Genealogists and military historians will appreciate the online availability of World War II-era casualty lists that have been scanned by the National Archives.
The War Department published these booklets in 1946 with the "intent was to disseminate the information to the general public in a timely manner, for the benefit of next of kin, and even with an eye towards the needs of veterans and patriotic organizations". Each volume covers an individual state and may be retrieved and browsed using the Archival Research Catalog.
The Army and Navy Departments issued separate and differently organized lists. The Army series is entitled World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Organized by county, these state booklets lists the names of soldiers and airmen who died (or were missing) during the war along with their serial numbers, ranks and types of casualty (KIA, MIA, DOW, etc.).
The Navy version, entitled State Summary of War Casualties, displays the dead and wounded among the sailors, marines and coast guardsman who served. These state volumes are organized by casualty type, then alphabetically by name. The entries include rank and the name, address and relationship of next-of-kin.
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