Regular Army integration and reclassification procedures. His early involvement with the Civilian Conservation Corps is documented through correspondence, orders, and a historical booklet.

The collection also contains photographs depicting Fort Knox training activities, Monterey Bay and Cochise Stronghold landscapes, the 4th Armored Division in France, ROTC camps, and various military personnel. Some materials relate to large historical studies, including copies of armored division operational analyses and tactical doctrine booklets.

Oversized materials included matted photographs, a hand-drawn map of New Caledonia, and a certificate from the Order of Articians, along with photographs of Company “M”, 157th Infantry (1929-1931).