Ohio played an important role in helping the U.S. obtain victory in World War II. Approximately 839,000 Ohioans served in the armed forces during the war. Approximately 23,000 of those Ohio men and women died or were missing in action by the end of conflict. Ohio civilians contributed by working to produce items to support the war effort.
Below is a list of Ohio Units in the U.S. Army that served during World War II, mainly Ohio National Guard (ONG) Units.
2nd Battalion, 372nd Infantry Regiment (formerly known as the 9th Battalion ONG)
37th "Buckeye" Infantry Division, ONG
107th Cavalry Group
112th Engineer Combat Regiment
131st Quartermaster Regiment
147th Infantry Regiment
151st Medical Battalion
166th Infantry Regiment
174th Field Artillery Battalion
191st Engineer Light Platoon Company
192nd Tank Battalion, Company C (37th Tank Company, ONG)
254th Engineer Combat Battalion
637th Tank Destroyer Battalion
987th Field Artillery Battalion
We have very few records concerning World War II veterans from Ohio. In order to obtain military service records from WWII, you should contact the National Personnel Records Center.
The World War II Compensation Fund, Pensions, and Discharges, 1948-1963 [State Archives Series 4495].This series is restricted under the rules and regulations of the Ohio Historical Society and provisions of the Ohio Revised Code. Researchers wishing to use these records should contact the reference archivist.
The World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing [940.546771 Un32w] can be paged for research in the Library. This publication can also be viewed on microfilm roll GR 6767 in the Library Microfilm Room.
A selection of World War II related Manuscript Collections records are available to view using the Online Collections Catalog.
The World War II Oral Histories collection is digitized and available on Ohio Memory, a statewide digital library program.
Further World War II information can be accessed by using Ancestry and Fold3 which are available via computers in the Library.
You can browse all World War II era newspapers, library, archives, and museum records using our Online Collections Catalog.
Major General Robert S. Beightler was the commander of the 37th "Buckeye" Infantry Division from 1940 to 1945, and was one of only a handful of National Guard officers to command their divisions throughout the entire war. The 37th Division largely fought in the South Pacific during the war, mainly campaigns in the Northern Solomons and Luzon in the Philippines.
The following collections related to Major General Robert Sprague Beightler and the 37th can be paged for research in the Library:
Robert S. Beightler Audiovisual Collection, 1941-1945 [P 295] documents General Beightler s activities and the service of the 37th Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Robert S. Beightler Papers, 1940-1948 [MSS 593] contains correspondence, speeches, and other documents related to the 37th Infantry Division.
Minutemen: The Military Career of General Robert S. Beightler by John Kennedy Ohl [B B396o 2001] includes bibliographic references and an index.
37th Infantry Division Collection, 1941-1943 [State Archives Series 1036 AV] includes photographs of enlisted men, officers, and General Beightler during training and service.
Major General Robert S. Beightler's Report on the Activities of the 37th Infantry Division, 1940-1945 by Robert Sprague Beightler [PA Box 63 9]
Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the Ohio History Connection (then called the Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society) advocated the creation of a war history commission to collect data on the role and activities of Ohio during the war. In the spring of 1942 Governor John W. Bricker created the commission which consisted of 21 members from whom were chosen a chairman, vice chairman and executive secretary. The War History Commission held its organizational meeting on April 1, 1942. It ceased to function in 1948.
A card catalog index is available for Ohio War History Commission collections in the Library.
The following collections were compiled by the Ohio War History Commission and can be paged for research in the Library:
General Files, 1942-1946 [State Archives Series 1142] contains news clippings, correspondence, and photographs describing events in Ohio during World War II.
37th Infantry Division Collection, 1941-1943 [State Archives Series 1036 AV] includes photographs of enlisted men, officers, and General Beightler during training and service.
Accession Record, 1942-1949 [State Archives Series 2036] lists items accessioned by the commission.
Administrative Files, 1942-1947 [State Archives Series 1880] contains minutes, correspondence, and reports.
Civil Defense Announcements, 1941-1948 [State Archives Series 1035 AV] are sound recordings of announcements made
Headlines from World War II, 1941-1945 [State Archives Series 1037] contains newspaper headlines concerning WWII events.
War History Commission World War II posters, 1941-1945 [State Archives Series 2829]
United States Office of Price Administration, World War II rationing stamps and forms, [ca. 1941-1945] [State Archives Series 2804]
Scrapbook on World War II food production and rationing, 1943 [State Archives Series 1430]
Scrapbook of the American Red Cross in Ohio, 1942-1946 [State Archives Series 2954]
Photographs of World War II scrap drives [graphic] [State Archives Series 1959 AV]
The Ohio General Assembly, on June 4, 1947, adopted a resolution calling for the electorate to vote upon amending the state constitution to provide for the compensation of Ohio's World War II soldiers. The constitutional amendment passed in November 1947, and the World War II Compensation Fund was set up under the auspices of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. The deadline for making application for compensation was set at July 1, 1950, but the Compensation Fund remained active until 1954 in finishing its work.
The following collections were compiled by the Ohio World War II Compensation Fund and can be paged for research in the Library:
World War II Compensation Fund Ledger, 1947-1962 [State Archives Series 6272]
Administration of the World War II Compensation Fund for Ohio Veterans, 1947-1950 [State Archives Series 4627]
The following collection was compiled by the Ohio World War II Compensation Fund and is restricted under the rules and regulations of the Ohio Historical Society and provisions of the Ohio Revised Code.
Discover books, newspapers, periodicals, company catalogs, pamphlets, maps, atlases and more!
We do not hold military service or pension records. That information can be obtained by contacting the National Archives and Records Administration. Records created in the 20th century are housed at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
You may also wish to read the military records section of the National Archives Genealogy webpage.
If you have questions, please contact us at reference@ohiohistory.org or 614.297.2510.