### Section G. Former Prisoner of War (POW) Service Records

#### Overview

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| #          | > This section contains the following topics:           |
| #### In th |                                                         |
| is Section |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

  ------------ ---------------------------------------------- ------------
  Topic        Topic Name                                     See Page

  48           General Information on Former POW Records      2-G-2

  49           Sources of World War II (WWII) Record Groups,  2-G-4
               Other Than the National Archives and Records   
               Administration (NARA)                          

  50           WWII Record Groups Held by NARA                2-G-6

  51           Korean Conflict Record Groups                  2-G-8
  ------------ ---------------------------------------------- ------------

#### 48. General Information on Former POW Records

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### In   | > This topic contains general information on former     |
| troduction | > prisoner of war (POW) records, including              |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   the importance of verifying former POW status       |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   former POW information available at the National    |
|            |     Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and     |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   obtaining                                           |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   former POW information from NARA, and               |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   evidence from the claimant.                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### C    | > December 13, 2005                                     |
| hange Date |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### a. I | > It may be necessary to obtain former prisoner of war  |
| mportance  | > (POW) records when determining former POW status      |
| of Verifyi |                                                         |
| ng Former  | -   for purposes of determining eligibility to benefits |
| POW Status |     under 38 CFR 3.309(c), and                          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   in instances where certification of former POW      |
|            |     status is relevant to benefit eligibility.          |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### b.   | > The National Archives and Records Administration      |
| Former POW | > (NARA) has                                            |
|  Informati |                                                         |
| on Availab | -   a significant amount of information on former POWs  |
| le at NARA |     from World War II (WWII)                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   limited information on former POWs from the Korean  |
|            |     Conflict                                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   no records on former POWs from the Vietnam era, and |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   on rare occasions, service medical records (SMRs).  |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

Continued on next page

48\. General Information on Former POW Records, Continued

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| #          | > In order to obtain information from NARA, send a      |
| #### c. Ob | > request to the following address:                     |
| taining Fo | >                                                       |
| rmer POW I | > Military Reference Branch                             |
| nformation | >                                                       |
|  From NARA | > National Archives                                     |
|            | >                                                       |
|            | > Washington, DC 20408                                  |
|            | >                                                       |
|            | > The request should include                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   the veteran's                                       |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   name                                                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   service number                                      |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   branch of service, and                              |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   dates of internment, and                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   the name of the country or group that held the      |
|            |     veteran prisoner, such as the Germans or Japanese.  |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| #####      | > If unable to obtain personnel or medical records for  |
|  d. Obtain | > a former POW, ask the claimant to submit all such     |
| ing Eviden | > evidence in his or her possession.                    |
| ce From th | >                                                       |
| e Claimant | > ***Reference***: For more information on requesting   |
|            | > evidence of former POW status from claimants, see     |
|            | > M21-1MR, Part IV, Subpart ii, 1.G.                    |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

#### 49. Sources of World War II (WWII) Record Groups, Other Than the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### In   | > This topic contains information on sources of World   |
| troduction | > War II (WWII) record groups, other than NARA,         |
|            | > including                                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   where to obtain the records                         |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 389*, *Records of the Office of The   |
|            |     Provost Marshal General (PMGO)*                     |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   master indexes, and                                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   lists from the American POW Information Bureau, and |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   Record Group 407, the Philippines Archives          |
|            |     collection.                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### C    | > December 13, 2005                                     |
| hange Date |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ###        | > The records listed in this topic are available from   |
| ## a. Wher | > the groups indicated as having custody.               |
| e to Obtai |                                                         |
| n Records  |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##         | > *Record Group 389*, *Records of the Office of The     |
| ### b. Rec | > Provost Marshal General (PMGO)*, contains master      |
| ord Group  | > indexes from the International Red Cross that         |
| 389, Recor | > identify American POWs during WWII.                   |
| ds of the  | >                                                       |
| PMGO: Mast | > The records available include                         |
| er Indexes |                                                         |
|            | -   26 volumes of records on German POWs                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   6 volumes of records on Japanese POWs, and          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   1 volume of records on POWs interned in other       |
|            |     countries.                                          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | > The veterans are listed by                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   name                                                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   service number, and                                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   branch of service.                                  |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

Continued on next page

49\. Sources of World War II (WWII) Record Groups, Other Than the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Continued

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ####       | > *Record Group 389*, *Records of the Office of the     |
| # c. Recor | > PMGO*, contains lists from the American POW           |
| d Group 38 | > Information Bureau, Records Branch, in the General    |
| 9, Records | > Subject File, for the period 1942 to 1946.            |
|  of the PM | >                                                       |
| GO: Lists  | > Countries included in the lists are                   |
| From the A |                                                         |
| merican PO | -   Germany                                             |
| W Informat |                                                         |
| ion Bureau | -   Japan, and                                          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   the Philippines.                                    |
|            |                                                         |
|            | > The listings are arranged                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   first by country of internment, then                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   by location of camp, and finally                    |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   alphabetically by name.                             |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##         | > *Record Group 407*, *the Philippines Archives         |
| ### d. Rec | > Collection in the Records of The Adjutant General\'s  |
| ord Group  | > Office, 1917*, includes some records for the          |
| 407, the P | > following camps and others:                           |
| hilippines |                                                         |
|  Archives  | -   Bilibid                                             |
| Collection |                                                         |
|            | -   Cabanatuan, and                                     |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   O\'Donnell.                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

#### 50. WWII Record Groups Held by NARA

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### In   | > This topic contains information on WWII record groups |
| troduction | > held by NARA, including                               |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   where to obtain records                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 92*, *Missing Air Crew Reports        |
|            |     (MACR)*                                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 153*, *Records of the Office of The   |
|            |     Judge Advocate General (JAG, Army)*                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 242*, *the NARA Collection of Foreign |
|            |     Records Seized in 1941*                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 332*, *Records of the U.S. Theaters   |
|            |     of War, WWII*, and                                  |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 407*, *Strength and Accounting        |
|            |     Branch*.                                            |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### C    | > December 13, 2005                                     |
| hange Date |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##         | > The record groups listed in this topic are available  |
| ### a. Whe | > at the NARA Suitland Reference Branch.                |
| re to Obta |                                                         |
| in Records |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### b. R | > *Record Group 92*, *Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR)*, |
| ecord Grou | > in the records of the Quartermaster General, provides |
| p 92, MACR | > information regarding                                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   air crashes, and                                    |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   subsequent captures.                                |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ###        | > *Record Group 153*, *Records of the Office of The     |
| ## c. Reco | > Judge Advocate General (JAG, Army)*, contains         |
| rd Group 1 | > interrogation reports of individual former POWs after |
| 53, Record | > repatriation to the United States.                    |
| s of the J | >                                                       |
| AG (Army), | > Individuals who were victims of, or who observed the  |
|            | > atrocities in, the POW camps made the reports.        |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

Continued on next page

50\. WWII Record Groups Held by NARA, Continued

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### d.   | > *Record Group 242*, *the NARA Collection of Foreign   |
|  Record Gr | > Records Seized, 1941*, provides an alphabetical       |
| oup 242, t | > listing of American flyers that were shot down and    |
| he NARA Co | > captured in Europe and North Africa.                  |
| llection o | >                                                       |
| f Foreign  | > The listing includes the                              |
| Records Se |                                                         |
| ized, 1941 | -   name                                                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   rank                                                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   service number                                      |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   date shot down                                      |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   physical condition of the veteran when captured,    |
|            |     and                                                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   hospital or camp to which the flyers were taken.    |
|            |                                                         |
|            | > ***Notes***:                                          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   Sometimes there is a list of the crew members with  |
|            |     the veteran at the time of capture.                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   Both the original German records and the English    |
|            |     translations of the lists are in NARA's possession. |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### e.   | > *Record Group 332*, *Records of the United States     |
|  Record Gr | > Theaters of War, WWII*, contains the G-s, MIS-X file. |
| oup 332, R | >                                                       |
| ecords of  | > ***Note***: This is an alphabetical file of           |
| the U.S. T | > interrogations of escaped POWs.                       |
| heaters of |                                                         |
|  War, WWII |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### f    | > *Record Group 407*, *Strength and Accounting Branch*, |
| . Record G | > has strength returns and lists the following          |
| roup 407,  | > information:                                          |
| Strength a |                                                         |
| nd Account | -   names                                               |
| ing Branch |                                                         |
|            | -   service numbers, and                                |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   dates of internment.                                |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

#### 51. Korean Conflict Record Groups

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### In   | > This topic contains information on the Korean         |
| troduction | > Conflict record groups, including information on      |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   where to obtain records                             |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   *Record Group 319*, *Records of the Army Staff*,    |
|            |     and                                                 |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   records relating to the former POW status of        |
|            |     veterans of the Korean Conflict.                    |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### C    | > December 13, 2005                                     |
| hange Date |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ###        | > The records listed in this topic are available from   |
| ## a. Wher | > the groups indicated as having custody.               |
| e to Obtai |                                                         |
| n Records  |                                                         |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| ##         | > The NARA Military Reference Branch, in *Record Group  |
| ### b. Rec | > 319*, *Records of the Army Staff*, has paper records  |
| ord Group  | > for American POWs of the Korean Conflict that include |
| 319, Recor | > lists of names of Allies exchanged with the           |
| ds of the  | > communists.                                           |
| Army Staff | >                                                       |
|            | > The individual volumes include the following          |
|            | > information:                                          |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   Volume 1                                            |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   lists locations of POW camps identified by number   |
|            |     and location, and                                   |
|            |                                                         |
|            | -   includes 140 pages of American POWs listed by name, |
|            |     service number, rank, unit and camp number, and     |
|            |                                                         |
|            | ```{=html}                                              |
|            | <!-- -->                                                |
|            | ```                                                     |
|            | -   Volume 2 includes supplemental lists of both        |
|            |     military and civilian prisoners of various          |
|            |     nationalities.                                      |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
| #####      | > The NARA Center for Electronic Records                |
|  c. Record |                                                         |
| s Relating | -   handles requests for records relating to the former |
|  to the Fo |     POW status of veterans of the Korean Conflict, and  |
| rmer POW S |                                                         |
| tatus of V | -   has custody of the casualty lists that indicate     |
| eterans of |     former POW status.                                  |
|  the Korea |                                                         |
| n Conflict | > ***Important***: NARA will not release this           |
|            | > information to the Department of Veterans Affairs     |
|            | > (VA). To obtain this information, the claimant must   |
|            | > request it directly from NARA.                        |
+------------+---------------------------------------------------------+