US Cemetery, Sicily, 1944

References

bigpigeon.us webpage WWII > WWII References > Free Websites, updated by RAC 3 Jul 2022.
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Pottawattamie County, Iowa Area WWII Dead - Free Websites:

• Publicly-available web resources used in building Big Pigeon's WWII, WWII - Japan, & WWII -Germany modules. 
• See also WWII Personnel Lists, used to build the Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster, and WWII Pay Websites.

About the resources cited below:

• Databases may be incomplete.
• Some resources include periods other than WWII or include material for other countries.
• These are the resources I use; I have barely scratched the surface of what is available on-line.

Pottawattamie Area World War II Dead - Free Websites Webpage Organization:

1. World War II History - Maps & Atlases
2. World War II History - Portals/Catalogs/Libraries
3. World War II History - Statistics, Summaries, and Timelines & Chronologies
4. World War II history - US Army
5. World War II history - US Army Air Force
6. World War II history - US Navy
7.  World War II history - War with Japan
8. World War II History - War with Germany
9. World War II aircraft web resources
10. World War II ships web resources
11. World War Iowa-specific web resources
12. Sources for my World War II Roster Photos webpage (very incomplete)

A numbered arrow begins each section.

==> 1 - World War II History - Maps & Atlases.

• https://omniatlas.com/maps/asia-pacific/19370707/ - a good overview of East Asia and the West Pacific in 1937 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
• https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/history/atlases - United States Military Academy on-line map collection. Some of these maps are also at http://www.emersonkent.com/maps.htm. 

==> 2 - World War II History - Web Portals/Catalogs/Libraries.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ - A HyperText History of the Second World War, a key portal for WWII web researchers; many areas are rich in maps.

• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AMH/AMH/index.html - American Military History from the Army Historical Series, chapters 20-23 summarize WWII.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-Guide/index.html <== US Army in World War II.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/index.html - US Army Air Forces in World War II.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/index.html - US Navy in World War II.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/index.html - US Marine Corps in World War II.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USCG/index.html - US Coast Guard in World War II.

https://history.army.mil/index.html - US Army Center for Military History (CMH) website.

• https://history.army.mil/catalog/browse/title.html - US Army CMH publications catalog. Try to avoid opening publications from here because of slow load times; use above ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ marked with an arrow.
• https://history.army.mil/catalog/browse/pubnum.html#72 - ~ 40 US Army CMH WWII campaign pamphlets.
• http://tothosewhoserved.org/usa/ -  official US WWII military histories, including many CMH publications.​

​Wikipedia:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:World_War_II - Wikipedia's portal into its WWII module.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II - incomplete list of WWII timelines.

Personal Portals:

• wwiidb.com - C. Peter Chen.

==> 3 - World War II History - Statistics, Summaries, and Timelines & Chronologies.

World War II history - US statistics:

• https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-us-military-numbers - basic WWII US military statistics from the National World War II Museum.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battles_with_most_United_States_military_fatalities - US battles in order of fatalities (all wars; battles & campaigns; there are some errors and omissions).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_maritime_disasters_in_World_War_II - all nations, in order of fatalities.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_sunk_by_submarines_by_death_toll - major losses in order of fatalities, all nations & wars. 

World War II casualty statistics, War Department's 118-page 1946 Army Battle Casualties and Non-battle Deaths in World War II:

• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/index.html - table of contents.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/Casualties-Intro.html  - pp. 1-7, Introduction & Summary.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/Casualties-1.html - pp. 8-95, Battle Casualties.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/Casualties-2.html - pp.  96-117, Battle & Non battle Deaths.
• http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/Casualties-3.html - p. 118, Geographic Area of Residence.

World War II casualty statistics, Navy Department:

• https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-navy-personnel-in-world-war-ii-service-and-casualty-statistics.html - exhaustiveNaval History & Heritage Command's US Navy in WWII Service & Casualty Statistics.
• https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/w/world-war-ii-casualties.html - summary statistics taken from above report.

Commentary - World War II history - US statistics:

• These sources contain overall data, no information about individuals.

World War II history - summaries:

• https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/world-war-ii-fast-facts - some statistics and a short summary.
• https://malwarwickonbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/7misconceptionsaboutwwii_compressed.pdf - corrects common misconceptions about WWII.
• www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii 
• http://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/interactive/interactive_files/WW2/index.html - an interactive summary from the American Battle Monuments Commission.
• https://www.onwar.com/wwii/maps - nice collection of easy-to-read maps, each with a brief summary of that particular facet of WWII.
• historyofwar.com - British website, not specific to WWII.

World War II history - timelines & chronologies - both War with Japan & War with Germany.

• http://books.stonebooks.com/wardiary/ - each day in WWII has a separate list of events.
• http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm - Germany & Japan.
• http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/pacificwar/timeline.htm - War with Japan.
• https://www.onwar.com/wwii/chronology/index.html - all aspects of WWII arranged by month.
• https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-SS-Chronology/index.html#index - UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, Special Studies, CHRONOLOGY 1941-1945, Compiled by Mary H. Williams for the US Army's Center for Military History - detailed timeline of US Army in WWII.
• https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron.html - The Official Chronology of the US Navy in World War II.

​Commentary - World War II history - timelines and chronologies:

• The above chronologies are long but are good research tools.

==> 4 - World War II history - US Army.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Army_Almanac/Dim5AAAAIAAJ?hl=en  - The Army Almanac, A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States By Armed Forces Information School (U.S.), United States. Armed Forces Information School, Carlisle Barracks, Pa, United States. Department of the Army · 1950 (1,009 pp.)

World War II US Army Orders of Battle and Combat Chronicles - War with Japan & War with Germany:

• https://archive.org/details/OrderOfBattleUsArmyEtoWw2/page/n2/mode/2up - Order of Battle of the United States Army Ground Forces in World War II, European Theater of Operations, 1945 (586 pages). 
• https://history.army.mil/documents/ETO-OB/ETOOB-TOC.htm - Order of Battle for ETO divisions, the first portion of the above document.
• https://ia802700.us.archive.org/2/items/OrderOfBattleUsArmyPtoWw2/OrderOfBattleUsArmyPtoWw2.pdf - Order of Battle of the United States Army Ground Forces in World War II, Pacific Theater of Operations, 1945  (697 pages).
• https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html - brief Combat Chronicles for US Army divisions in WWII.

Commentary - World War II Orders of Battle and Combat Chronicles:

• These sources are for divisions only; stand-alone regimental or battalion units are excluded except when attached to divisions.
• Because of their length, expect sources to load slowly.
• I can't find an Order of Battle document for the Mediterranean Theater.
• I found the divisional combat chronicles too brief to be of major use; perhaps eventually after-action reports will fill in the gap.

World War II ETO Daily Situation Maps:

• https://www.loc.gov/collections/world-war-ii-maps-military-situation-maps-from-1944-to-1945/ - shows location of Allied divisions on a daily basis, somewhat difficult to read.

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Some World War II US Army private databases:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_formations_of_the_United_States_Army_during_World_War_II -  US Army Groups, Armies, Corps and Divisions in WWII. 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Corps_of_the_United_States_in_World_War_II - brief histories, some incomplete, of WWII corps in the Army and Marine Corps. 
• https://www.armydivs.com - campaigns in which each army division was involved. Scroll down for charts, initially confusing but worth understanding for someone with strong interests.
• https://www.unithistories.com - interesting but fragmentary material.

==> 5 - World War II history - US Army Air Force. (I use USAAF, USAF, and AAF as abbreviations.)

World War II US Army Air Force databases:

• https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf - Air Force Combat Units of World War II, edited by Dr. Maurer Maurer, 1983 (group-sized units and above).
• https://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf - Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II, edited by Dr. Maurer Maurer, 1982. As an alternative, use a  browser search string such as 500th_Bombardment_Squadron to access a squadron's wikipedia entry.
• http://usafunithistory.com/index.html - AAF Unit Histories - good!
• https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/db.asp - locating missing aircraft.
• http://accident-report.com/usaf.html - AAF accident reports (Feb 1943 - Nov 1945 missing as of Mar 2021).
• aviation-safety.net/database/ - Aviation Safety Network Safety Database of aircraft accident reports.
• http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/usafserials.html - WWII AAF aircraft losses, indexed by tail number.

Specific to the Eighth & Ninth Air Forces in England:

• http://www.americanairmuseum.com - American Air Museum, Duxford, near Cambridge, England.
• http://www.8thafhs.org - Eighth Air Force Historical Society.
• http://www.8thafhs.com/tomt.php - Eighth Air Force databases, Groups, Bases, Targets, Missions.
• http://www.8thafhs.com/search.php - search multiple databases (not sure if it works correctly).
• https://mediafiles.thedms.co.uk/publication/ee-eet/cms/pdf/information-sheets/USAAF%20Airfields%20Guide%20and%20Map.pdf - Eighth Air Force bases in England - nice map.
• http://www.303rdbg.com/h-england-map.html - Eighth Air Force units in England with their bases.

==> 6 - World War II history - US Navy.

World War II US Navy databases:

• http://www.navsource.org - NavSource Naval History home page -  information on most ships, many photos.
• http://www.navsource.org/Naval/losses.htm#bb - WWII US Navy losses.
• www.navsource.org/Naval/ - from links near the bottom of the webpage, you can access a detailed Navy chronology for each year of WWII.
• https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_Navy_ships_sunk_or_damaged_in_action_during_World_War_II - includes detailed information for larger ships.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_December_1941 - includes ships damaged at Pearl Harbor; links at the very end allow access to other monthly lists for WWII.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_losses_in_World_War _II - by ship category.

-- World War II US Navy databases specific to the Submarine Service (include personnel rosters):

• http://www.oneternalpatrol.com - WWII US submarine losses.
• https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/united-states-submarine-losses.html - WWII US submarine losses.

-- World War II US Navy databases specific to Naval Aviation:

• http://rwebs.net/avhistory/acdesig/usnsqdrn.htm - Naval Aviation squadron prefixes (e.g., VSB).

World War II US Merchant Marine databases:

• http://www.usmm.org/shipsunkdamaged.html - access lists of US merchant ships lost in WWII.

==> 7 - World War II history - War with Japan.
​

• https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/history/world-war-two-asia - links to West Point's maps of the War with Japan.

 

• https://www.philippinescouts.org/the-scouts/history/their-finest-hour - excellent overview of the Fall of the Philippines incorporating the history of the Philippine Scouts.
• www.pacificwrecks.com - Aspects of WWII in the Pacific theaters, ships and planes.
• http://combinedfleet.com/battles/Guadalcanal_Campaign#top - probably translation from Japanese.
• http://www.cbi-history.com - China-Burma-India Theater Order of Battle, both Army & AAF.
• http://www.powresearch.jp/en/archive/ship/index.html - Sunken Japanese Ships with the Allied POWs in Transit (includes map).

==> 8 - World War II History - War with Germany.

Map Collections for the War with Germany:

• https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/history/world-war-two-europe - links to West Point's maps of the War with Germany.
• http://liberationtrilogy.com/maps-timeline/ - maps & timeline from all three volumes of The Liberation Triology.
• http://liberationtrilogy.com/books/guns-at-last-light/maps-from-the-guns-at-last-light/images-for-maps-from-the-guns-at-last-light/ - maps only from Volume 3 of The Liberation Triology.

World War US Army - the ETO:

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Flusssystemkarte_Rhein_04.jpg - high-resolution map of the Rhine River basin.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_advance_from_Paris_to_the_Rhine - ETO summary from late Aug 1944 to late Mar 1945. Few maps.
• http://home.scarlet.be/~sh446368/home.html - The Battle for the Hürtgen Forest.

Military histories chronicling aspects of ETO ground operations:

• https://history.army.mil/brochures/rhineland/rhineland.htm - Rhineland, 15 September 1944 - 21 March 1945, brochure from Center for Military History, 35 pp.
• https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Riviera/index.html#index - Riviera to the Rhine, the US Seventh Army in France from mid-August 1944 to mid-March 1945.
• http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/ebook/p/2005/CMH_2/www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/lorraine/lorraine-content.html - UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, The European Theater of Operations, THE LORRAINE CAMPAIGN by Hugh M. Cole, 1949.
• https://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_Cont.htm#toc - The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge by Hugh M. Cole, 1965.
• https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Last/index.html#index - The Last Offensive, the ETO Rhineland Campaign in 1945.

The Third Army's February 1945 Sauer & Our River crossings into Germany:

• https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a163876.pdf - Assault Across the Sauer, from the Combat Studies Institute (CSI), the 80th Inf. Div. Sauer River crossing in Feb 1945. Three roster members died. (slow to load)
• https://mcoepublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/library/DonovanPapers/wwii/STUP2/A-F/DiesFrederick%20W.%20LTC.pdf - OPERATIONS OF THE 5TH INFANTRY DIVISION IN THE CROSSING OF THE SAUER RIVER 6-13 FEBRUARY 1945.
• https://www.80thdivision.com/WebArchives/AAReports.html - access the 80th Inf. Div. After Action Reports.
• https://www.80thdivision.com/AfterActionReports/80th_LossesInAction_Murrell.pdf - 80th Inf. Div. casualties by month.
• https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/07/21/george-s-pattons-end-run-the-story-of-his-final-days/  - 

Commentary - The Third Army's February 1945 Sauer & Our River crossings into Germany:

• I included these links because I am trying to determine if deaths in the February crossings over these swollen rivers were underreported.

World War II US Navy - War with Germany:

• https://uboat.net - WW I & II German submarine information.
• https://www.uboat-bases.com/en/ - U-Boat Bases of the Second World War in France. ​

World War II German POW Camps:
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/List_of_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_Germany#World_War_II_POW_Camps - 

==> 9 - World War II aircraft web resources.
World War II US aircraft:

• https://pearlharborwarbirds.com/world-war-2-fighter-planes-aircrafts/ - about 25 common US WWII models.
• https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/ww2-us-military-aircraft.asp - 217 mostly-US mostly- WWII models.
• http://www.aircraftaces.com/ww2-aircraft-usa.htm - specs for 31 US WWII aircraft listed by manufacturer.

World War II US aircraft production:

• http://acepilots.com/planes/factory.html - WWII aircraft mainframe manufacturers.
• https://www.wikiwand.com/en/United_States_aircraft_production_during_World_War_II - WWII aircraft production by category and by end user.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-produced_aircraft - worldwide list since 1903 of aircraft with production runs over 5,000.

Museums, real and virtual:

• https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/WWII-Gallery/ - National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, OH WWII holdings.

• https://www.airplanemuseums.com/list-of-air-museums-exhibits-airparks.htm - partial list of US air museums.
• https://www.airplanes-online.com​ - airplanes of WWII, the Cold War, and Modern Times.

Aircraft classification and identification:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1924_United_States_Army_Air_Service_aircraft_designation_system - 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_United_States_Navy_aircraft_designation_system

==> 10 - World War II ships web resources.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Shipbuilding_Program - well-written article about WWII emergency construction of cargo ships in the US.

==> 11 - World War Iowa-specific web resources.

• https://worldwartwoveterans.org/national-guard-of-the-state-of-iowa-1938/ - 1938 Iowa National Guard yearbook.

Commentary - World War II Iowa-specific web resources:

• ​See the WWII - Personnel Lists webpage for the Iowa National Guard roster at time of induction in early 1941.

==> 12 - Sources for my World War II Roster Photos webpage. (very incomplete)

• https://www.ww2online.org/browse - Accesses photo library of the National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA.