The War:

Document Collection

The 103rd, just like all other units during World War II, was heavily reliant on written records to track every aspect of their day-to-day operations. From casualty and after-action reports which recorded the division’s casualties and combat actions to quartermaster reports which detailed what uniform items were available, everything had to be put into writing in the military. The 103rd was no exception to this rule, and what exists today for those trying to find out more about the division is an extensive collection of documents that track these men throughout their time in Europe. The documents that were produced by the 103rd help to demonstrate the experiences that a combat unit had to navigate during the final six months of World War II in the European Theater. Below, you can find a variety of documents that track the 103rd during their stateside training and their time in combat overseas. Unit wide documents are sorted by dates, while documents with multiple copies for each unit are sorted by unit and then date. For more information about researching these documents, please view the user’s guide.

  • Combat and After-Action Reports

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  • Casualty Reports (KIA, WIA, MIA)

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  • Administrative Records

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  • Unit Journals

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  • Advanced Infantry Officers Course Reports

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  • Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) Roster

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  • Photography Collections

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Additional Materials Coming in the Future

Image Credits:

Header Photo: Pat W. Kohl, SC 336945- All vehicles either entering or leaving 42nd Inf. Div., 7th U.S. Army, Command Post, are challenged. Here, Pvt. Solomon Feingold, inspects a trip ticket before allowing vehicle to pass around Petite Pierre, France. 5 March, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

ASTP Roster Photos: Blau, SC 374805- Capt. Bernward W. Heberer of Battery "A," 553rd AAA AW Battalion, hands Cpl. Elmer Manweiler, his pay at Saverne, France. (1 February, 1945).  U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Casualty Reports Photo: Unknown photographer, SC 196225-S- An unwounded GI (35th Infantry Division), left, and one that has been slightly wounded, right, help a third man to a jeep that will take him to a hospital in the rear area near Nancy, France. (8 November, 1944).  U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Combat and After Action Reports Photo: Unknown photographer, SC 199063-S- LTC Porter, Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion (79th Infantry Division), and his party, stand in the cover of a wall before dashing across a street in the Hagenau area, which is under enemy observation and small arms fire. 22 January, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Photography Collections photo: Lt. William J. Duncan, SC 184877 - Pictured are T/5 Leo M. Churan and Pfc. Lawrence J. Supp, both of the Signal Section 1855th Unit for the purpose of showing how photographers work under combat conditions. 1943. Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Morning Reports Photo: Pfc. Don Bradlor, SC 337274- Examining captured German uniforms in Gestapo building, 701st Tank Battalion, 102nd Infantry Division. 6 March, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

General Orders Photo: T/5 Emmett D. Griggs, SC 424788- Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs, CG 30th Inf. Div., presenting the Silver Star to 2nd Lt. Robert F. Ackerman of Co. E., 30th Inf. Div. by Magdeburg, Germany. 2 May, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

General Charles Haffner Photo: Photo from 103rd Infantry Division Association Archival Collection, Special Collections at McCain University Library and Archives, the University of Southern Mississippi.

Unit Journals Photo: T/4 Irving Leibowitz, SC 337389- (409th Task Force photo series) Here, men of the 103rd Infantry Division hug the dirt beside the road as the enemy opens fire on the column. 1 May, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Army Magazine and Newsletters: Nicholson, SC 195686- Sgt. Hubert E. Bankston, (2nd Infantry Division) reclines inside his deluxe foxhole which boasts sleeping quarters for two men and a roof of 6 inch logs with three feet of mud covering it near  Hechuscheid, Germany. 17 October, 1944. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Division Muster List: Photo from 103rd Infantry Division Association Archival Collection, Special Collections at McCain University Library and Archives, the University of Southern Mississippi.

Advanced Infantry Officer Course Reports Photo: Heinberger, SC 336775- Infantrymen of the 94th Division race for cover across the dragon's teeth of Siegfried Line near Tittingen, Germany. 19 January, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.

Administrative Records Photo: T/5 Louis Weintraub, SC 334915- Yanks from the 44th Infantry Division in Landeck, Austria, wave their rifles and helmets with joy as they heard 19th German Army surrendered today. 6 May, 1945. U.S. Army Signal Corps Archive via Flickr.