This guide contains a sample of The Newberry's resources on World War II. To locate additional resources, please check our catalog or Contact a Librarian.

You can search by Subject in our Primo VE catalog using the “Advanced Search” function to the right of the search bar. Select “Subject” in the drop-down menu of search features in place of “Any field.”  The following subject headings may be useful:

• World War, 1939-1945
• World War, 1939-1945 [State]

Results can be filtered by Material Type, Language, Date, Author, Title, etc. prior to searching by using the drop-down menus in the search panel. If your search produces too many options, you can also narrow results using the faceted options on the left-hand side, under the heading “Refine your results.” Clicking on one of these filter terms or the box to their left will limit results to only those that fit this criterion, while clicking on the red box to the right of the term will exclude those results. For more information about searching in our online catalog, please see our Guide to Primo VE.

Guides and Bibliographies

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. Ed. Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000. Call # Local History Ref Z5313.U5 U54 2000 (2nd floor open shelf). See Section B on Military Records.

Johnson, Richard S. and Debra Johnson Knox. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military. 8th ed. Spartanburg, SC: MIE Publishing, 1999. Call # Local History Ref U11.U5 J54 1999 (2nd floor open shelf).

Knox, Debra Johnson. WWII Military Records: A Family Historian’s Guide. Spartanburg, SC: MIE Pub., 2003. Call # Local History Ref D797.U6 K56 2003 (2nd floor open shelf).

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1994. Call # Local History Ref Z1249.M5 N43 1994 (2nd floor open shelf).

Register of Federal United States Military Records: A Guide to Manuscript Sources Available at the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City and the National Archives in Washington, DC. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1986. Call # folio CS68.R44 1986.

Research Outline: U.S. Military Records. Salt Lake City, UT: Family History Library, 1993. Call # Local History Ref CS68.C44 1993 (2nd floor open shelf).

Soldiers Who Died in the War

Database of American War Dead. Provided by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Only includes those buried overseas or missing in action.

Illinois Resources

Beidler, Francis. Lake Forest College World War II Military Records. Lake Forest, IL: Lake Forest College, 1948. Call # fI78.4641.

Greenaway, J.W. Record of Aurora in World War II. Aurora, IL: Greenaway War Publications, 1952. Call # F896055.33.

Harvey, Illinois during World War II: Extractions from the Harvey Tribune, the Gold Star Honor Roll, and Letters to the Behind-The-Lines Committee. Comp. Robert Pierre Roach. South Holland, IL: South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society, 2001. Call # folio F549.H38 H37 2001.

Kleber, Victor. Selective Service in Illinois 1940-1947. State of Illinois, 1948. Call # U1896.438. Administrative history of selective service system in Illinois. Includes lists of local board personnel.

Periodicals

The Stars and Stripes: Newspaper of the U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations. Library’s holdings are incomplete (May 17, 1943-Oct. 13, 1945). Call # +F1207.83.

Other Resources

The National Archives, Washington, DC Offers a wealth of online resources and guides related to World War II research. Online lists include:

• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Air Force Personnel
• State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel.

National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100  Note: Many personnel records (Army and Air Force, specifically) were destroyed in a 1973 fire. Be sure to review the NPRC’s website carefully before ordering any records. 10/10