U.S., World War II American and Allied Prisoners of War, 1941-1946

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II American and Allied Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.
Original data: National Archives and Records Administration. World War II Prisoners of War Data File [Archival Database]; Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 1942-1947; Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, Record Group 389; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

About U.S., World War II American and Allied Prisoners of War, 1941-1946

This database contains information on approximately 140,000 U.S. officers and soldiers, as well as U.S. and some Allied civilians who were prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II (specifically 7 Dec 1941-19 Nov 1946). Information in this database was originally taken from records and reports created by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Generally, the type of information you will find in this database for an individual includes:

  • Name of prisoner or internee
  • Race
  • State of residence
  • Report date
  • Latest report date
  • Grade or rank
  • Service branch
  • Arm or service
  • Area served
  • Detaining country
  • Camp (the numbers listed at the end of the camp name are latitude and longitude coordinates)
  • Status
  • Report source