World War II Electronic Records Reference Report
Introduction
This reference report provides an overview of selected electronic data records in the custody of the National Archives directly relating to World War II. Full descriptions of the series and data files listed in this report are in National Archives Catalog. Users can search the Catalog by title, National Archives Identifier, type of archival material, or keyword.
Some of the series and files listed in this report are accessible online:
- View/Download - This is a link for viewing and/or downloading the files and documentation from the Catalog. For more details on downloading files, please review the frequently asked questions (FAQs).
- Search - This is a link for searching the records via the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource.
All of the files are also available for a cost-recovery fee. For more information see: Ordering Information for Electronic Records.
In addition to the series and files listed in this reference report, the unit has custody of other electronic series containing World War II-era records. Description of them are in NARA's Catalog. Some are described in Theodore J. Hull's article, "Electronic Records in the National Archives for World War II Research", that appeared in the Fall 1994 issue of Prologue.
Record Group 38: Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
- Records of Duty Locations for Naval Intelligence Personnel, 1942-1945
National Archives Identifier: 603333
Online Access: Download SearchThis series has information about military intelligence personnel attached to Naval Group China during World War II.
Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration
- World War II Army Enlistment Records
National Archives Identifier: 604357
Online Access: Download SearchThis series contains records of approximately 9 million men and women who enlisted in the United States Army between 1938 and 1946, including the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Enlisted Reserve Corps. The series does not include records for Army officers, members of other military services, or enlistments from other time periods.
Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority
- Records About Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II
National Archives Identifier: 574045
Online Access: Download SearchThis series contains personal descriptive data about Japanese Americans evacuated from the states of Washington, Oregon, and California to ten relocation centers operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II in the states of California (Tule Lake and Manzanar Centers), Idaho (Minidoka Center), Utah (Central Utah Center), Colorado (Granada Center), Arizona (Colorado River and Gila River Centers), Wyoming (Heart Mountain Center), and Arkansas (Rohwer and Jerome Centers).
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Portland Branch Evacuee Property Files
National Archives Identifier: 40143322
Files: 98 Portable Document Format (PDF) files
Online Access: View/Download
This series documents the management and disposal of properties and goods as identified by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) as directed by Executive Orders 9102 and 9066. This series consists of correspondence, reports, and case files pertaining to the property of individuals, families, and businesses impacted by involuntary evacuation and relocation because of their foreign national status or Japanese ancestry. -
San Francisco Branch Evacuee Property Files
National Archives Identifier: 38221779
Files: 345 Portable Document Format (PDF) files
Online Access: View/Download
This series documents the management and disposal of properties and goods as identified by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) as directed by Executive Orders 9102 and 9066. This series consists of correspondence, reports, and case files pertaining to the property of individuals, families, and businesses impacted by involuntary evacuation and relocation because of their foreign national status or Japanese ancestry.
Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
- American Soldier in World War II Surveys, 1942-1945
National Archives Identifier: 620483
Online Access: DownloadThis series contains information on soldiers' attitudes toward job assignments, medical care, food quality, leisure time activities, opportunities to advance in the Army, women in the military, and race relations, among other subjects. Most surveys contain information on the respondent's age, education, marital status, home town, religious affiliation, pre-military occupation, rank, branch of service, time in the service, and job assignment.
Record Group 389: Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General
- Records of World War II Prisoners of War
National Archives Identifier: 583428
Online Access: Download SearchThis series has information about U.S. military officers and soldiers and U.S. and some Allied civilians who were prisoners of war and internees held by Japanese or German powers.
Collection ADBC: Records of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor
- World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data Files, ca. 1941 - ca. 1945
National Archives Identifier: 731002
Online Access: Download SearchThis series contains information on military personnel and a few civilians who were prisoners of the Japanese during World War II. The American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor compiled these records from the series "Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 1942-1947," the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor registration cards, unit rosters, and other sources.
Related Information
Theodore J. Hull, "Electronic Records in the National Archives for World War II Research," Prologue 26 (Fall 1994): 166-169.
Theodore J. Hull, "The World War II Army Enlistment Records File and Access to Archival Databases," Prologue 38 (Spring 2006): 54-60.
Lee A. Gladwin, "Top Secret: Recovering and Breaking the U.S. Army and Army Air Force Order of Battle Codes, 1941-1945," Prologue 32 (Fall 2000): 174-182.
Lee A. Gladwin, "American POWs on Japanese Ships Take a Voyage into Hell," Prologue 35 (Winter 2003): 30-39.
NARA brochure, Finding Information on Personal Participation in World War II
NARA Reference Information Paper 78, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II "The American Soldier" Surveys
NARA Reference Information Paper 80, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees
NARA Reference Information Paper 82, A Finding Aid to Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: American Military Casualties and Burials
World War II Japanese American Internment and Relocation Records in the National Archives
Other finding aids and guides are listed on Selected Finding Aids Related to NARA's World War II Holdings
Contact Us
Reference Services
Electronic Records
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
(301) 837-0470
e-mail: cer@nara.gov
January 2023
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