Unit and POW-Specific Research

• Your Family Member's Bomb Group Website: Dedicated unit sites like 384thBombGroup.com⇗ offer highly specific documents, photos, and rosters for specific servicemen.

• Friends of the US Air Force Academy Library Stalag Luft 3 Collection⇗: Photos, diaries, and records from the famous POW camp, curated by former POW Lt. Gen. A.P. Clark.

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Records Request⇗: Every quarter, the ICRC opens up record requests for POWs. Mark your calendar and set an alarm because the requests fill up fast. 

• American Ex-Prisoners of War Membership Directories: Available on eBay.

General Genealogy & Military Records

• National Archives Catalog⇗: Millions of official military records, draft cards, and medal citations. Note: The 1973 fire destroyed many records, but new files are continuously digitized and uploaded.

• Ancestry⇗: Over 30 billion broad genealogical records, yearbook photos, and historical documents.

• Military Yearbooks: Locate training yearbooks online via specialized archives like Fold3⇗, The Military Yearbook Project⇗, the American Overseas Schools Historical Society⇗, and the Army Air Forces Collection⇗.

• Your Family Member's College/University: Contact your family member's school to see if they have any military records in their student file. Texas A&M was very helpful with this. 

• Your Family Member's Hometown Courthouse: Contact your family member's hometown courthouse to see if they have any records or documents on file. 

Newspaper Archives

• Newspapers.com⇗: Millions of global newspapers searchable by name, date, and hometown.

• Chronicling America (Library of Congress)⇗: Free access to millions of historic American newspaper pages spanning 1730–1969.

Regional & State Collections

• Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas)⇗: Over 2 million localized maps, photos, and documents detailing Texas veterans and civilians.

• Missouri Digital Newspaper Project (State Historical Society of Missouri)⇗: Over 12 million digitized newspaper pages specific to the Midwest region.

• Local Library Archives: Check the public library of your family member's hometown or the towns where they trained. They often have microfilm, photos, documents, and newspaper articles.

Relevant Museums and Websites

• 384th Bombardment Group Museum (Kettering, England)⇗

• Stalag Luft 3 Museum (Żagań, Poland)⇗ 

• National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force (Pooler, Georgia)⇗

• Commemorative Air Force (Dallas, Texas)⇗

• Stalag Luft III - WordPress⇗: An extensive compilation of newsletters, stories, and pictures from Stalag Luft 3 and Stalag VII-A by historian, Marilyn Walton.

• The Arrowhead Club⇗: An extensive blog dedicated to WWII history, stories of the 384th Bomb Group, and POWs by historian, Cindy Bryan. 

384th Bomb Group Training Sites

• Historic Wendover Airfield (Utah)⇗

• Iowa History Journal: Sioux City Army Airbase⇗

• The Nebraska Cold War Legacy Project: Scribner Army Airfield⇗

Commemoration

• Replacement Caterpillar Club Pin & Membership Card: Airborne Systems⇗ provides replacement cards and ruby-eyed pins free of charge for past members. If your veteran qualified but never joined, you can apply posthumously. Fill out their contact form, select "Military Parachutes" under product, and "U.S. Air Force" under entity.

• Replacement Medals, Awards, and Decorations (National Archives)⇗: Note: in order to apply, you must be the next-of-kin and have your family member's DD214. 

Community

• Facebook Groups: Connect directly with family members, researchers, and historians. Excellent starting points include the Official Eighth Air Force Historical Society⇗ group and specific unit pages like the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association⇗.

Below are books used in my research, books written by my friends, friends of R.O., and their family members, and other books relevant to POW and 8th Air Force history. 

These are not affiliate links, and I do not make any money from sharing them. Just sharing to get the word out about some great books.