How to Find WW2 Prisoner of War Records Online

The fastest way to find WW2 prisoner of war records online is the National Archives’ Access to Archival Databases (AAD), a free search that returns basic captivity information for U.S. military and civilian personnel held by Axis powers.1National Archives. Online Military Records in AAD Search by name and you can pull up rank, service number, and camp information in a few minutes, without paperwork or a trip to an archive.

What the Online Search Gives You, and What It Doesn’t

AAD is a starting point. The database returns the core identifying facts about a service member’s captivity, which is often enough to confirm you have the right person and locate the camp. It does not contain the full paper file.

For the detailed material — repatriation questionnaires, medical records, sworn testimony, camp correspondence — you’ll need to request records from NARA directly or, for some research, visit in person. The online result tells you the veteran was a POW. The requested file tells you what happened to them.

Requesting the Full Record From NARA

Every WW2 veteran’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) is now fully open to the public. NARA treats personnel files as archival once 62 years have passed since separation from service, and every WW2 veteran crossed that threshold long ago.2National Archives. Military Service Records You don’t have to be a family member or prove next-of-kin status. Anyone can order these records for a copying fee.

Two ways to file the request:

Either way, include as much identifying information as you have: the veteran’s full name as used during service, service number or Social Security number, branch of service, and dates of service. Date and place of birth help when no service number is known.5General Services Administration. Instruction and Information Sheet for SF 180

For urgent needs tied to a funeral or medical situation, NARA offers expedited processing. Select “Emergency Request” in eVetRecs, or note the emergency in the Purpose section of the SF-180 and fax it to 314-801-0764.4National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180

Where the Specialized POW Documents Live

The OMPF is the service record. It sometimes contains POW notations, but it isn’t the POW file. For dedicated POW research, the deeper material sits at NARA’s Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland, in Record Group 389 — the records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, the office that oversaw prisoner of war matters during the war.6National Archives. Military Agency Records RG 389

Several document types show up in POW research, and knowing what exists tells you what to ask for:

Capture cards were created by the detaining power when a prisoner arrived at a camp. A typical card records name, rank, service number, date of capture, and the camp identification code. For Americans held in Europe, German-created capture cards are often the earliest official documentation of POW status.

Repatriation questionnaires are among the richest sources available. Former POWs completed these detailed forms after release, documenting every camp where they were held and building a full movement history. The questionnaires also capture subjective details: camp conditions, medical treatment received or denied, and in some cases witnessed war crimes. For many families, this is the document that finally explains what their veteran went through.

Camp rosters list everyone held at a facility during a given period and help confirm internment dates. Individual casualty reports document circumstances when a service member died in captivity. Together, these records can reconstruct a fairly complete timeline of a POW’s wartime experience.

Before visiting College Park, contact the Textual Consultation team at archives2reference@nara.gov to confirm which record series are available and relevant.7National Archives. The National Archives at College Park, Maryland A focused visit saves enormous time.

Pacific Theater Records Are Different

Records for Americans held by Imperial Japan are harder to find and often less complete than their European counterparts. Japan signed the 1929 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War but never ratified it, and in practice the Japanese military largely disregarded its provisions.8International Committee of the Red Cross. Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, 1929 Ratification Administrative documentation was thinner to begin with, and Japanese forces deliberately destroyed many official records in the final days of the war.

Because contemporaneous records are sparse, Pacific research relies heavily on post-war sources. War crimes investigators gathered affidavits, sworn statements, and depositions from liberated POWs, often within days of release. Thousands of former POWs also completed questionnaires for the War Claims Commission beginning in 1948, providing detailed accounts to support compensation claims. Those questionnaires are now some of the most thorough records of what life in Japanese captivity actually looked like.

If you’re researching a Pacific Theater POW and finding little through standard NARA channels, the war crimes trial records and War Claims Commission files are where the real detail tends to surface.

The International Red Cross Archives

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva holds millions of index cards and lists compiled during the war about prisoners of war, civilian internees, and missing persons.9International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC Archives For researchers who’ve hit a wall with NARA, the ICRC archives can confirm camp locations and internment dates.

Access takes patience right now. As of 2026, the ICRC has reached its maximum capacity for processing WW2 record requests, and general service is suspended until January 25, 2027.10International Committee of the Red Cross. Requests for Information About People Held During the Second World War Requests tied to compensation claims, administrative formalities, or determining the identity of a parent or grandparent may still be handled before then by emailing tracing.archives@icrc.org with supporting documents. The ICRC is also running a two-year digitization program that began in January 2026, so some record series may be temporarily unavailable for in-person consultation at the Geneva reading room.9International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC Archives

If the File Was Lost in the 1973 Fire

A fire at the National Personnel Records Center on July 12, 1973, destroyed approximately 16 to 18 million Official Military Personnel Files, with no duplicates or microfilm copies. Army records took the heaviest losses — roughly 80% of files for personnel discharged between November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960. A large portion of Air Force records were also lost. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard records were stored separately and were not affected.11National Archives. The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center

If your veteran’s file was destroyed, NARA can attempt reconstruction using unit records, pay records, and VA claim files. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides guidance on the process.12Veterans Affairs. Reconstruct Military Records Destroyed in NPRC Fire Reconstruction takes time and rarely matches the original. For POW research specifically, there’s better news: the Provost Marshal General’s records in RG 389 at College Park were stored separately and survived the fire intact. Even if the personnel file is gone, the captivity records may still be there.

Service Members Still Unaccounted For

For families of service members who were captured and never returned, or whose remains were never identified, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is the relevant federal agency. DPAA maintains a searchable online database of missing personnel profiles where you can look up a service member by first or last name.13Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Search Our Missing Families can submit documentation about a case or contact their branch’s casualty officer through the DPAA website.