World War I Research
DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH
There are hundreds of locations to conduct your own research, depending on what you
are looking for. There are various types of information to look for, including:
- Personnel Records
- Unit Histories, Unit Journals
- After Action Reports
- Historical Reports
- General Orders
The Modern Military Records Unit (NWCTM) has custody of the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917 -
(Record Group 407) and Records of U.S. Army Commands, 1942 - (Record Group 338). Military unit files among
these records consist mostly of historical reports, after action reports, unit journals, and general orders.
Because the files are arranged hierarchically, identification of the specific unit (i.e., division, regiment,
and battalion) is necessary before a search can be conducted. The Modern Military Records Unit is located at
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, near the University of Maryland-College Park campus. Research room hours
are 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday; 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday;
and 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, except legal holidays.
Unit Rosters are in the custody of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. You may contact them,
but for most of the war, these files are no longer extant. Their mailing address is the Military Personnel Records,
National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100.
The U.S. Army Military History Institute, 22 Ashburn Drive, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA 17013-5008,
has a large collection of published unit histories. Unit histories may also be available in bookstores,
in libraries, from the publishers, from the units themselves, or from various veteran's associations.
They are often published in limited quantities, however, and are frequently out of print. These works may
be borrowed by libraries through the interlibrary loan service. You may wish to contact your local library
concerning this service.
MILITARY HISTORY RESOURCE LINKS - General Research
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AEF (American Expeditionary Forces) Resources Map
Initial Burial Plots related to World War I American Soldiers and related maps, cemeteries and other locations.
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American WWI Burial Cards Search Tool
This card register, using National Archives records, documents the death and burial information of over 78,000 American soldiers
in World War I. Each card contains the name of the individual who died, the unit they were assigned to, the nature of their death
and the burial location(s) of the soldier, up to and including their final resting place.
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FamilySearch link for WWI military muster roll and rosters (1916-1919)
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US Army Center for Military History - Online Bookshelf for ETO
Published Materials as well as online materials.
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US Army Center for Military History - Master Index of Army Records
Listing of various repositories of various US Army records, including Personnel Records, Morning Reports,
Unit Operational Records, Unit Rosters, Photographs, etc.
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Online Military Indexes & Records
A directory of various indexes to WWI (and others) records. NOTE this also includes "state-specific" resources.
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Bangor Public Library - World War Regimental Histories
Another great resource of digital materials: WWI Regimental Histories, full downloads.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower Library - US Army Unit Records, 1917-1950 [finding aid]
The U.S. Army Unit Records collection (formerly: U.S. Army, U.S. Forces, European Theater: Selected After Action Reports, 1941-45)
primarily spans the period from 1917 to 1950, with the bulk of the material covering the World War II years (1942-45). The collection
is comprised of organizational and operational records and miscellaneous historical material from the files of army units that served in
World War II.
Note that this is a "finding aid," not online repository of documents.
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World War I Troopships
Troopships of World War I, compliments of Wikimedia Commons.
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"The 1973 Fire, National Personel Records Center"
You may or may not have heard about the NPRC (St. Louis) Fire in 1973 that destroyed approximately 80% of U.S. Army
personnel records. This National Archives page provides information about that fire.
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National Archives - Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
Searchable databases for enlistments, prisoners of war (American) and much more. More than just WWI databases.
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National Archives - How to Request Military Service Records
Reserved for next-of-kin or immediate family, here is the first stop to requesting information about your
veteran's service.
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Home of Heroes - Obtaining Citations for Military Records
A step-by-step (with example letter) to obtain Military Records from the National Personnel Records Center.
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Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers, 1917 - 1922
An ongoing project using volunteers to enter data from burial cards of U.S. servicemen and women from WWI into a searchable database.
MILITARY HISTORY RESOURCE LINKS - WWI Researchers