World War II Soldiers

• 940.54 GAW. Finding Your Father's War: A Practical Guide to Researching and Understanding Service in the World War II U.S. Army by Jonathan Gawne.
• Finding Information on Personal Participation in World War II [PDF] by the National Archives and Records Administration.
  Go to: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/ww2-participation.pdf

Military personnel records are a valuable tool in genealogical research. Most veterans and their next-of-kin can obtain free copies of their DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Report of Separation) and other military and medical records. Limited information is releasable to the general public without the consent of the veteran or the next-of-kin. You are considered a member of the general public if you are asking about a veteran who is no relation to you, or a veteran who is a relative but you are not the next-of-kin. Next-of-kin is defined as the unremarried widow or widower, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister of the deceased veteran. (NOTE: Some DD Form 214 may be available online. Check FamilySearch for availability. See Databases below.)

Request veterans' service records from WWII at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/.

Other Resources available at the National Archives:

• Military Records: World War II
  Go to: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/
• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel
  Go to: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/army-casualties/
• State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel
  Go to: http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/navy-casualties/
• State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel from North Carolina
  Go to: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305211
• Electronic Records related to WWII Some of the series and files listed in this report are accessible online. Examples include:
  • World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories
  • Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941 - 1988
  • Muster Rolls and Personnel Diaries of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1/1/1949 - 12/31/1971
  • World War II Action and Operational Reports, 12/7/1941 - 1946
• Search WWII Electronic Records in the Access to Archival Databases (AAD). Includes enlistment and POW records.
  Click on World War II.
  Go to: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/
• A Finding Aid to Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II             
  Go to: https://www.archives.gov/publications/ref-info-papers/70

• Ancestry Library Edition database collection includes a number of databases relating to World War II.
  • "U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947." Available In-Library Only.
  • "North Carolina, U.S., Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948." (Index with some images) Available In-Library Only.
• Fold3 includes draft registration cards, enlistment records, muster rolls, photos, war diaries, and more.
  Go to: https://fold3library.proquest.com/barcode?accountid=11047 Log into Fold3 with your library card.
• Family Search
  • United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Browse images by state)
    Fourth Draft Registration, often called the "Old Man's Draft." North Carolina not available (cards destroyed).
    Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1339071
    (Browse by name) Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2425786
    (For Partial Searchable Name Index) Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1861144
  • United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (Name index only)
    Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2028680
  • United States, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1945  (Name index only)
    Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2039747
  • United States World War II Prisoners of War of the Japanese, 1941-1945
    Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2127320
  • North Carolina, Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948 Includes "WD AGO Form 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation - Honorable Discharge", and Notice of Separation. (Search images by name)
    Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2053639
  • North Carolina, Military Discharge Records, 1915-1981. Military discharge records for various counties in the state of North Carolina, ranging approximately from 1915 to 1981. Includes Honorable Discharge. (Search images by name)
    Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/4163858
  • Military discharge records and index, 1922-1962, Gaston County, North Carolina Includes "DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" and "WD AGO Form 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation - Honorable Discharge" (Index and images)
    Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/300125

NOTE: Search all Discharge Record collections. Different Discharge Documents may appear for same individual in different collections. List of Veterans Military Discharge Documents by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

         Print

• 071.5677 BEL NCC OVER. World War II Military Photographs of Belmont, NC Area People. Belmont Banner.
• 355 GAS NCC OVER 2014. Saluting Our Veterans: 2014 Veterans Day Special Edition. Gazette Publishing Company.
• 920 SOL NCC. Soldiers' Stories: The Gaston Gazette Remembers Area World War II Veterans by Bo Peteresen. List of Gaston County World War II dead on pages 134 - 135.
• 929.81 REC NCC OVER. Recipients of Military Service Awards 1898-2004, North Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy.
• 940.53 CLO NCC. WWII - The Last Man Club of Gaston County, North Carolina: stories of the honor guard by Marty Cloninger.
• 940.53 WOR NCC. World War II Hometown and Home Front Heroes: Life Experience Stories from the Carolinas' Piedmont by Margaret G. Bigger. Includes several people from Gaston and Lincoln counties.
• 940.54 NOR NC. North Carolina's Shining Hour: Images and Voices from World War II by Our State Books.

         Online

• Young American patriots : the youth of North Carolina in World War II, Richmond, Virginia : National Pub., 1948.
  Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2729284
• Search our Gaston - Lincoln Biography & History Index for names of individual soldiers.
  Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/biography_index
• Soldiers Who Died in WWII: Gaston County
  Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/wwii/soldiers-who-died-in-ww-ii-gaston-and-lincoln-county-north-carolina
• Soldiers Who Died in WWII: Lincoln County
  Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/wwii/soldiers-who-died-in-ww-ii-gaston-and-lincoln-county-north-carolina
• The Gastonia Gazette World War II Soldier INDEX is an index to Gaston County soldiers found in the pages of the Gastonia Gazette newspaper.
  Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/gazette-world-war-2-soldier-index
• “They Fight the Foe; You Buy the Bonds!” The Gastonia Gazette, 19 Jan 1944, pages 1 & 9. Available on microfilm at the Gastonia Main Library Local History and Genealogy Department. Names are indexed in Gastonia Gazette World War II Soldier INDEX

         State Archives of North Carolina

• The World War II North Carolina Digital Collection includes a sample of World War II materials from the Military Collection of the State Archives of North Carolina.
  Go to: http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/home/collections/wwii
• Finding Aids for the World War II North Carolina Digital Collection.
  Go to: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/documents/world-war-ii-papers
• The North Carolina Military Camps Publications is comprised of various camp newsletters and publications in North Carolina and the United States during World War II.
  Go to: http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/search/collection/p16062coll10/searchterm/newsletter/field/all/mode/all/conn/and/order/nosort/page/1
• North Carolina Veterans Oral History Collection contains interviews with military veterans who were born and raised in North Carolina, and who served in the U.S. Armed Forces for any military service, engagement, or war.
  Go to: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/veterans-oral-history-collection
• Search the State Archives collections by using Discover Online Catalog (DOC). Some digital images are available.
  Go to: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/doc

Search our Catalog by Subject for: World War, 1939-1945.

• 016.355 CON NCC. United States Army Unit and Organizational Histories, Volume 2: World War I to Present by James T. Controvich.
• 355.70975 ALL NCC. Origin of Names of Army and Air Corps Posts, Camps and Stations in World War II in North Carolina by Mary Moore Allen.
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet: World War II
  Go to: http://www.cyndislist.com/ww2
• Sons & Daughters of World War II Veterans Genealogy Society
  Go to: http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/get-involved/sons-daughters/
• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships -- Index
  Go to: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Researching World War II Soldiers
URL: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/wwii/researching-world-war-ii-soldiers
Revised: 22 November 2022