World War II

World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated as WWII or WW2), was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, which involved most of the world’s nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilized. In a state of “total war,” the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant action against civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in human history, that resulted in 50 million to over 70 million fatalities.

The war is generally accepted to have begun on 1 September 1939, with the invasion of Poland by Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and most of the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth. In December 1941, Japan, which had already been at war with China since 1937, and which aimed to establish a dominance over East Asia and Southeast Asia, attacked the United States and European possessions in the Pacific Ocean, quickly conquering a significant part of the region.  See Wikipedia

1939-1845 (US entered 1941)

Causality Lists

Cemeteries

Prisoners of War

Regiments, Rosters and History

Records for World War II

Alabama

Alaska

  • Military Records – Bottom of page for Enlistments (hosted at USGenWeb Archives)

Arizona

  • USS Bosque, Roster (hosted at USGenWeb Archives)
  • A Celebration of the Human Spirit – Japanese-American Relocation Camps in Arizona
    The Arizona Historical Society houses two collections pertaining to Arizona’s two World War II Japanese Relocation Camps, Gila River and Poston. Wade Head served as director of the Poston camp from 1942-1944, and his collection focuses on the administration and documentation of camp life. Frances & Mary Montgomery were teachers at Butte High School, located at the Gila River camp. The Montgomery collection contains student photographs and correspondence, yearbooks, and educational materials. This exhibition showcases original artwork, documents and photographs that illustrate the dichotomy of these two collections while honoring the spirit and culture of their American subjects.

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Delaware

  • Military Records – click county for Draft Registration (hosted at USGenWeb Archives)

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Military Subscription Databases

Suggested Reading

Longshore Soldiers: Life in a World War II Port Battalion – Through firsthand accounts, historical photographs, and original maps, Longshore Soldiers recounts the wartime experiences of Cortland Hopkins and ten other port battalion veterans. As part of the US Army’s Transportation Corps, they were responsible for ensuring that thousands of tons of military supplies were packed, unloaded, and delivered to the front lines.

Finding Your Father’s War – Leading military historian and researcher, Jonathan Gawne explains and shares the techniques he uses to research archives, libraries, veteran associations and myriad other sources of information to track down the wartime career of an individual. The author describes this as “What I did, and what you can do to find out what ‘he’ did in the army.”

How to Locate Anyone Who is or has been in the Military
Now in its eighth edition, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military, collaboratively written by Lt. Col. Richard S. Johnson and Debra Johnson Knox, is a direct, easy-to-use, “reader friendly”, how-to-guide packed with tips, tricks, and techniques for finding anyone with an American military connection, whether they are active duty, reserve, or retired. From steps anyone can take to verify claims of a military background, to locating veterans for a reunion, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Ben in the Military is packed with practical, useable information, directories, Internet sources, and much, much more. To put it simply but accurately, How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Ben in the Military is an excellent and useful resource

Veteran’s Survival Guide: – The author, a former claims adjudication specialist for the Veteran’s Administration (VA), assembles the information veterans and their dependents need to file a claim for their federal benefits. According to Roche, the process is slow and complicated, and the VA is not helpful to those pursuing their rights.

 

Topics:
World War 2,

Collection:
US Military Records. A directory of resources providing online access to military records. Copyright 1999-2020, AccessGenealogy.

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