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Whether you are a veteran, a descendent of a veteran, or an interested researcher, you can locate the information you are looking for. Check each of the sections below for what fits your needs. If you are looking for a bombardment group, visit the [Databases] page.

If you are a veteran, write down your recollections. Concentrate on known dates, events, or other significant details. The more data points you can provide, the easier the research task will be.

If you are a descendent or interested researcher, it is important to gather every scrap of information you can. A lot of your initial ideas may derive from oral histories passed around the family. These can be important leads, but should never be looked at as absolutes. Oral histories change and mutate through each retelling.

Look for photos, old letters, telegrams, government documents, diaries, uniform items, anything that might tell a portion of the story.

As a researcher you should always strive to find the truth of the story. Often the research will lead you in directions that you might never have considered at the start of the process.

The Army Air Forces of W.W.II generated a lot of paperwork. Many of these records exist today in their original form or on microfilm and microfiche. These records are maintained at a handful of facilities around the country.

Record types: (available by written request)

• Personnel records - these records are maintained by the National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records in St. Louis Missouri. Unfortunately a fire in 1973 destroyed many records, but you should always start here. If you are not a family member you will be prevented by the Privacy Act of 1974 in the amount of information you can obtain via this source - [visit this page for the address].
  
  
• 293 file, Individual Deceased Personnel File - this file is maintained by the Department of the Army in Washington, DC. If the veteran you are researching was Killed in Action you will definitely want to obtain this file. This file documents the activities of the Graves Registration Command and the Army to locate, identify, and provide a final resting place for the deceased - [visit this page for the address].
  
  
• Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR) - if your research involves the loss of an aircraft in a combat situation and not in Allied territory, the MACR will be invaluable. This document was generated shortly after the loss of the aircraft (usually within a day or so) and lists the crew roster, aircraft, and basic details of the loss including eye witness statements if they were available.
  
  These records are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration II in College Park, Maryland. Over time, the MACR report became a file, containing a collection of documents relating to the aircraft loss. You should request the entire file - [visit this page for the address].
  
  
• KU Report - National Archives and Record Administration (NARA). If the loss of the aircraft occurred over German territory, a German Kampf Flugzeuge USA [Battle Planes USA] document was prepared by the Luftwaffe concerning the location of the aircraft wreckage and fate of the crew. National Archives has the original reports as well as translations available. I know of no Japanese equivalent - [NARA address here].
  
  
• POW Questionnaire - National Archives and Record Administration (NARA). If crew members survived the loss of the aircraft and were captured and interred by the Luftwaffe. There may be a brief questionnaire on file filled out after the crew member was repatriated to Allied Control - [NARA address here].
  
  There should be an equivalent document for POWs held by the Japanese.
  
  
• Accident Reports - sometimes difficult to locate, maintained by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) on microfilm. An accident report can run from just a few pages to a half dozen or more pages and may even include photos of the accident - [AFHRA address here]
  
  
• Unit Histories, War Diaries, Daily Reports, Station Memorandum, Special Orders, Public Relations Reports, Loading Lists, etc. - these unit documents are are archived by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
  
  You can usually obtain squadron and group historical summaries at no cost through written request. You should also be able to obtain a specific monthly squadron diary upon request. A larger request, say for the entire War Diary, would probably necessitate a copying fee.
  
  You can order Group & Unit microfilm at $30.00 a roll from AFHRA. The microfilm rolls are usually divided up between Group histories, Squadron histories, and tenant command histories. You can e-mail AFHRA to obtain the roll numbers for your unit - [AFHRA address here].
  
  NOTE: You might want to view this index of the 381st Bomb Group (Heavy)'s microfilm records to get an idea of what you can expect.
  
  
• Bomb Group Associations - these associations were formed after the war, many in the 1970s. Formed by the veterans themselves they are tremendous resources for information. The associations have published books, documented their histories on videotape, compiled rosters, lists of aircraft, and many other details valuable to the researcher.
  
  Many associations hold yearly reunions. If you are a veteran of a Bomb Group or a descendant, these groups want to hear from you and would welcome your membership! One of the primary goals of ArmyAirForces.com is to list the points of contacts for each Group.
  
  You can find units or individual squadrons by searching for them. - [Databases].
  
  

Veterans Administration - the VA handled claims by the families of those KIA. You can write and obtain the VA's file on your claim - [VA address here].

If your veteran made any VA claim in the postwar period there is a record of that as well (benefit claims, etc.).

One of the most common requests is help with finding crew members and other veterans. It helps to know the full name of the individual(s) you are searching for. If in the case of a lost aircraft, see the MACR file mentioned in the "Obtain archived materials" section above for a list of crew member names.

Three invaluable resources:

• ArmyAirForces.com guide to locating veterans, a step by step guide.
  
  
• Social Security Death Index, search this online index for likely matches. This resource can save you a lot of time.
  
  
• American Battle Monuments Commission: WWII Honor Roll, if the veteran you are searching for was killed in action and buried overseas he should be listed in this database. Burials in the domestic United States are not covered.
  
  Note: the ABMC website can be very slow at times.

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