Nearly 16 million Americans served in uniform 

during World War II. Many others supported the 

war effort by working in a civilian capacity for the 

U.S. Government such as for defense industries 

or as agricultural workers. The National Archives 

and Records Administration has custody of many 

records relevant to 

personal participation in World War II. 

Individual Personnel Files 

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), Military 

Personnel Records, has custody of the personnel files for individuals who served in the Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marine Corps, 

and Coast Guard during World War II. 

In July 1973, a fire destroyed 85 percent of the Army and 

Army Air Forces individual personnel files, but the NPRC staff 

often is able to locate basic information relevant to a person’s 

service from other records in their custody. The fire did not 

affect records of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. 

The preferred method of requesting information from 

NPRC is via the web at http://vetrecs.archives.gov. Written requests 

national archives and 

records administration 

Finding Information on 

Personal Participation in 

World War II 

courthouse and register their service and discharge with the 

county recorder’s office. Is there a copy of this form, or other 

similar records, in your attic? 

Archival Research Catalog (ARC) 

www.archives.gov/research/arc/ 

ARC is the online catalog of NARA’s nationwide 

holdings in the Washington, DC, area, regional 

archives, and Presidential Libraries. ARC currently 

contains descriptions of 50 percent of National 

Archives records and over 125,000 digital images of 

selected historical documents and photographs. 

Access to Archival Databases (AAD) 

www.archives.gov/aad/ 

AAD gives you online access to a selection of historic databases preserved permanently in the National Archives. These 

electronic records identify specific persons, geographic areas, 

organizations, and dates. The records cover a wide variety of 

civilian and military functions and have many genealogical, 

social, political, and economic research uses. 

National Archives web site: www.archives.gov 

For inquiries: www.archives.gov/contact/ 

inquire-form.html 

Getting Started: Possible Family Sources 

Upon discharge from the military, veterans received a brief, 

usually a single page, summary of their service. For Army 

enlisted personnel this was War Department Adjutant 

General’s Office Form 53, Enlisted Record and Report of 

Separation. The other services had similar forms. There were 

also summary statements for discharged officers. These are a 

key source for information about an individual’s service 

including rank, service number, inclusive dates of service, 

dates of overseas service, principal unit, military occupation 

specialty, battles and campaigns, and decorations and awards. 

This type of information is important when attempting to 

locate other documents such as records about the unit/ship 

in which a service member served. The record copy of this 

form was filed in the service member’s Official Military 

Personnel File (OMPF). Normally, the veteran received a 

copy of the form. Some veterans may have had their form 

recorded or registered at their county courthouse. It was not 

uncommon for returning veterans to visit their local county 
may be submitted on Standard Form 180 (SF 180), Request 

Pertaining to Military Records. This form and other information about NPRC can be found at 

http://archives.gov/ veterans/militaryservice-records/get-service-records.html. 

The National Personnel Records Center, 

Civilian Personnel Records (CPR), has personnel files for individuals who worked for 

the U.S. Government as civilian workers. 

War Production Board files of the so-called 

“Dollar-a-Year” men are in the custody of 

CPR. Specific information on how to access 

these files is available at http://archives.gov/ 

st-louis/civilian-personnel/. 

Requests for personnel information on Merchant 

Marine seamen from World War II should be submitted to 

the U.S. Coast Guard, National Maritime Center, Director 

(NMC-4A), 4200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 510, Arlington, 

VA 22203-1804. 

Participation in the Military 

World War II Military Unit / Ship Records 

The National Archives has most records of Army, Army Air 

Forces, Marine Corps, and Navy units and ships that fought 

in World War II. These records vary in arrangement, content, and completeness, but all focus on documenting 

unit/ship organization and operations. Only rarely do they 

include information about named individuals. In order to 

search these records, you will need to know the exact designation of the unit/ship in which the service member 

served (e.g., Company A, 16th Infantry, 1st Division; 

249th Engineer Combat Battalion; 1921st Quartermaster 

Truck Company; or USS Missouri) and the approximate 

dates of service. 

Army and Marine Corps unit records include a variety 

of document types, including unit histories (narratives or collections of documents), after action reports, unit journals (usually a log of messages sent and received by a unit), and orders, 

including general orders issued by a unit indicating individuals who received a decoration or award. For the Army Air 

Forces, we have combat operations records (“mission reports”) 

for some units (mostly for bomber and fighter groups that fought in Europe) that provide 

operational details on missions flown against 

a specific target or on a particular day. 

Operations of Navy ships and other activities are documented through deck logs of 

ships and other craft afloat, which contain 

information about ship movements and 

administration for each of the six daily fourhour watches. Ships, aviation units, task 

organizations, and shore stations also prepared monthly war diaries (usually daily narrative 

entries, but not as detailed as ship deck logs) and action reports 

(prepared only after a significant combat action). 

Records of Navy ships crewed by Coast Guard personnel 

and serving as part of Navy task organizations are in Modern 

Military Records. Logbooks, muster rolls, and other records of 

Coast Guard vessels and stations, operated solely as a Coast 

Guard function, are in the Coast Guard records in Old Military 

and Civil Records. 

Merchant Marine Records 

A merchant marine casualty file can be found in RG 

26, Deceased and War Casualty Seaman’s Records, 

1937–50, located at the National 

Archives Building in Washington, 

DC. This series is arranged alphabetically and may provide death 

date, name of vessel, application of seaman’s certificates, 

copy of telegram announcing death, certificates of 

discharge from vessels, 

next-of-kin information, and a photograph of the seaman. 

The logbooks 

document the names 

and assignments of crew members, drills conducted during 

the voyage, brief descriptions of situations and events and 

some personnel-related information. Some of the regional 

archives hold official merchant marine logbooks for ports 

served by that region. Some have declassified merchant 

marine “secret logbooks” from 1942–45, that may contain 

more specific information than the official logbooks. Also, 

a national regional database, available at most of our 

regional archives, provides vessel names and voyage dates 

for various ports. 

Army Enlistment Records 

The electronic database of World War II Army 

Enlistment Records contains approximately 9 million 

records of men and women who enlisted in the Army 

between 1938 and 1946. It does not include records for 

officers or for all enlistees. There are known gaps in the 

coverage of this database (some records could not be 

converted to a digital form) and in the data within 

records for some individuals. The enlistment records 

contain basic information about the individual, including 

service number, name, residence, place and date of enlistment, and year of birth. The records are accessible 

through AAD at www.archives.gov/aad and by clicking on the link “World War II.” 
Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–71, 

Draft Registrations (of the Fourth Registration) 

Selective Service records for individuals who served during World War II (except for fourth registration cards) 

are in the custody of the Records Division, Selective 

Service System, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 

22209-2425. The person’s full name, date of birth, and 

legal address at the time of registration should be included in your request. There are two types of records: 

ledgers and cards. The ledgers are in the public domain 

and not restricted by privacy. The cards are considered 

personal information and written permission for release, 

a death certificate, and/or an indication the information 

is requested for genealogical purposes should accompany the request for copies of the cards. 

World War II Selective Service System draft registration cards for men born April 28, 1877, through February 

16, 1897 (known as the Fourth Registration), are available 

from our regional facilities. Each card has information such 

as the individual’s name, address, date and place of birth, 

signature, race, height, and 

weight. Using the 

search phrase 

“Fourth Registration,” consult ARC at www.archives.gov/ 

research/arc for more information. 

Prisoner-of-War (POW) Records 

About 130,000 American service members were captured 

by the enemy during World War II. The National Archives 

has records that list the names of individual POWs. To 

search records in our custody, a researcher needs to have the 

name of the POW, rank, service number, and approximate 

date and place of capture. 

In addition, the electronic records series Records of World 

War II Prisoners of War contains about 143,000 records of 

U.S. military personnel and U.S. and Allied civilians who were 

held as prisoners of war or internees by Japanese or German 

powers. The record for each individual includes information 

such as name, serial number, detaining power, POW or internment camp, report date, and unit. The electronic records series 

World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data File contains some 

additional information compiled by a volunteer organization 

about prisoners of war held by the Japanese. Both series of 

records are accessible through AAD at www.archives.gov/aad and 

by clicking on the link “World War II.” 

Casualty Files 

There is considerable documentation among many different series 

of records in the National Archives relating to 

casualties, but normally it is very difficult to 

locate information about a specific individual 

casualty. One notable exception pertains to 

Army Air Forces personnel whose plane 

crashed or was shot down while 

on operational missions. Beginning in June 1943, such individual losses were documented by a “missing aircrew report” 

(MACR) prepared by the unit to which the individual was 

assigned. Name, rank, service number of one or more crew members, or aircraft serial (tail) number is needed to search the series 

of MACRs in the National Archives. However, these records are 

also limited in that at least 30 percent of all operational losses are 

not documented by a MACR. Also a MACR documents only 

losses on combat missions when the plane came down in nonfriendly territory. 

Service numbers for men killed in action and who served 

in the Army or the Army Air Forces can be found in the World 

War II casualty lists available through ARC at www.archives.gov/ 

research/arc/ww2/. 

The Federal Government provides headstones for deceased 

members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces when a family 

member has applied for one. Applications for Headstones, 

1925–63, for U.S. Army personnel are in the custody of the 

National Archives and include the name of the deceased, unit 

designation, serial number, dates of service, date of death, and 

place of burial. To search these records, a researcher needs to 

know the year the application was made and the name of the 

deceased. Using the search phrase “Applications for Headstones 

and Army,” consult ARC at www.archives.gov/research/arc/ for 

more information. 

Individual casualty files exist for service members who died while on active 

duty. The custodian of these records for 

Army personnel is the Army Casualty and 

Memorial Affairs Operation Center, U.S. 

Army Human Resources Command, 

TAPC-PED, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, 

Alexandria, VA 22331-0482. Navy files are 

at the Military Medical Support Office, Mortuary Affairs Section, 

P.O. Box 886999, Great Lakes, IL 60088-6999. Information 

about Marine Corps casualties can be obtained from the Office of 

Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps, 

3280 Russell Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134-5103. 
-- II 

Records on Other Topics Related to 

“Personal Participation” 

Cadet Nurse Corps Files 

In June 1943, Congress passed the Bolton Act, which 

set up the Cadet Nurse Corps program in the Public 

Health Service (RG 90). Cards were kept for each cadet 

and include the name of the cadet, where and when she 

attended nursing school, where and when she completed her training, hometown, and how she learned about 

the program. In order to search the cards, the requester 

needs to provide the state, city, and name of the nursing 

school. As of this date, former Cadet Nurses have not 

received military recognition by Congress and are not 

eligible for veterans’ benefits. 

Japanese Internment and Relocation Records 

Several sources of information concerning Japanese 

American families interned during World War II are listed 

on the National Archives web site at www.archives.gov/ 

genealogy/heritage/japanese-americans.html. There is also an 

electronic database of Japanese American internees evacuated from Washington, Oregon, and California and sent to relocation centers. It is 

Rationing was an essential part of the war effort on 

the home front. Although the National Archives has copies 

of blank ration books and other forms and information 

concerning rationing, our holdings do not include records 

of recipients. 

Presidential Papers 

The Presidential Libraries of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. 

Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower have rich collections related to World War II, including materials on personal participation. The holdings of these Libraries include letters from individual soldiers and sailors and their family members; documents 

on awards, medals, and citations requiring Presidential approval; 

and letters of condolence from the President to the families of 

select servicemen. In its World War II Participants and Contemporaries collection, the Eisenhower Library has over 80,000 

pages of personal papers, diaries, printed material, and photographs of veterans who served overseas or on the home front. 

For a list of all Presidential Libraries, go to www.archives.gov/ 

presidential-libraries/contact/libraries.html. 

Special Media Records Pertaining 

to the Second World War 

The Second World War became the first U.S. conflict to be 

documented visually through the use of film and photography on a large scale. Waves of U.S. Government photographers and artists risked and, at times, gave their lives in capturing the most defining moments of the war, leaving the 

public with a legacy of millions of photographs and images. 

Combat footage and newsreels were used to document all 

aspects of the war, while propaganda and training films were 

produced to generate support for the war amongst military 

inductees and the civilian population. The rapid acceleration 

of the use of aerial photography for military operations and 

intelligence gathering led the Army Map Service to produce 

thousands of detailed, topographic maps for areas of the 

world never before surveyed by the United States. 

RIP 70, A Finding Aid to Audiovisual Records in the 

National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II, 

provides an excellent overview of still pictures, sound recordings, and motion picture films found within NARA’s holdings by record group. RIP 70 may be accessed online at 

www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/70/index.html. 

RIP 79, World War II Records in the Cartographic and 

Architectural Branch of the National Archives, provides detailed 

through the National Archives web page 

searchable by name and can be accessed 

information on the varied holdings of aerial photographs, archiat http://aad.archives.gov/ aad/ then click tectural drawings, charts, engineering plans, maps, 

on “World War II.” and ship plans found within NARA. RIP 79 

may be accessed online at www.archives.gov/ 

Civilian Participation at Home publications/ref-info-papers/79/index.pdf. 

Since the civilian defense structure dur­ The majority of special media records pertaining World War II was largely voluntary, ing to the Second World War are located in the 

the administrative records in NARA cus­ National Archives at College Park, Maryland. 

tody do not include files on or lists of Presidential Libraries also have some audiovisual 

volunteers such as air raid wardens, etc. materials and artifacts pertaining to World War II. 

If your family member worked in Instructions on how to search for selected spea factory or defense plant during the cial media items through NARA’s Archival 

war, the National Archives may have Research Catalog (ARC) may be found at 

custody of files relating to these com­ www.archives.gov/research/ww2/finding-aids.html# 

special-media. Selected digital images may be downinformation about individual workers. 

panies, but these files rarely include 

loaded via ARC. 
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Other Repositories 

• U.S. Army Military History Institute, 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013-5008. www.carlisle.army.mil/ 

ahec/MHI.htm. Its holdings include published and unpublished histories of many Army units, as well as surveys, questionnaires, and personal papers of World War II veterans. 

• Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112.

www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/. This is the repository for Army Air Forces unit histories and supporting documentation. 

• National World War II Museum, 923 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130. www.ddaymuseum.org/.

Formerly the D-day Museum, its mission is to honor the World War II generation. 

• Center for the Study of War and Society, Hoskins Library, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996.

www.lib.utk.edu/spcoll/searchms/ ww2index.html. The center collects diaries, letters, and other papers of individual service members, with particular emphasis on World War II. 

• Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540. www.loc.gov/vets/. The core of its

collections contains oral histories of veterans, particularly from World War II. 

Useful Guides 

• Jonathan Gawne, Finding Your Father’s War: A Practical Guide to Researching and Understanding Service in the World War II

US Army (Philadelphia, PA: Casemate, 2006). This only relates to the Army but includes historical information as well 

as practical, how-to tips; also see the related web site at www.fatherswar.com. 

• Richard S. Johnson, How To Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Directory (San

Antonio, TX: Military Information Enterprises Publishing, 1993). Not limited to World War II but it is multiservice and has contact information for military veteran and reunion groups. 

• Debra Johnson Knox, World War II Military Records: A Family Historian’s Guide (Spartanburg, SC: MIE Publishing,

2003). This includes an especially useful compilation of state, local, and private repositories holding documentary material relating to World War II. 

NARA Contact Information 

World War II Military Unit/Ship Records: 

Modern Military Records (NWCTM) 

National Archives at College Park 

8601 Adelphi Road 

College Park, MD 20740-6001 

Merchant Marine and 

Coast Guard Log Books: 

Old Military and Civil Records 

National Archives Building 

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20408-0001 

Individual Personnel Files–Civilian: 

National Personnel Records Center 

Civilian Personnel Records (CPR) 

111 Winnebago Street 

St. Louis, MO 63118-4126 

Still Pictures, Cartographic, and 

Motion Pictures (specify the branch): 

Special Media Division (NWCSC) 

National Archives at College Park 

Room 3320 

8601 Adelphi Road 

College Park, MD 20740-6001 

Individual Personnel Files–Military: 

National Personnel Records 

Center (NPRC) 

Military Personnel Records 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

For a list of all National Archives locations: www.archives.gov/locations