United States, World War II Army Enlistment Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This collection is a name index to Army Serial Number Enlistment Card Records, which covers the years 1938-1946, excluding officers, in the United States Army including the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Enlisted Reserve Corps circa 1938-1946. The index is part of Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. This index is not complete covering about nine million men and women and may contain scanning errors. Database courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.
 * See also: Theodore J Hull The World War II Army Enlistment Records File and Access to Archival Databases Prologue 38 1 (Spring 2006)

 Related National Archive Collections
 * United States, National Archives, World War II Casualty Records

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 3

Collection Content
Sample of indexed information:

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of the enlisted person
 * The birth date and birth place of the soldier
 * The residence of the solider
 * The date of enlistment for the soldier

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Continue to search the index to identify other relatives
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * Finding a World War II (1939-1945) Veteran's Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies
 * United States National Archives Twentieth Century Military Records

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Jonathan Gawne Finding your father's war : a practical guide to researching and understanding service in the World War II US Army. Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania : Casemate, c2006, FS Library 973 M27g
 * Shelby Stanton. Order of battle, U.S. Army, World War II.Novato, California : Presidio Press, c1984. FS Library 973 M2st
 * Benjamin L. DeWhitt, comp.  Records relating to personal participation in World War II : American military casualties and burials ; reference information paper 82 Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration, 1993 FS Library 973 J53da
 * compiled by Timothy P. Mulligan ; edited by Rebecca L. Collier with Judith Koucky and Patrick Osborn, World War II : guide to records relating to U.S. military participation 2 volumes. Washington, D.C. : National Archives Trust Fund Board, 2008 FS Library 973 J53mt]
 * George Forty, US Army handbook, 1939-1945 2nd ed. New York, New York : Barnes & Noble, c1995 FS Library 973 M27f
 * United States, World War I, military muster rolls and rosters, 1916-1939
 * E. Samantha Cheng, Honor and duty : the Chinese American WWII veterans Silver Spring, Maryland : HeritageSeries LLC, ©2020 FS Library 973 M2ces

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States World War II Prisoners of War of the Japanese, 1941-1945
 * United States, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1945
 * United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Army directory - July (1941)
 * Memorial Division Registration Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General, Department of the Army. Rosters of World War II dead (all services)
 * World War II casualty codes
 * Casualty Section, Office of Public Information, Navy Department. Combat connected naval casualties, World War II, by states : U. S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard. 2 volumes. Washington, D.C. : GPO, 1946
 * Additional list of U.S. Army personnel killed in action Washington, D.C. : War Department Bureau of Public Relations, 1940-1945
 * Additional list of U.S. Army personnel wounded in action Washington, D.C. : War Department Bureau of Public Relations, 1944-1945
 * Additional list of U.S. Army personnel missing in action Washington, D.C. : War Department Bureau of Public Relations, 1943-1944
 * Army-Navy war casualties Washington, D.C. : Office of War Information, 1945
 * Alfred M. Beck, The Corps of Engineers: the war against Germany Washington, D.C. : Center of Military History United States Army, 1985
 * Mattie E. Treadwell, The Women's Army Corps Washington, D.C. : Office of the Chief of Military History Dept. of the Army, 1954

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Estados Unidos, Registros de Alistamento da II Guerra Mundial (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)