15 Archive Sources on World War II (1939-45)
On the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the Normandy Landing in June 2022 - a look back at these useful archive sources for your research on World War II (1939-1945).
Note: Links in the titles take you to the homepage of each site, while links in the paragraphs redirect you to the thematic pages of World War II.
• FranceArchives - contents from various departments
Discover archive contents under the folders World War II (1939-1945) and War 1939-1945. These archives, digitized or not, come from various Departmental and municipal Archives.
• Departmental and municipal archives - sources not to be neglected
Many departments and municipalities have digitized their archives related to World War II. You can conduct various research in contemporary archives (series W), modern series, municipal archives (series EDT), private archives (series J), iconographic archives (series FI), and audiovisual and sound archives (series AV).
• Mémoire des Hommes - all databases on World War II
Browse the many available archives databases to trace the paths of your ancestors: military personnel who died during World War II, volunteer foreigners enlisted in 1939-1940, Alsatians and Moselleans forcibly incorporated into the German army, French Resistance Medals, civilian victims, titles, homologations, and services for acts of resistance, the Fusillés du Mont-Valérien, Deaths in Deportation, the French Forces of the Interior (FFI), personnel of the Free French Air Forces (FAFL), and the photography collection of Reverend Father Jean de Geuser.
• International Committee of the Red Cross - request information
If you are looking for information about a person who was a victim of World War II, a prisoner of war, or a civilian internee, you can send a request to the ICRC (limited number of requests).
• Musée de la Résistance 1940-1945 - online archives of the resistance foundation
Browse the virtual collection of the Resistance Museum online to find traces of your ancestors.
• Gallica - prisoners of World War II
Find on Gallica many documents about French prisoners of World War II, including: the official list of prisoners provided by the German military authority between 1940 and 1941, a brochure presenting Stalag I-A, the novel 'Dialogue des prisonniers' by Maurice Betz, L'Homme libre - underground journal...
• MemorialGenWeb - database of the deported 1939-1945
This database includes the names of over 92,000 people who died in deportation, who were deported from France (due to their ethnic, religious, political affiliation, or for acts of resistance).
• Arolsen Archives - archives of civilian victims of the Nazi regime
Discover the archives of the documentation, information, and research center on National Socialist persecution, forced labor, and the Holocaust.
• Multimedia Encyclopedia of the Holocaust - American site with resources in French
Using keywords, discover individual stories of victims. You can conduct a biographical search, read thematic articles, explore numerous photographs, and learn from the available educational resources.
• Archives of World War II in France, from history to personal history - an article by Patrice Marcilloux
Patrice Marcilloux is a French archivist, archival studies professor, and lecturer at the University of Angers since 2005. This site gives you special access, chapter after chapter to an article published by the author in the Revista Tempo et Argumento, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 288-311 in 2013 for the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina.
• Geneawiki - search for traces of a World War II soldier or victim
Many resources and archive sources are available to trace the path of a soldier or victim of World War II. This Geneawiki article has compiled them!
• Wars: find your mobilized and military ancestors - an article by Geneafinder
Military archives are very useful for your genealogy. In this article, we explain how to use departmental archives to search for matriculation records, as well as several other military databases.
• The ECPAD - The Establishment of Communication and Audiovisual Production of the Defense
If you are lucky, reserve your visit to the ECPAD media library to discover the archive image collection on World War II with the "French and Allies" Collection (121,617 images and 2,810 films) and the German Collection (353,632 images and 1,128 films).
For digitized collections, many visuals are available online on the site Defense Images.
• History by Image - works and archive images by the Ministry of Culture
Discover the period 1939-1945 through works and archive images. 85 studies (the song of the partisans, immigrants at work, the Kieffer commandos...) will help you dive into your ancestors' lives during this period.
• INA - videos on World War II
Discover many editorial, video, and audio content on the theme of World War II on the INA website - the ideal resources to immerse yourself in your ancestors' lives during and after the war.
Happy researching!