Who was Corp. James Bethel Gresham? It’s been more than a century since his passing, but in 1917, his name was known nationwide. Gresham was the first American soldier to die in action in WWI. As Veterans Day approaches, we honor veterans like Gresham and many others who served their country. Their sacrifices need to…
If you have an ancestor who served aboard a submarine during WWII, the Submarine War Patrol Reports collection is a valuable resource for military research. Submarine warfare played an important part in achieving an Allied victory during the war, and these reports provide a glimpse into daily operations and deadly engagements. Several classes of…
While searching through Fold3 records recently, something caught our eye. It was a 1944 German record with torn and burned edges, and it referenced American POWs. Who were these Americans, and what happened to them? We did a little digging to learn more about one of the soldiers listed on the record, Sgt. Curtis E….
We are pleased to announce that we’ve added the Gail S. Halvorsen “Candy Bomber” Collection to our archives. Fold3® is honored to be the official archive of the personal papers, journals, photographs, and videos of the late Col. Gail Seymour Halvorsen, also known as the Candy Bomber. At the end of WWII, the Allies divided…
In 1940, as the likelihood of the United States entering WWII hostilities increased, military officials assessed equipment and decided soldiers needed a better helmet. The newly redesigned combat helmet was called the M-1 Helmet, and production began in 1941. The design proved so popular that with slight modifications, the helmet became a standard issue for…
Following the D-Day Landings in June 1944, more than a million Allied soldiers moved into France. After breaking out of Normandy in July, troops began advancing across the countryside—sometimes covering as much ground as 80 miles a week. This created a logistical challenge for officials trying to supply this moving army across a country where…
The Bowie List is a valuable resource that records the burial locations of Confederate soldiers who fought and died in Maryland during the Battles of Antietam, South Mountain, and Monocacy during the American Civil War. The Battle of Antietam was the deadliest one-day battle in American history. It became a mass casualty event, with 22,000…
