80th Division Digital Archives Project
Morning Reports

Morning Reports are located first by Regiment and by Company, then by Month.
Reports are in PDF format.

The following are excerpts from Mitchell Kaidy, who was an assistant company clerk of Co. D, 345th Infantry Regiment.

Every day of World War II, a 3 1/4 by 7-inch Morning Report was issued from each infantry company, artillery battery, and all other basic units, to higher headquarters.Though it was, under exigent circumstances, sometimes handwritten, Army regulations required the morning report to be typed and promptly delivered to Regimental or equivalent headquarters. Ultimately, it reached the highest military authorities, and today collections of the small, information-packed documents are still preserved at the National Archives in College Park, Md.

Characterized by an extreme case of Army-speak, the little document disclosed a lot, and in wartime was highly guarded. During even the most arduous actions, the report listed the unit location, killed-and-wounded in action, brief wound descriptions, evacuations to hospitals as a result of combat or weather-related causes; the captured, as well as missing in action, plus new assignees (known as replacements); promotions and transfers to and from other units with their rank and other information. All this plus the soldier’s Army Serial Number and Military Occupational Specialty were packed into the report. On such official documents, the Army refused to recognize draftees as such; and both draftees and enlistees were consistently designated as enlisted men (EM). Army officers were separately identified by rank and serial numbers, whose numerals were different, and less revealing, than enlisted men’s numerals.

Compiling the Morning Report was ultimately the responsibility of the First Sergeant, but in practice most of the detail work was done by the Company Clerk, who was usually a corporal or sergeant. During infantry action the First Sergeant and Company Clerk often derived their information from fellow combatants; from the walking wounded waiting to be evacuated; or, occasionally, by scouting out foxholes. Obstacles to information-gathering near the front were clearly formidable and consistent—and hazardous. During especially bloody combat, the wounded could lie unnoticed in inaccessible battle zones for hours or days until detected. Or, because of the severity of their wounds, the wounded could have been quickly evacuated by jeep or ambulance before company headquarters was notified. The killed in action (KIAs) could lie for weeks on abandoned battlefields, or in woods or foxholes, before being located by Graves Registration Teams.

Reports of the capture of American soldiers by the enemy were even more problematic, because a squad or patrol could have extended beyond reach or stayed out at night while seeking to capture a prisoner or even in response to enemy activity. Captured American soldiers were often listed for weeks as missing in action before they were confirmed to be in enemy hands.

During World War II infantry operations in Europe, squads or platoons of heavy weapons companies were regularly attached to rifle companies, burdening the First Sergeant and Clerk with the duty of locating the rifle company to which the squad, platoon or section of heavy machineguns or heavy mortars (81 mm) was temporarily attached.

Rifle companies, which suffered the highest percentage of casualties in the infantry, chronically understated casualties as illustrated by a rifle company that was reduced to 17 soldiers, including officers, but consistently reported 70 to 80 members on hand. Clearly, because the line companies often became depleted, usually during the Battle of the Bulge, replacements could not keep up, and underreporting was rife in World War II. Clearly, morning reports, mirroring frontline action in revealing detail, remain a hidden treasure of World War II that has yet to be mined by historians and archivists.


US Army Morning Report SOP - June 1944
From John Alan Arnold, PhD. Including "Administrative Standard Operating Procedure, 104th Infantry Division, 1 JUNE 1944" manual.

80th Division Headquarters Units
Replacements
Hq | Hq Co
Hq Sp Trs
Sp Trs Med Det
Band | MP | QM
Sig Co Sp Trs | CIC Det
80th Division Headquarters Units - Field Artillery
FA Hq
FA Hq Btry
FA Med Det
 
 

317th Infantry Regiment
Hq | HqCo
Replacements
[NEW] 317th Unit Movements by Day Choose: Excel or PDF

1st Battalion
Hq | HqCo

A B C D
2d Battalion
Hq | HqCo
E
F G H
3d Battalion
Hq | HqCo
I
K L M
SvcCo | ATCo
CnCo | MedDet
318th Infantry Regiment
Hq | HqCo
Replacements
[NEW] 318th Unit Movements by Day Choose: Excel or PDF

Hq | HqCo
A B C D
Hq | HqCo
E F G H
Hq | HqCo
I K L M
SvcCo | ATCo
CnCo | MedDet
319th Infantry Regiment
Hq | HqCo
Replacements
[NEW] 319th Unit Movements by Day Choose: Excel or PDF

Hq | HqCo
A B C D
Hq | HqCo
E F G H
Hq | HqCo
I K L M
SvcCo | ATCo
CnCo | MedDet
313th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
Hq | Hq Btry
Btry A | B | C
Svc Btry | MedDet
314th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
Hq | Hq Btry
Btry A | B | C
Svc Btry | MedDet
905th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
Hq | Hq Btry
Btry A | B | C
Svc Btry | MedDet
315th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm)
Hq | Hq Btry
Btry A | B | C
Svc Btry | MedDet
 
610th Tank Destroyer Battalion
Hq | HqCo
A | B | C
MedDet
Recon Co
633rd AAA Batallion
Hq | Hq Btry
Btry A | B | C | D
 
MedDet
80th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
305th Engineer Combat Battalion
Hq | Hq Co
A | B | C
MedDet
305th Medical Battalion
Hq & Hq Det
A | B | C | D
780th Ordnance Light Maintenance Co
       
 
702d Tank Battalion
Hq | Hq Co
A | B | C | D
SvcCo | MedDet
811th Tank Destroyer Battalion (FEB-MAY 45)
Hq | Hq Co
A | B | C
 
Recon | MedDet
4th Armored Division - Morning Reports

Various components of the 4th Armored Division was attached to the 80th Infantry Division during several months of fighting in Europe. Below are the Morning Reports for the various units that served with the 80th Division during this time (at least the microfiche Morning Reports that I have).

In addition, Dr. Reinier Groeneveld, a Family Doctor and General Practitioner in the Netherlands - also a noted Military Historian - has provided many man-hours, adding to the collection of Morning Reports for the Medical Detachments of the 4th Armored Division. Take time to visit his extensive website, Patton's Best Medics.

Unit
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
4th Armored Division HQ Units
Division Artillery HQ
Division Artillery Hq Battery
4th Armored Division HQ
4th Armored Division Hq Company
CCA - HQ
CCA - Hq Company
CCB - HQ
CCB - Hq Company
Trains - HQ
Trains - Hq Company
Reserve Command
MP Platoon
Medical
Band
4th AD - 8th Tank Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
8th Tank Battalion HQ
8th Tank Battalion Hq Company
8th Tank Battalion Battery A
8th Tank Battalion Battery B
8th Tank Battalion Battery C
8th Tank Battalion Battery D
8th Tank Battalion Medical
8th Tank Battalion Service Company
4th AD - 37th Tank Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
37th Tank Battalion HQ
37th Tank Battalion Hq Company
37th Tank Battalion Battery A
37th Tank Battalion Battery B
37th Tank Battalion Battery C
37th Tank Battalion Battery D
37th Tank Battalion Medical
37th Tank Battalion Service Company
37th Tank Battalion Hq Med Det
4th AD - 10th Armored Infantry Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
10th Armored Infantry Bn HQ
10th Armored Infantry Bn Hq Company
10th Armored Infantry Bn Company A
10th Armored Infantry Bn Company B
10th Armored Infantry Medical
10th Armored Infantry Service Company
4th AD - 51st Armored Infantry Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
51st Armored Infantry Bn HQ
51st Armored Infantry Bn Hq Company
51st Armored Infantry Bn Company A
51st Armored Infantry Bn Company B
51st Armored Infantry Bn Company C
51st Armored Infantry Bn Medical
51st Armored Infantry Bn Service Company
4th AD - 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
53rd Armored Infantry Bn HQ
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Hq Company
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Company A
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Company B
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Company C
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Medical
53rd Armored Infantry Bn Service Company
4th AD - 66th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn HQ
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn Hq Battery
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery A
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery B
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery C
66th Armored Field Artillery Bn Medical
66th Armored Field Artillery Service Company
4th AD - 94th Armored Field Artillery Battalion Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn HQ
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn Hq Battery
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery A
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery B
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn Battery C
94th Armored Field Artillery Bn Medical
94th Armored Field Artillery Service Company
4th AD - 25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - HQ
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Hq Serv
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company A
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company B
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company C
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company D
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company E
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Company F
25th Cavalry Recon Squadron (Mecz) - Medical

4th Armored Division - Additional Medical Units Morning Reports
4th AD - Medical Units
JUL 44
AUG 44
SEP 44
OCT 44
NOV 44
DEC 44
--
JAN 45
FEB 45
MAR 45
APR 45
MAY 45
126th Ordnance Maintenance Battalion - Medical
35th Tank Battalion - Medical
22nd Armored Field Artillery Bn - Medical

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