About The Project

The project was started in order to assist historians and researchers in their task of researching individual service personnel of the US Army during WW2. While the US National Archives and Records Administration provides an electronic register of enlistment records, the facilities that the site affords are minimal. A fire at the National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, Missouri) in 1973 saw some 50 million enlistment records destroyed. While copies of some records had been stored in other locations, and have since been restored, the vast majority were never recovered. As a result of this tragedy, attempting to research the service history of WW2 US Army personnel has become almost impossible, with only very limited information available for each record.

Using the same records upon which the NARA system is based, this project aims to develop a reliable research resource. WWII US Army Enlistment Records allows researchers to register on the site, and provide known information about records which appear in its database. It is hoped that by combining the research history and knowledge currently available on the Internet, a thorough, peer-moderated database will become available.

One of the major advantages of this project is that it allows militaria collectors to research personnel by searching our records via laundry numbers. Laundry numbers were special identification codes that were introduced by the US Army in order to allow service personnel to quickly identify their individual equipment. The laundry number consisted of the soldier’s last initial, followed by the final 4 digits of their Army Serial Number. These numbers were then applied to personal equipment so that they could be easily identified when stored with others’ items. While laundry numbers are not unique to the soldier, they were sufficiently specific within a soldier’s unit.
Many militaria collectors have items within their collections which have these markings applied to them, but trying to trace the original owner has, until the introduction of this project, proven extremely difficult. While the searchable records provided by NARA allow for wildcard searches, the system does not provide sufficient flexibility to search by last initial and the last four digits of an ASN. By painstakingly analysing the original records, and compiling a database of almost 9,000,000 records, this project has now made this kind of research possible, all within the click of a button!

The project also allows users to save records, and add their own personal notes, all of which can be an invaluable asset when performing research tasks. In addition, registered users can also add information to records, including known ranks and organizations, as well as adding images relating to the service personnel. All of this, of course, relies on user interaction and assistance, but the clean and clear interface of our website means that it’s simple to get started, and best of all; it’s free!

If you wish to learn more about the project, or have specific questions relating to use of the website please consult our Frequently Asked Questions section. You can also keep up-to-date with the latest developments and news in our Blog.

When at military shows or fairs, it can sometimes be difficult to validate the history or authenticity of a veteran-attributed item. This was one of the main driving forces for the development of our Mobile website, which provides access to the records and regular facilities of the project through any smartphone with an Internet connection. Now, it’s possible to conduct thorough and accurate research about WWII US Army personnel without the need for a computer, making it an ideal tool for collectors on the move!

Finally, the team behind this project strongly believes in the openness of data, which is why we’re currently working on API (Application Programming Interface). This API will allow software developers to utilise the data available through the project. You can learn more about this great tool in our Developers area.