Today’s post is by Rachael Salyer, Archivist in the Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives in College Park, MD.
The Textual Reference Branch at the National Archives in College Park, MD (Archives II) has custody of numerous records that document U.S. Army operations during World War II. One of the largest series of those records is the series World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 (entry NM-3 427, NAID 305275) in Record Group 407: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office. This series contains nearly 20,000 boxes of records, and the main subseries of operations reports includes unit histories, after action reports, operation reports, journals, general orders, intelligence reports, and more. These records document the combat operations of specific commands and units in active theaters during the war. Most of these records are not available online, but recently, multiple records related to D-Day operations have been digitized and may now be viewed online in the National Archives Catalog.
Some of the newly digitized records include reports and journals that detail the actions of the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions on Omaha Beach.
There are personal observations like this postscript that Major Stanley Bach added to his notes on the invasion: “P.S. – I’ve seen movies, assault training demonstrations and actual battle but nothing can approach the scenes on the beach from 1130 – 1400 hours – men being killed like flies from unseen gun positions – Navy can’t hit em – air cover can’t see em – so Infantry had to dig em out.”
Messages requesting aid, seeking status reports, and asking for or providing situational updates can also be found among these records. The first example gives information about the unit’s location and strength, and it shows requests for blankets, litters, and ammo. The second example states “Rangers captured pillbox,” and it requests reinforcements, as well as evacuation for prisoners and wounded.
The records also include a wide variety of maps, overlays, and sketches that show the movements of the Allies during the various phases of the invasion. This detail from a larger map charts the movements and accomplishments of the American forces throughout the invasion of Normandy and beyond. It includes captions such as “Omaha Beach. 6 June ‘44. D-Day. First the 116th, then the rest came. Blood and determination and then victory at Vierville-Sur-Mer for the 29th Division.”
In addition, the World War II Operations Reports contain records related to the planning, execution, and aftermath of Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, and they provide information about the sacrifices and courage of the soldiers in these units. Some of the after action reports, for example, contain details about the number and type of battle casualties that occurred each month. Some also offer statistical information about the number of medals and decorations that were awarded.
There are even general orders that contain narrative descriptions of individual acts of bravery, such as this recommendation for the Silver Star Medal for First Lieutenant John T. Shea, who “voluntarily joined a reconnaissance party which entered, from the rear, the heavily defended beach exit at VIERVILLE-SUR-MER to determine the enemy dispositions that took place. […] In his active participation in this successful and hazardous reconnaissance, without regard for his own safety, First Lieutenant Shea demonstrated a high degree of courage which reflects great credit on himself and the Military Service.”
It is important to note that the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 (entry NM-3 427, NAID 305275) in Record Group 407 typically do not include detailed information about individual service members, and there is no name index to these records. For more information about the non-digitized records in this series, please email the Textual Reference Branch at Archives II at archives2reference@nara.gov.
For additional NARA resources related to D-Day and World War II, please see:
- D-Day | National Archives
- World War II Records | National Archives
- World War II: D-Day, The Invasion of Normandy | Eisenhower Presidential Library
- FACT SHEET: Normandy Landings | whitehouse.gov
This is the first in a series of blogs commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasions at Normandy.
*All document images are from the series World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 (entry NM-3 427) Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Adjutant General’s Office. Record Group 407: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
Outstanding information, greatly appreciated. My dad was in India during this period as a crew chief on C-47s flying the HUMP.
June 6th is our granddaughter’s birthday – our D-Day grand child.
Excellent article, Rachael. For “additional NARA resources related to D-Day,” I would add a link to the now digitized 7,750 aerial photographic images covering D-Day on June 6, 1944. This link includes all D-Day aerial photographs at the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as the collection held by the Cartographic unit here in College Park (NARA-U.S.), also digitized by NCAP: https://ncap.org.uk/feature/d-day-landings
Great writeup-thanks for posting