Please note, the resources listed in this article are not all available resources as it would be impossible to list them all. These are commonly used sources to get you started. Feel free to leave a comment with additional sources you found helpful.
One of the most common questions I am asked, and see asked in various social media groups and pages is, How do I find the unit my grandfather served in during the war?
It isn’t always as simple as one may have been led to believe. Why? Because most individuals were in multiple units. Some went through a Replacement Depot (or multiple RDs) before being transferred at the end of the war into a combat unit.
It’s possible some veterans were even in multiple combat units depending on their circumstances while overseas. It’s absolutely vital we do the research homework to reconstruct service so we don’t tell the wrong story. With this in mind, where do we find information?
Discharge Paper: The Separation and Discharge paper for a veteran will list a unit. For the Navy and Marine Corps there is space for multiple units, but be aware not all may be listed. The discharge unit may be a combat unit or a discharge unit.
A discharge unit could be a unit in which the veteran never saw combat, but the unit was no longer needed. Men with enough points to be discharged were transferred to this unit, shipped home, discharged and the unit was disbanded. It is a start point for research though, especially for Army or Army Air Force research were it’s necessary to have a unit at some point in time to do research, especially if the OMPF burned.
IDPF or WWI Burial File: The Individual Deceased Personnel File or WWI Burial File will also show the final unit a veteran was part of at the time of his or her death. Again, this may not be the only unit. The WWI Burial File is available at the NPRC in St. Louis. To access the IDPFs, see my article below as not all files are at NPRC.
Case in point – my cousin James Privoznik was KIA 11 January 1945. The unit on his grave says 358th Infantry Regiment 90th Infantry Division. However, if I had used this unit as his entire military story, I would have gotten it wrong except for the last two weeks of his life. He was transferred into this unit from the 790th MM ORD 90th Division 14 days before he was killed because Patton needed riflemen replacements, so men were pulled from the rear units. James’ combat experience was 14 days long yet he was overseas roughly nine months and in a completely different unit prior along with a Replacement Depot. It’s important to do the homework and get the facts.
Learn more Is Access to the WWII Individual Deceased Personnel Files (IDPFs) Getting Easier & Faster?
Cemetery Records. Whether the information discovered is on FindAGrave or ABMC or another website, you still have to do the homework. Again, only the final unit will be listed on a grave.
If you visit the cemetery for records, if your veteran survived the war and has a military headstone, ask if the cemetery has a copy of his discharge paper. You can also check with the funeral home. Additionally, Ancestry has two online sources you can also check for a unit, if your veteran was buried with a military headstone.
- U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985.
- U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962.
Family Letters and Photos: Ask your immediate and extended family if anyone has family letters with the envelopes or photos. These may contain unit clues or even location clues. Most veterans sent letters or V-Mail home and with that can usually be found a unit and a date. For Army and Army Air Force service, even if you have a unit and a month/year, that is enough to start a research project. Always save the envelopes as they are valuable.
Veteran’s Oral Histories or Memoir: If your family has a written or oral record of your veteran’s service then you are very lucky. Most families I have encountered, including my own, have little to nothing. Please make sure even if you have written or oral history, to verify that history. Not all family stories are accurate. Want to know why? Read my article, The Things We Choose To Believe.
Additional Resources
Need more information? Want to take your research deeper? These are some articles I wrote about locating information.
- Top 5 Mistakes in WWI & WWII Research
- WWII Discharge Paper Doesn’t Have All the Answers
- Reconstructing WWII Veteran History
- Research Resources – Popular Articles
- The Things We Choose To Believe
Explore your World War I or World War II Veteran’s Story
If you’d like to learn your veteran’s history, I take research and book clients. Email me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and let’s set up a time to chat. I offer free consults to discuss the research strategy, fees, time, and possibilities.
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Another awesome article, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.