World War I and World War II Photographs in the National Archives
American soldiers leaving England for the front. Local Identifier: 165-BO-0159; National Archives Identifier: 16577256
The first and second World Wars are by far the most heavily covered subject matter within the holdings of the Still Picture Branch. Millions of photographs were created by American military photographers, foreign militaries, and private sources documenting personnel, combat, training, facilities, equipment and the homefront. In addition to photographs, thousands of posters were generated
Photographic formats include glass plate negatives, black-and-white acetate film negatives, color negatives, color transparencies, black-and-white prints, and color prints. In addition to the original format, a large percentage of the World War I photographs have been digitized along with a small percentage of World War II images.
Photographs can be found in the various Record Groups assigned to each military branch as well as the War Department. Below is just a sample of series available.
World War I Photographs
World War II Photographs
World War I and II Posters
National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized
Contact Us
World War I Photographs
American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs
Second Division arriving at New York City, New York. Local Identifier: 165-WW-139A-1; National Archives Identifier: 26433629.
Series 165-WW. Fully Digitized. This series consists of black-and-white photographs collected from private sources, the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and other Federal and State agencies. Subjects include A.E.F. activities, wartime industries and other activities on the homefront.
Photograph of American Soldiers in Trenches. Local Identifier: 111-SC-25287; National Archives Identifier: 55210121.
Photographs of American Military Activities
Series 111-SC. World War I portion fully digitized, coming soon. The World War I section of this series consists of black-and-white photographs taken by official U.S. Military photographers or accumulated from other government sources, foreign countries and private sources. Subjects include American Expeditionary Forces, soldiers of Allies and Central powers, battles, battlefield areas, havocs of war, and personalities. The vast majority of the World War I section has been digitized. See the guide to A.E.F. photographs.
World War II Photographs
General Photographic File of the Department of Navy
Series 80-G. Not fully digitized. This series consists of black-and-white photographs of naval ships, shipboard activities, naval aircraft, military and civilian personalities, and naval engagement.
Color images can be in series 80-GK.
Photograph of Burning and Damaged Ships at Pearl Harbor. Local Identifier: 80-G-32427. National Archives Identifier: 12008992.
Photograph of Sailors Paying Tribute to Casualties of the Pearl Harbor. Local Identifier: 80-GK-13328; National Archives Identifier: 12009116.
Photographs of American Military Activities
Series 111-SC. World War II portion not fully digitized. The World War II section of this series consists of photographs documenting U.S. military activities at home and abroad, Allies and Axis forces, major battles, destruction, the war effort on the homefront, and significant events, including the Holocaust, war crimes trials, and prisoner of war exchanges.
- Corresponding photographic albums can be found in the series 111-SCA.
- Color images can be found in 111-C.
- An online personality index can be found in the series 111-PX.
Photograph of Infantrymen in Beffe, Belgium. Local Identifier: 111-SC-198550; National Archives Identifier: 12010150
Photograph of American Troops on LCT Preparing for Normandy Invasion. Local Identifier: 111-C-1258; National Archives Identifier: 12008276
Photographs of the Allies and Axis
Series 208-AA. Not fully digitized. Photographs in this series were taken by OWI Domestic Branch and Overseas Branch photographers, U.S. military photographers, and private sources. Subjects cover all aspects of U.S. ground, air and sea operations as well as activities on the homefront.
Aerial View of St. Vith, Belgium Bombing on Christmas Day. Local Identifier: 342-FH-3A-5397-55673AC; National Archives Identifier: 148728210
Black and White and Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force and Predecessor Agencies Activities, Facilities and Personnel - World War II and Korean War
Series 342-FH. Partially digitized online. This series consists of photographs documenting activities of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Subjects include aircraft; crews and units; fields and installations; aircraft maintenance; transportation; reconnaissance; bombing and strafing; prisons and prisoners; captured materiel; medical care; and combat action. A large portion of the World War II section has been digitized by FOLD3 and is available for free through their website.
Photographs of World War II and Post World War II Marine Corps Activities
Series 127-GW. Not fully digitized. This series consists of photographs documenting combat and non-combat activities of the Marine Corps, mostly during WWII.
Flag Raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan. Local Identifier: 127-GW-319-112721; National Archives Identifier: 100310761
Construction and Launchings of Ships
Series 19-LCM. Not fully digitized. This series consists of black-and-white photographs taken by shipbuilders, the Bureau of Ships, and the Bureau of Aeronautics, and document the construction, repair, and sea trials of ships of the United States Navy. The photographs were taken prior to, during and after World War II.
Photograph of Columns of Coast Guard LCIs Advancing upon the Beaches of France. Local Identifier: 26-G-2399; National Archives Identifier: 12003960
Activities, Facilities, and Personalities
Series 26-G. Fully digitized, coming soon. This series consists of U.S. Coast Guard photographs documenting activities prior to, during and after WWII. The WWII section covers combat, in the Atlantic and Pacific, including some famous views of the Normandy invasion.
World War I and II Posters
World War I Posters
Series 4-P. Fully digitized. This series consists of posters relating to agriculture, conservation, education, fuel efficiency, patriotism, war production, recruitment, and security.
World War II Posters
Series 44-PA. Fully digitized. Posters from various federal agencies, assembled by the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information, and used to promote the war effort.
War Production Board
Series 179-WP. Fully digitized. Posters used in various production drives instituted by the War Production Board.
Treat'em Rough! Join The Tanks, United States Tank Corps. Local Identifier: 4-P-8; National Archives Identifier: 512447
"Loose lips might sink ships.” Local Identifier: 44-PA-82; National Archives Identifier: 513543
We can do it! Local Identifier: 179-WP-1563; National Archives Identifier: 535413
National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized
Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen, Germany. Local Identifier: 242-HLB-3609-25; National Archives Identifier: 540175.
In addition to being a Nazi politician and publisher, Heinrich Hoffmann was the official photographer for Adolf Hitler. Hoffmann’s photography served as an important element of Hitler’s propaganda campaigns for the Nazi Party. At the end of the war in Europe, the U.S. Army arrested Hoffmann on May 10, 1945. He was later tried for war profiteering and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
U.S. authorities seized the Hoffmann photographs in 1945, and they were used as evidence by the Office of Military Government for Germany (OMGUS) during the war crimes trials following the war. The photographs were vested by the U.S. Department of Justice in the early 1950s, though they remained in the physical custody of the U.S. Army until they were transferred to the National Archives, which ultimately took legal custody of the photographs in 1966.
Additional photography by Hoffmann can be found at various other institutions, as not all of Hoffmann’s photographs were captured by the U.S. forces. For example, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) houses their own collection of Hoffmann photography.
There are approximately 250,000 Hoffmann images at the National Archives, though this is a rough estimate. A listing of all series of Hoffmann photographs is available in the National Archives Catalog. The vast majority of photographs have not been digitized, and only a small selection of images are available online. The photographs are considered public domain material with no copyright restrictions.
Photograph of Hitler in Paris. Local Identifier: 242-HLB-5073-20; National Archives Identifier: 540180.
Photograph of Youth at Nazi Rally. Local Identifier: 242-HLM-903-10; National Archives Identifier: 148728046.
Shelf List for Berlin Office and Munich Office Photography
Series 242-HLS. Caption list fully digitized. This series consists of captions created by Heinrich Hoffmann's photography studio and correspond to the photo collections from the Berlin office (242-HLB), and the Munich office (242-HLM). All captions are in German.
Name Index for Berlin Office and Munich Office Photography
Series 242-HL. Name list fully digitized. This series consists of a listing of names of those depicted in the photo collections from Heinrich Hoffmann's Berlin office (242-HLB), and the Munich office (242-HLM). The list was created by Heinrich Hoffmann's photography studio. All captions are in German.
Shelf List to Photographs in the Heinrich Hoffmann Collection
Series 242-LGN. Caption list fully digitized. This series consists of caption lists created by Heinrich Hoffmann's photography studio and corresponds to various series of Hoffmann photography, other than the larger Berlin and Munich office series.
Miscellaneous Photographs
Series 242-HF. Fully digitized. This series consists of a variety of photographs taken or collected by Heinrich Hoffmann's photography studio, and covers a wide variety of subject matter. As many of the original captions are either brief or nonexistent, browsing the full listing of images and consulting the shelf list is recommended.
In addition to the collection of Heinrich Hoffmann's photography, the Still Picture Branch has also made other material available online from Record Group 242.
Photograph from Eva Braun's Photo Albums. Local Identifier: 242-EB-6-11B; National Archives Identifier: 124030242.
Eva Braun's Photo Albums
Series 242-EB. Fully Digitized. This series consists of personal photo albums attributed to Eva Braun – the companion and wife of Adolf Hitler – and her friend Herta Schneider. The photographs document Braun's life from circa 1913 to 1944; subjects include vacations, family members, and friends.
Nazi Filmstrips
Series 242-MNF. Partially Digitized. This series consists of filmstrips created by or for the Nazi Party. Five of the eight filmstrips have been digitized; the other three are duplicates of one of the digitized filmstrips.
To Request Information about Records
For further information about the photographs and graphic works held in the Still Picture unit at College Park, contact:
Mail: Still Picture Reference
Special Media Archives Services Division
National Archives at College Park
Room 5360
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland 20740-6001
Telephone: 301-837-0561
Fax: 301-837-3621
E-Mail: stillpix@nara.gov
If you’d like to use an image from the Still Picture Branch holdings, please see our Copyright and Permissions page.