WWII Archives:Home

How Can I Help?

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Welcome! Thank you for joining us in the cause of WWII Archives. If there isn't content that you are looking for and/or would like to contribute, please see this part of the front page for the list of different ways that you could contribute.

Creating, Editing, and Writing Articles
This is one of the main ways that anyone with an account could contribute to the WWII Archives. As mentioned in the front page, you can write about anything you want as long as it pertains to something within or relating to something within the WWII era. You can write everything about your grandparents or great-grandparents, maybe someone in your hometown that was a WWII veteran, or even about your hometown itself during the war. If you have a particular passion about some event in the war or something else, it is encouraged that you write and research about it! As mentioned above, you must sign up before you are given ability to write. While signing up, you must read the WAMoS, or the WWII Archives Manual of Style (In the sign up process it shows the short version of the WAMoS. It is recommended that you also see the full version) for more information and details). This lays out the basic rules of the historical process, what is expected, and how to research, write, edit, and cite articles.

Digitizing, uploading, transcribing, and archiving
One of the other major ways of contributing is by uploading and managing Multimedia (computer files) of documents, photographs, items, film, etc. As mentioned, the ability to upload and edit is given when you sign up, however in the sign up process you do not need to read the Multimedia Guide, which is the managing and uploading Multimedia counterpart of the WAMoS. Therefore if you have the intention of uploading or managing any multimedia, or digitizing any item, document, photograph, etc, it is important to go there. Once you are done with that, you may proceed to uploading files, using the Upload file link to the left. You will finally be able to upload those photos and documents of your ancestors or anyone else that you know from the war era that you and others will be able to use to contribute to the scholarship of the subject. Another great benefit is that your family members (close and distant) will be able to freely access the family files forever and wherever. Distance and borders will no longer be a problem of accessibility. If you're researching, files from archives to make the collaboration easier and better. When you are uploading anything however, you will need to describe as much in detail about the file and its context

Interview any remaining WWII vets, survivors, and more
Here will be the opportunity for you and others to interview any of your family members, anyone you know around, or upload any interviews that you are in possession of. It is important that this is done before all of them are lost! Every time that that a WWII veteran (254 in the US each day alone according to the National WWII Museum) or survivor dies, the story of an individual, people around that individual, and so much more of around a century, vanishes, sadly with not much information to recover from other sources. Interviews can be conducted normally such as a one on one (can be more person interviewing someone) with a camera, or if it isn't possible, and with permission, to upload an emailed, texted, or telephoned interview. One other thing that is important to do (especially if the WWII veteran, survivor, or other, has passed away) is to interview people that knew the veteran or survivor, to whom their story was told. In that case, at least some of an individual's story can be saved. Everything about uploading interviews will be detailed in the Multimedia Guide. An upcoming guide about how to conduct interviews will be published soon. If you want a guide however, you can for now consult the Interview Guide by the RememberWW2 organization.

Just tell other people about it!
The most simple way anyone could contribute is just by spreading the word! Tell your neighbor about the cause, tell your friends and family about it, anyone interested in genealogy, their family history, or history in general! Tell anyone who might be interested. Or tell just about anyone, since WWII has had an effect on us in some way, whether through the modern political, social, cultural, and economic climate, or through your family who lived through it.