Morning reports are company-level reports that were filled out each day to reflect status changes of all personnel assigned to the unit. Morning reports are not rosters. They are exception-based reports, meaning that a soldier’s name will only appear on the report if his status has changed in the last 24 hours. For example, if a soldier received a promotion, was attached to another unit, or was injured, the morning report reflected the change. We have just added a new collection, U.S. Morning Reports 1912-1946. This growing collection contains 2.33 million records, with additional records coming. We currently have morning reports through the year 1939.
Morning reports were introduced in 1912 and, until now, were only available through the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO. This collection is a valuable way to research the daily movements of individual veterans and their companies.
As you browse through this collection on Fold3, you will find Index Reels, Microfilm Targets, and the actual Morning Reports.
The Index Reels contain a set of 119 microfilm reels with a summary of information on a punch card noting dates and units relating to the morning reports microfilm. Microfilm Targets are sorted by their reel number, which points researchers to the correct microfilm reel.
The early morning reports are handwritten, but during WWII, the military transitioned to typewritten reports making research significantly easier.
To search this collection, enter the name of the unit or company, then search by date. Start searching this new collection of Morning Reports on Fold3®. Check back frequently as we continue to update this collection.
Very difficult to navigate! Then unable to read report!????
Hi Rich, these reports can be very difficult to read and some of the penmanship is poor. Later typed records are much easier to navigate. Despite the difficulties, these records may provide crucial clues for those researching veterans, particularly for those whose records were destroyed in the fire. Remember that a veteran’s name will not be found UNLESS there was a change in his status (transfer, sick, injured, etc.). Wishing you the best of luck in your research!
Jenny — Hi. Are these morning reports for the Army analogous to the Navy’s muster rolls? Are the reports also for the Air Force and Marines? How about the Coast Guard?
I’ve noticed, too, recently, that WordPress is now associated with Fold3, Newspapers.com, and Ancestry.com posts and emails; why is that? Thanks for your reply and again for all your other help you have given me in the past, i. e. with my Augusta, WI, Pearl Harbor survivor project.
Hello John! These are US Army Morning Reports but may contain remarks concerning the Army, Army Air Corps, and Army Air Force military service members. They are somewhat analogous to the Navy’s muster rolls, but differ in that the name of the veteran you are researching will not be found unless his status changed (such as a transfer, injury, or other status change). They are very helpful in tracking a soldier’s physical/geographic location, hospitalization, discharge, absence, etc. The manuscript format can be difficult to read and we are in the process of having the individual names indexed. In reference to the WordPress question, this is a platform we use to write and distribute our blogs. (I’m not sure if that answers your question or not). Good luck with your continued research and all you’ve done to identify Pearl Harbor survivors in Augusta, WI.
[…] Introducing Our Collection of Morning Reports. “Morning reports are company-level reports that were filled out each day to reflect status […]
[…] Introducing Our Collection of Morning Reports. “Morning reports are company-level reports that were filled out each day to reflect status […]
Will the actual Typed Morning Reports for WWII be digitized or will there only be punch cards online? Skimming through it looks like only punch cards, which unless you understand the codes, are useless to people unfamiliar with military research and more specifically navigating the MR especially as men changed units – which they often did for many reasons.
Hi Jennifer, the punch cards are online, but if you go to this link, you’ll see the digitized versions of the morning reports: https://www.fold3.com/publication/1141/us-morning-reports-1912-1946/browse/hs5UW3R7Z85HAy0Sn
Its there anything comparable to Morning Reports for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, and more generally for Confederate military experiences during the Civil War? Thank you for whatever information you can provide.
Hello Alice, if you are trying to track a Confederate soldier, I might suggest that you start with the Confederate Civil War Service Records. Each soldier’s file contains things like muster rolls, registers, etc. Some files are just one or two pages, and others are much more detailed. I’ve seen some that are 30 or more pages and allow you to track a soldier’s activity throughout the war. https://www.fold3.com/search?keywords=civil+war+service+records+&military.conflict=Civil+War+(Confederate)
Another hint is to search the Captain of the CSA Company for more details of your soldier.
Hi Jenny,
My Grandfather was not in the US Army BUT participated in the “Mexican Expedition” of 1916. As best I can tell (so far) he traveled to Columbus, NM, with the Packard Motor Company military trucks as a civilian driver/mechanic AND went into Mexico as far south as General Pershing’s forces ventured. Would there be records of these civilian participants in the Morning Reports?
That is a great question. I don’t believe you will find civilian personnel in these reports. I checked the National Archives’ detailed description and don’t see any reference to civilians. I also haven’t seen any civilian references as I’ve gone through this collection. You might want to search Newspapers.com and see if there were any news articles written about your grandfather specifically, or about other civilians who participated in the Mexican Expedition. Good luck.
Hi RD,
I’ve never seen in Morning Reports over the last 12 years I’ve helped people with research, civilians listed. What I have seen is some people worked for the federal government and have a Civilian Personnel File at NPRC in St. Louis. Another thing I’ve seen is some people (a current client I have for WWII) worked FOR the company and those company records (held with the company or possible at NARA College Park where they hold unit level records for that time period) may exist. It takes some research but worth investigating. My current client’s father worked for Douglas Aircraft Co – has a contract which the client has – and served in North Africa with the RAF in 1942. Different than your case but there may still be records so worth checking all archives.
Also – FamilySearch dot org has the VA Index so you could search that to verify your grandfather was not in the military. If he was (1916-1939) he would have an index card with more information.
It’s probably more of an exception than a rule, but I have seen Red Cross volunteers accounted for on a hospital unit morning report, as well as attached Filipino guerrillas on an infantry MR. however even in the unlikely event that they were recorded, you would have to know the unit they were attached to. I don’t think very good indexing will be possible prior to 1943.
Any estimate when all the WW2 Morning Reports will be complete?
Same question;:
Any estimate when all the WW2 Morning Reports will be completed?
My father was in the 39th Regiment Combat Engineers at 06H15 wave on the Salerno, Italy, Sept 1943 D- day first landings in front of Paestum ruins.
Thanks,
JJ
JJ – You might reach out to Yuri Beckers. He has a 9th Infantry Division website and is THE authority on the 9th Division and its units. He’s writing a division history and has a lot of information. He’s Dutch, living in Denmark and speaks English. He and I work together a lot on projects and he’s extremely knowledgeable. He may have records to assist you and I know would love to hear about your father. https://9thinfantrydivision.net/
Sounds like a good site
JJ: The 39th Infantry Regiment was part of the 9th Infantry Division who invaded Sicily. I don’t know if the 39th Regimental Combat Engineers was part of the 39th ID, but the 9th ID Association is having the 77th Annual Reunion in Houston this June 24-27. You should consider joining us. See our website for more information.
Yes, I am interested, on my father, my great father’s, and great great grandfather’s. How much again?
Are there any records of US Military who served confinement time in the Military area of Fort Leavenworth in KS? My father went AWOL 3 times (from Camp Sibert in Attalla, AL). He was court-martialed in Atlanta, GA after the third time and was sentenced/shipped to the military part of Fort Leavenworth. His court martial was on or about 1943-1944.
He is my deceased father (Ellis H. Vaughn/Alabama)16 Feb 1920-2 Apr 2001).
Thank you for any information you may find and share. I will gladly submit a FOIA request if you can help me find the correct place to start. I tried Fort Leavenworth – no record.
Linda, the court martial records would be at NPRC in St. Louis. You can also see if his personnel file did not burn in the 1973 fire there. NPRC is extremely backlogged from being closed the last two years so be aware. You can download Form 180 off the NPRC website and submit for the OMPF (service file) and court martial search.
Hi Linda, I see your father’s WWII Draft Card and his death index record, but no records related to his court martial.
IT is not clear if this is ARMY only or not! DUH!
My grandfather served in the US Army in WWI and was stationed in France. I do not know his army unit. Is there any way to do a surname search without knowing the unit?
Joy,
If the Morning Reports are not indexed (or were not available here), there is no surname index to search for these records without a unit. A few things you might try while you wait for WWII reports to be digitized and indexed are:
Contact the county where your veteran lived after the war and see if he or she filed a copy of their discharge papers there. If so, they will give you a unit. Might not be a combat unit but it is a start point. Some units on discharge papers are just discharge units. Men had enough points to go home so they were thrown into a new unit and shipped out. But with that you can start there and work backwards through MR research with that unit.
Contact the state archives where you veteran lived and see if he/she applied for a WWII Bonus payment. Those applications (Iowa’s are digitized on Ancestry if you want an example) contain a little service info and usually a unit. Now, MR need a COMPANY as they are indexed by company, not an infantry regiment level which is what you might get on a Bonus App, but if you know the regiment, it takes time but you can search the companies within it if names are not indexed.
Other than that, request a search of his OMPF (service file) using Form 180 at NPRC – they are very backlogged.
Very thorough reply. Thank you. Actually, it was WWI and he was discharged in Washington DC. I’ll follow up on your suggestions.
Joy, the same research strategies, records, and locations apply to WWI – Vietnam so what I replied still applies. If you click my name it takes you to my military research website where you’ll find a lot of articles on how to research and I have several on Morning Reports.
You can also head to FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3346936 and look at their WWI Muster Rolls 1916-1939. Most are indexed but if you find your family member and then they get “dropped” because not indexed fully yet, you can just move through that microfilm roll where you found them, forward or backward in time. Those rolls are 2 months at a time and you can reconstruct service.
BUT you still want to get the Morning Reports because they give some different information. Both record sets will help you reconstruct service history and are incredibly valuable. Also at FamilySearch look for the VA Index Card for your veteran since it is WWI era. That contains valuable information also.
Monthly rosters for many U.S. Army units in the WWI and interwar eras are indexed and available for free on FamilySearch. They complement the morning reports nicely. Unfortunately they only go to 1939. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_Enlisted_and_Officer_Muster_Rolls_and_Rosters_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
IN WW II my parents were in medical ‘wings’ of the Army – father Army MC (? assume Medical Corps) and mother Women’s Army Nurse Corps. Will their records eventually be in this collection? Thank you for making this collection available. I’ll be hoping to see more soon.
I have specific reel numbers and exact title descriptions (e.g. 67TH CO CAC (ROSTERS) 31 January 1923 reel 7.27), how can I search for these? Each search either brings up zero results or results that have nothing to do with my search terms.
Thanks, Tina
Hi Tina, we are about 33% done with the reels and that reel is not online yet. Reel 7.27 will probably be online by next month. Please keep checking back.
“We currently have morning reports through the year 1939.”
What is the time frame for seeing those for years 1940 to 1945?
It would be a very important to me thank you. Yes he was in world war II thank you
I’m looking for Abraham E Fishkin
Can you help me?
Hello Christopher, I am not sure if this record is correct, but this Abraham Fishkin was born in Russia in 1849 and enlisted in the US Army in 1938 – making him 89 years old! https://www.fold3.com/memorial/83201075
He died in 1951
Any idea when these Morning Reports will include the 1970’s time period?
I spoke with my researcher at NPRC this afternoon about Vietnam era research and it is unlikely from 1968 forward that Morning Reports will be online. He explained that in 1968 they moved from Army Serial Numbers to Social Security Numbers. So even if you go to NPRC and want to view those reports, you are not allowed. Staff has rules and will look/print and black out SSNs. And they only do about 3 months at a time – although I have to confirm if you only get 3 months or 3 months per request. By the 1960s, there are just more privacy rules and rules about who can access any of the records. NPRC always has this updated on their site though so it’s easy to check.
Several years ago I was able to track my Dad’s movements using morning reports in the research room at NARA in STL. (1Lt Myles B Cullen KIA 2/2/1945 in Colmar, France.). When integrated with letters he sent to my Mom, it enabled me to understand his last days better. The quality of the microfiche was sometimes difficult to read, but wanting to know made the task easier. I’m glad others will have access to these, and the nuggets they sometimes contain. Susan Cullen Schwartz.
Thanks for this timely announcement. The WWII Morning Reports should contain a great deal of valuable information. My father served as the aide for several unit commanding officers,
first in the US Army Field Artillery and then in the US Army Air Corps/Air Force. He was responsible for writing (later typing) these reports over the period 1942-1945. He told me
several times before he passed away that the reports had to be meticulously accurate and
were usually reviewed by the commanding officers. I would imagine that the reports done for
stateside units were easier to keep than for units serving overseas. Hope that this helps
all of the family history researchers out there.
I’ve visited the NPRC in St. Louis several times to view the microfilmed morning reports of my father’s 337th Inf. Reg., 85th Division. I’ve written down reel numbers from the index cards that I have yet to be able get thru. For example, 1944 MRs for May would be reel # 17664 (per my notes). Is there a way to directly enter a reel number in the search area of the fold3 Morning reports? My initial attempt to search the records has not been successful for finding records pertaining to the 337th. By accident, I stumbled across the Enlisted Man’s roster index card for 1940-1943 showing reel number 12899 but again, it appears that reel number is not easily found…or not yet available.
Hi , my father was in the Army in 1942in Georgia after he served . President Roosevelt put young men back to work I believed it was called CCR to build the railroads how can I find out information or photos .?
Liz, did you mean your dad worked on this young men’s project before 1942? Roosevelt had the CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps prior to the war. Those men (my cousin was one) who worked for the CCC, have a CCC personnel file at NPRC in St. Louis. Those files share a lot of information about the person plus where they worked, jobs they did, etc.
There are also a lot of CCC websites that will give you info, Camp newspapers, photos, etc. once you know what camp(s) he worked at. My cousin was only in one in Washington state, as he worked 6 months for the CCC in late 1939. I suspect but have no paper trail to prove his work there put him in Ordnance in WWII rather than infantry immediately.
Where do you start? Directions to find WWII 46th Signal Heavy Battalion from 1944 to 1946? I have been to NARA and copied Morning Reports with my Dad’s name, but I would like to see all of them again. Great resource. Looking forward to having all online. Thank you it means so much to those of us doing research on our families who served.
I found a my Dad’s WWII Unit and a punch card for 0046 SIG HV BN for 1945. It is 5178. It list all the months with numbers underneath. Do I use the numbers in the months to find the reels?? Attaching punchcard at the bottom. https://www.fold3.com/image/705825864
We need directions on how to find the morning reports.
My Dad was WWII in the 46th Signal Heavy Construction Battalion. Any help would be appreciated.
A friend of mine who’s father served in WWII and was awarded a Silver Star. Is there any way to find out what the action was where he was awarded the Silver Star? What information would be required and where would we inquire?
The citation for the medal may include some information about the circumstances under which it was earned. This could be in the file for the serviceman unless it was lost to the fire. A copy would have been sent to the serviceman or his family, along with the medal.
Hall of Valor has some citations transcribed. https://valor.militarytimes.com/
If your friend has his father’s discharge paperwork, it may give the general order (e.g., GO #11, HQ 1st Infantry Division). A handful of units’ records have been digitized by enthusiasts. But with the general order number and unit in hand, it would be a simple matter to get a private research company or NARA staff at Archives II in College Park to digitize the general orders, if that record survives.
Didn’t they use “Morning Reports” during the Civil War as well?
Practically useless
These are NOT indexed. Completely useless until they are.
It has been challenging to find details about this servicemember’s service during the Korean War. This is likely due in part due to his serving in the California Army National Guard. However, his unit (not known, but possibly a topographic unit), was deployed to Japan to support the Korean War. His service period, according to a search on Fold3, was 1 September 1950 to 9 April 1953. He was treated later in life by the Veterans Administration and passed away in a VA hospital in 1981. So far, online searches for California ARNG units and such have turned up nothing. Do you expect to post Korean War-era morning reports? If so, about when? Thank you.
Will this database eventually include Army Engineer Regimental/Company Morning Reports for WWI time frame? I have two soldiers who I am interested in, that served in different Engineer Regiments, including one who saw frontline duty October-November 1918.
Hi,
My grandfather was a sergeant in the U.S. Army during WWI but because he was age 30 he was not sent to Europe to fight. He was stationed in Texas, working at a military prison. Would he be in a Morning Report even though he didn’t fight in any battles? Thanks.
Yes he will still show up in Morning Reports. Every man and woman who served in the Army or Air Corps/Army Air Forces/Air Force will be in these records.
My father served in WWII, seeing combat in Italy as a member of the U.S. Army’s 913th Field Artillery Battalion – Battery B, attached to the 88th Infantry. He was in Italy for most of 1944 and 1945, so the Morning Reports added to Fold at this point do not cover my period of interest. However, I “practiced” searching by looking through the 1912-1939 Morning Reports that are available. I can’t imagine that it will be at all practical to search for my father when the WWII Morning Reports DO become available, if the organization of the 1912-1939 records carries over to the WWII period. It would be handy if one was able to search via an index of military units, or ideally, by the soldier’s name. I would gladly accept an indexing system by military unit, however. Unless I’m mistaken, though, it doesn’t appear that the Morning Reports will be searchable in this manner.
My dad served in the Army during the Vietnam era . I can not find anything about him , as I know he was stationed in Germany but where don’t know. His time was 1962–1967. Where the records from that era distroyed in the fire. Can someone help me
Susan,
Vietnam-era Morning Reports will not be digitized here due to privacy. Currently (2 May 2022), they are not even searchable at NPRC in St. Louis. NPRC is where those records and the OMPF (service files) are held. The Vietnam-era Morning Reports are “on hiatus” by the archivists until further notice so no one can access.
The service file may or may not exist, depends on if it was burned in the 1973 fire. You can send in Form 180 off NARA’s website to request a search. They are incredibly backlogged since being closed for 2 years so you will wait a long time to find out if he has a file.
So for the time being, Vietnam is a more difficult era to get information unless you had someone who was in the Navy or Marine Corps. Those service files did not burn and we don’t have Morning Reports to deal with.
My Uncle, Julius Schomaker, served during WWI. He was a member of “Battery B, 4th Trench Mortar Battalion, C.A.C.” The battalion was organized in June, 1918 and was demobilized after its return from France in 1919. Julius is listed in battalion documents held in the National Archives at College Park, MD. I have been unsuccessful in finding records for the Battalion in the Morning Reports database. I would appreciate any suggestions for search terms or approach.
Jennifer, do you know if the 54th Ordnance Group/Company that supported 7th Army maintained morning reports? My father, Joseph (nmi) Reich was pulled from the 143rd Ing Regt because he spoke German, and became a Target Force driver. He drove Dr. Samuel Goudsmit of the Manhatten Project/ALSOS Mission into and around Germany, admitted to being exposed to radiation, Operation Harborage. Am also awaiting Company G/143rd Inf Regt morning reports!
All Army Companies will have Morning Reports – IF they survived the war. My cousin was in the 790th Ordnance Co of the 90th Division for most of his time overseas and he trained in the 126th MM Ord for a year prior. Lots of good reports.
Sometimes as record were transported via truck, train, ship, etc. there were accidents or fires, bombs, water damage (rain/snow), air strikes….. and records did not make it home. So there are cases I have seen the last 12 years where we might not find everything but it’s been my experience that 99% of the projects i work on – we get the answers.
if you want more info on Morning Reports, click my name and visit my website. Search it for Morning Reports. I have several articles over the last few years on these records.
Hi! My dad is looking for the Marines’ version of morning reports from WWII in the Pacific for my grandpa. Are those digitized yet?
Am running into a problem locating my relative thru his units morning reports. Pvt. Thomas Fitzgerald was assigned to Company B, 39th Infantry on May 2, 1918 until he was killed July 19, 1918, his remains never being recovered. I’ve found the morning reports contained in this collection for his unit, but only for the years 1917, 19, 20, and 21, with no statements of missing reports. I also found that while 19-21 are actually from Company B, all 1917 is in reality from Company C. When I looked in Company C’s list there was none from 1917, a few missing from 1918, and complete sets from 1919 on, with notes indicating 1917 and the missing months of 1918 could not be located. When I looked in Company A, it looked much the same as Company C, missing 1917 and some of 1918 with notes indicating them missing. Was able to find Company A’s for 1917 listed under HQ Company, 1st Battalion. I’m wondering if anyone else has run into this sort of problem and if it’s possible that perhaps the relevant reports I’m looking for exist and were just misfiled or maybe have not been uploaded yet?
It would be greath to study those MR´s from June 1944 until May 1945. They could provide some additional information about US Troops involved in either the liberation of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, ect.
Jenny,
“We currently have morning reports through the year 1939.”
Are the 100% only covering the periode 1912 – 1939 ?
Believe most of us are wanted the 1940 – 1943 and the 1943 – 1946 Morning Reports.
Hi Jenny, Any idea when we might expect to be able to search for the Morning Reports for the 1943-1946 records? I’m looking for Army records on Uncles who were in the Army & Army Air Force. All I have on them right now is the dates of service and serial numbers from the Pennsylvania Requests for World War II Compensation Applications and their actual units that I got from the County. Interestingly I used to type Morning Reports after I came back from Vietnam so I hope to be able to translate the info which undoubtedly is abbreviated as ours was. Ray in PA
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