World War II

Europe-Mediterranean Directorate
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's mission is to provide the 

fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel from past conflicts to 

their families and the nation. Within this mission, we search for Americans 

missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold 

War, the Gulf Wars, and other recent conflicts. Our research and 

operational missions include coordination with hundreds of countries and 

municipalities around the world.

71,000+ 7,000+ 1,500+ 110+ 6

71,000+

110+

7,000+

1,500+

6

DPAA’s Worldwide Mission

2

Almost 82,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, 

and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Of those, 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship 

losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).
Europe-Mediterranean Directorate

MDT Team Assignments 

& Number of Missing Personnel

Western Europe

>2,000

Central and 

Eastern Europe

>2,000

Mediterranean

>1,900

Underwater

>10,000

No Losses

Indo-Pacific 

Directorate 

Area of 

Responsibility

Europe-Mediterranean Directorate
Objectives

• Review historical recovery efforts

• Provide overview of current research and 

analysis, investigations, and recovery methods

• Provide status of WWII investigations and 

recoveries

• Demonstrate how we are advancing cases
Military Burials in World War II

Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands

Normandy, France

1941 1945 1951

Burial of battle 

casualties largely 

handled by organic 

graves registration 

teams (often attached 

to combat units), or on 

an ad-hoc basis by 

available personnel. 

The recovery, processing, and 

identification of WWII remains is 

run by the American Graves 

Registration Service (Pacific) or 

American Graves Registration 

Command (Europe), organized 

under the Office of the 

Quartermaster General. 
American cemeteries in Europe

Across all theaters of World 

War II, U.S. fatalities were 

buried, disinterred, and reburied across a series of 

cemeteries as remains from 

around the world were 

concentrated to be returned to 

the U.S. or buried in one of its 

permanent cemeteries abroad.
American Graves Registration 

Service/Command Records

• Search and Recovery reports 

• Reports of Investigation

• Mortuary and cemetery records

• Identification analysis

• Unknown “X-Files”
Individual Deceased Personnel File

Individual Deceased Personnel 

Files (IDPFs)

• Foundational resource for casualty 

research

• Basic information about each casualty 

and their circumstances of loss.

• Medical records

• Dental records

• Correspondence with families

• Personal effects

• Value can vary by individual and service 

branch

• Project underway to scan all IDPFs and 

make them available to DPAA in Case 

Management System (CMS)
Official Military Personnel File

Official Military Personnel Files 

(OMPFs)

• Standard service file for all American 

military personnel

• Enlistment/commission information

• Duty stations and assignments

• Awards and promotions

• Military Health Records
Military Records
Missing Air Crew Reports

Missing Air Crew Reports 

(MACRs)

• War Department mandated their used 

for all AAF losses in mid-1943. 

• Basic information on aircraft loss:

• date, time, location of loss, weather

• names of crewmen, service 

numbers

• model, serial number of aircraft, 

unit

• serial numbers of engines, 

armaments

• survivors and witness statements

• maps/photos

• enemy records (KU reports)

• Available to anyone through the 

National Archives or Fold3
Challenges of Archival Research

Before we can digitize records, we have to find them!

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 

• National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)

• Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA)

• Presidential Libraries, University Collections...

• Foreign Archives

NPRC Fire in 1973

• Army lost 80% of 

personnel records from 

1912-1960 (and no 

duplicate copies)

• Navy and Marine Corps 

records largely unaffected

• Efforts underway to 

restore damaged records
Maps

Operational Records

Original archival records often 

provide more detailed 

information than is generally 

available in published sources.
Maps

An Investigative Clue
Photographs

Historical Imagery

Monterotondo, Italy August 1943
Photographs

An Investigative Clue

Current May 1944
Modern Imagery

Investigation Planning

Current Imagery
Photographs

Investigation Planning

August 1943
Modern Imagery

Investigation Planning

Current Imagery
People as Sources

Families of the Missing

• Letters & other documents

• Photos

• Health information

• DNA (Family Reference Samples)

France

• Material evidence

• Wreckage

• Evidence of human remains

Local Witnesses
DNA Family Reference Sample

DNA family reference samples for DPAA’s identification efforts 

are collected by U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and 

State Department service casualty offices.

Contact information for your service casualty office can be found at:

https://www.dpaa.mil/Families/Contact-Information/
Field Investigations

How does DPAA use field investigations 

to help find remains?

• Locate and review local records

• Locate sites – land and/or underwater

• Interview witnesses

• Survey sites – crash and/or burial

• Collect material evidence

• Establish merit for excavation

England

Austria

Germany

France

Italy

Sicily
Field Excavations

• Eur-Med MDT personnel 

recommend sites for excavation

• DPAA logistical planners arrange 

excavation teams

• Europe Detachment personnel 

coordinate excavation with local 

authorities 

• Excavations conducted by organic 

DPAA teams, often led by MDT 

archaeologist, or partner teams 

with oversight by DPAA 

archaeologists
Underwater Sites

• Underwater investigations and 

excavations typically limited to 

sites less than 150 feet deep 

• DPAA assisted by U.S. Army and 

Navy dive teams

• Additionally, DPAA is partnering 

with experts at universities, 

research institutions, and foreign 

naval units to find and excavate 

submerged sites
World War II Briefing Videos

DPAA World War II Briefing videos

describe the overall historic perspective

of various battles/operations, address

the number of unresolved losses, and

provide a progress update.

They can be found at:

https://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/Briefing-Videos/