How to Find WWII Soldier Records for Ancestry Research

Are you writing a narrative about a WWII soldier? Use this article to help find and use WWII soldier records and memorabilia.

Researching and writing about military service and war experiences can be particularly challenging. Stories run the gamut of being very funny to very emotionally gripping. WWII soldier stories can be about the individual who served in the military and the individuals who stayed home, such as spouses, children, extended family, and friends.

When I have wanted to write these stories, it has taken a lot of sleuthing to find WWII soldier records kept by the government and memorabilia and writings amongst family and that I can use to help support or help develop the storyline. I was able to interview several members of our family to learn about their experiences in WWII. At first, they were reluctant to share their thoughts because, as one person shared, “The horrific memories are too hard to relive.” Over time, I was patiently able to capture the memories they were willing to share.

I was also able to interview many family and friends who lived the experience on the home front. Their stories are rich and full and showed how WWII affected individuals, family, friends and community.

From the clues provided in the interviews, I wanted to see if I could find other material to help support and expand the story into a memoir covering the period. The research was essential to help me know the period through the eyes of those who lived and experienced WWII. This article is based on what I learned.

The following categories and additional resources are provided to aid your research and finding of military records for World War II 1939-1945:

WWII Overview
Build A Search Profile
Searching WWII Soldier Records
WWII Military History
Search the Cemetery for WWII Soldiers
Search Home for WWII Soldier Records and Memorabilia

As a companion article, I created a list of writing prompts and questions to help organize the WWII Soldier narrative. The article is entitled:

342 Questions to Ask When Writing A WWII Soldier Narrative

The article is part of the series “2,500-plus Questions to Ask People in 106 Categories.” The prompts and questions are provided to help you look at the WWII soldier narrative from as many angles as possible. Use the article to help you

Identify events and memories you can write about
Identify individuals to include in your stories
Organize, research and write stories
Know what type of information to include in narratives and stories
Identify memorabilia, artifacts, photos, documents to include in stories

See these articles to help you find articles for other military records.

How to Find Other U.S. Military Records
WWII 1939-45	WWI 1914-1918	Civil War 1861-1865
Mexican War 1846-1848	Early Indian Wars 1815-1858	War of 1812 1812-1814
Revolutionary War 1776-1783

Meaning of Each Religious Emblem of Belief for U.S. Military Headstones

WWII Overview

Fought between the years o1939-1945, World War II began in September 1939 when Germany, under Adolf Hitler’s leadership, invaded Poland. Britain and France responded by declaring War on Germany. German expanded its aggression in 1940 by attacking Denmark, Norway, followed by Belgium, Netherlands, and France on the ground and Britain through an air war. The United States joined the War on December 7, 1941, with Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. By the end of 1941, the Soviet Union joined the War on Britain’s side, and the United States with Germany invaded Russia.

The primary players in World War II were the Axis nations (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan and smaller allies and the Allied nations led by Britain (and its Commonwealth nations), the Soviet Socialists Republics the United States.

The United States and allied forces were engaged in combat against Japan in the Pacific and Germany/Italy in Northern Africa and Europe. In June of 1944 United States was part of the Normandy Invasion (D-day) in German-occupied France. The German Army was forced to retreat from the West and the East by Russia. Germany surrounded in May 1945. Japan was surrounded in August 1945.
During the War, over 50 million service personnel and civilians were killed. The nations suffering the most loss were as follows:

USSR 42,000,000
Germany 9,000,000
China 4,000,000
Japan 3,000,000

The profile of U.S. service members during World War II are as follows:

38.8% (6,332,000) of U.S. service members and all servicewomen were volunteers
61.2% (11,535,000) were draftees
The average duration of service: 33 months
Overseas service: 73% served overseas, with an average of 16 months abroad
Combat survivability (out of 1,000): 8.6 were killed in action, 3 died from other causes, and 17.7 received non-fatal combat wounds
Non-combat jobs: 38.8% of enlisted personnel had rear echelon assignments—administrative, support, or manual labor
407,316 servicemen were killed, with 671,278 wounded

Build A Search Profile for

Each Male and Female during WWII

I have made it a practice to search World War II records for males and females that I have found in the 1920-1940 U.S. Federal censuses between the ages of 16 to 60 years of age between 1941-1945. There is a good chance they served or registered for service in WW II. With the online availability of records, searching for military records should be part of your research process for males born between the years of 1891 and 1927.

Build a search profile for each male and female. Begin by developing a short profile for each male and female (who was in the military) you will be researching. You will use the list as a reference for your search. Include the following

Name of male and variations
Approximate age at the beginning and end of the World War II
An approximate birth year or birth date
Approximate death year or death date
Name of the wife/husband and children during their lifetime
State (include county if possible) where male lived before, during and after WW II

With the online availability of records, searching for military records should be part of your research process for males born between the years of 1891 and 1927.

I would begin to build my search profile, viewing the information on the 1920 to 1940 U.S. Federal census.
Check the 1920 U. S. Federal census to identify

Living males between the ages of 0/12 and 29
Place of birth for the male
If married, name of spouse and children and their ages
Place of residence (state and county) at the time of the census
Check the 1930 U.S. Federal Census
Living males between the ages of 2 and 48
If married, name of spouse and children and their ages
Place of residence (state and county) at the time of the census
Check the 1940 U.S. Federal Census
Living males between the ages of 12 and 58
If married, name of spouse and children and their ages
Place of residence (state and county) at the time of the census

Sample U.S. WWII Soldier Male Search Profile

Start with at least the 1930 and 1940 census and expand to the 1920 censuses as needed. A sample search profile is as follows:

Sample World War II male search profile
Census year	Name	Age and approx birth year/Date	Family	Location	Place of birth
1920 Census	Jay Stewart	3 (11917)	Living with father James Isaac Stewart	Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho	Nebraska
1930 Census	Thomas J. Stewart	13 (1917)	Living with father James Isaac Stewart	Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho	Nebraska
1940 Census	J. Stewart	23 (1917)	(F) Mary Elizabeth 22 (F) Mary 3/12 (F) Robert 2	Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho	Nebraska

Searching WWII Soldier Records

Once you have developed a World War I search profile for the males you want to research with available information, you are now ready to search multiple online databases, websites and microfilm. I would recommend researching all members of the family.

WWII soldier draft records. Once the United States entered World War II, the local draft boards of the Selective Service were required to register all men ages 18-64 for the draft. The draft’s focus was to give the United States an inventory of the manpower resources and skills that would be available for military, industrial, and national service.

Each card was filled out by the Selective Service registrar, who asked the applicant the questions and then recorded the answers. The applicant reviewed and signed the card. The information on the cards is as follows:

Name
Residence
Birth Place (Town or city, county, state or country)
Serial number
Age
Mailing address
Name and address of a person who will always know the applicant’s address
Employer’s name and address
Race

There were six draft registrations during the War, of which only the fourth is available. The other registrations are accessible to the public 62 years after discharge. If the veteran separated from the service before 1953, which is most of the WWII soldiers, you can access their Official Military Personnel File through NARA “Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Holdings.”l

For the veterans who separated from the service after 1952, only he/she or an authorized person can access their Official Military Personnel File through NARA “Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Holdings.”

The fourth draft, concluded on April 27, 1942, by the Selective Service, is currently available to research. The “World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942,” is often referred to as the “Old man’s draft” or “Old man’s registration.” These men were not expected to serve. The age group was to include men between the ages of 45 and 64 who were not already in the service. They were to have been born on or between April 28, 1877, and February 16, 1897. There is an overlap of the WWI and WWII registrants who were born between 1877 and 1900; thus, some men are registered twice. A complete set of fourth registration cards are available for 40 states and Puerto Rico. Only the boroughs of New York City are available for New York. The following states registration cards were destroyed:

Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee

The following are the fourth draft registration cards for World War II for the Stewart brothers (i.e., Clarence Jess Stewart, Robert P. Stewart, Blanchard J. Steward) who served in WWI.

Carefully record the information you gain from the cards to give you clues of other records to search. I have used the information on the cards to:

Learn the birth date and place of the individual. Use the information to birth records (e.g., birth certificate) and more information about immediate family, parents, and siblings.
Learn the names of spouses, dependents and residence. Use the information to look for additional records about the family, such as census, church and land records.
The occupation which also leads to occupation records
Land ownership used to help find land records

WWII Soldier Service records. Soldier service records cover the time a person was actually in the service. These records almost always include a name, dates of enlistment, attendance and discharge, beginning and ending rank, and military unit. Use service records to learn about the following

An individual’s military service
The necessary details to locate a pension file or military history
Place or date of birth (secondary source for this information)
Other information such as residence, occupation or citizenship
A physical description
Death or burial information
Medical information
Insights into the person’s personality and performance (promotions, AWOL notations, and so on)
See if and where the individual was held as a prisoner of War

Before World War I, service records are available and are located in the National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR), St. Louis, Missouri. The repository holds millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. Access to the records is usually limited to veterans or next of kin. The next of kin is defined as the un-remarried widow or widower, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran must provide proof of death of the veteran, such as a copy of the death certificate, a letter from the funeral home or a published obituary.1

You may now use vetrecs.archives.gov to order a copy of your military records. For all others, your request is best made using a Standard Form 180. It includes complete instructions for preparing and submitting requests. Please Note: All submissions must be in writing, signed and mailed to us at the address shown below. 2

Special note: On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). The records affected: 3

Branch	Personnel and Period Affected	Estimated Loss
Army	Personnel discharged November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960	80%
Air Force	Personnel discharged September 25, 1947 to January 1, 1964 (with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)	75%

No duplicate copies of these records were ever maintained, nor were microfilm copies produced. Neither were any indexes created before the fire. Also, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. However, in the years following the fire, the NPRC collected numerous records (referred to as Auxiliary Records) used to reconstruct basic service information. ⁴

If you desire the service record of an individual, do not assume they were burned. Go through the procedures that were outlined above.

WWII soldier pension records

Pension records are related to the post-service period when an individual (or their next-of-kin) may have received benefits. They usually include a name, dates of enlistment and discharge, beginning and ending rank, and military unit.

Use pension records to learn about the following:

An individuals’ military service
The necessary details to locate a military history
Place or date of birth (secondary source for this information)
Dates and places of other life events
Names of spouse or children (and sometimes their birth dates)
Other details (such as residence, occupation, or citizenship)
A physical description
Death or burial information
Medical information
Insights into an individual’s personality and performance (through his or her letters, affidavits filed by others who knew him or her, and so on)
Learn of an individual’s literacy; see individual’s signature
Learn more about individuals’ post-war years and life

The Department of Veteran Affairs all the applications for pension files. Veteran files are located in regional offices. I would suggest that you start with the regional offices in your area. Ask the staff in these offices to guide you through the request process and what relationship you need to obtain copies of the papers in the pension files.

WWII Military History

Military histories can add historical background to help you understand the conflict and an individual’s participation. Military history is often referred to as regimental or unit histories. They usually include a roster of those who served in the unit and dates of significant engagements.

Use military history records to more fully appreciate the military experience of a WWI soldier, learn who he or she served with, learn which engagements he or she was involved in, and see what he or she looked like.

If you are fortunate to find photographs, they can provide unit information as in this WWII uniform insignia for the 2nd Army.

Suppose you have the company, division, squadron of the individual. In that case, you can search the internet for available information that can include histories and lists to detailed records about individuals and units they belonged to. An example of a Google search query could be:

101st Airborne Division
111th Observation Squadron
124th Cavalry Regiment
12th Army Group
2nd Armored Division
2nd Battalion, 312th Field Artillery
8th Infantry Division
Allied Armies in Italy
B 17 Flying Fortress Units
Naval Air Station Port Lyautey
Seebees
Task Force 31
USS Picket
Women in WWII

Also, check with U.S. military resources regarding official military unit histories. The following are few resources on the internet:

Search the Cemetery for WWII Soldiers

Finding graves of soldiers from the World War I era is easier than you might think. The following are few resources.

Department of Veterans Affairs National Gravesite Locator

Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in V.A. National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker using the Gravesite Locator. ⁵

Arlington National Cemetery provides information on service members buried there.⁶

The American Battle Monuments Commission provides information on service members buried in overseas cemeteries. You can search U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans 1925-1963 on Ancestry.com.

Search Home for WWII Soldier

Records and Memorabilia

Home is a great place to begin your search for learning about family and an individuals’ military service. For example:

Military records and artifacts

This can include disability records, discharge records, National Guard records, pension records, selective service records, service medals or ribbons, sword or firearms, uniform.

Photographs

Photographs are great resources because you can see clues such as branch of service, unit numbers, specific War or time of service, service ribbons and medals, rank, patches, and pins related to skills and training. Photographs exist from as early as the Civil War.

Writings

As you research a personals writings (e.g., postcards, letters, notes), look carefully at the periods covering the various wars and conflicts. These communications are among the most saved and treasured in families. In our family, we have WWII letters and correspondence, which share their inner thoughts, activities, experiences, hopes, and dreams. Look at clues such as postmarks, stamps, inscriptions on postcards to see if they will give you any indications of where to look for information/records.

Scrapbooks and momentous

Look for collections of artifacts that include scrapbooks that are often organized by topic or timeline. I found a family trunk loaded with military images, letters, newspapers, postcards and much more from a WW I soldier.

Journals, written and oral family histories

Check to see if journals exist for family members. Has any member of your family written their memoirs about their military service? Is there an oral history or written history related to military service? I’ve been fortunate to record my dad and his brothers’ military experiences for WWII and Korean War.

Newspapers

Take the time to search microfilm or online collections of newspapers from the hometown where the family lived during War/conflicts. The newspapers were filled with stories about soldiers such as enlistments, graduations, letters from the front being published, promotions, images and deaths. Search every issue carefully; most stories about soldiers were on the front page of hometown papers. In our family, we have articles showing individuals enlistment in WWII and a series of articles about an uncle in WWII 1) June of 1943, his plane was shot down in WWII and was missing in action 2) July of 1943, he is in a prisoner of War in Germany and 3) April 1945 he is freed. Your best chance of finding articles will be from the 1890’s forward.

Death event records

As I have searched for death event records, I have been able to identify references that have helped me research military records. For example, obituaries will often mention branches of military service and related details. Headstones can say service and rank or even have markers related to the branch of service.