I am raising money to buy scans of combat reports of airborne divisions involved in World War II. These documents in “hard copy” form are in the archives of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. They contain very interesting information, which I'm sure fans of history and the “Band of Brothers” series will be interested in. After writing an email to NARA, I received the following response:

"Dear Mr. Baraniecki,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding scans from the U.S. Army Unit Records collection at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. 

The files you have requested have the following page counts:

Box 1531:

501st PI Regiment, After Action Report, December 1944 (32 pages)

501st PI Regiment, After Action Report, January 1945 (28 pages)

501st PI Regiment, S-2 Periodic Reports, Dec. 19, 1944 - Jan. 16, 1945 (49 pages)

501st PI Regiment, 2nd Battalion, History, Sept. 17, 1944 - Jan. 17, 1945 (16 pages)

502nd PI Regiment, After Action Report, December 1944 (55 pages)

502nd PI Regiment, After Action Report, January 1945 (41 pages)

Box 1535:

506th PI Regiment, History 1944 (90 pages)

506th PI Regiment, After Action Report, Bastogne, Dec. 1944-Jan. 1945 (84 pages)

Box 1536:

S-2 Periodic Reports, December 18-31, 1944 (21 pages)

S-2 Periodic Reports, January 1-17, 1945 (18 pages)

S-3 Periodic Reports, December 20-31, 1944 (25 pages)

S-3 Periodic Reports, January 1-February 22, 1945 (47 pages)

We are able to provide basic digital scans at $0.80 per page, with a minimum charge of $20.00. There are 506 total pages in the listed material, with a total charge of $404.80.

Due to the volume of material, it will be necessary to break this into two transactions. For example, we could start with the material in box 1531, which would be 221 pages at $176.80. Then the next transaction, for 285 pages at $228.00, would be added to the end of the queue. This is necessary so that we can continue to answer other researchers within a reasonable amount of time.

You should expect each tranche to be ready for download within a couple of weeks of payment.

Please let me know if you would like to order some or all of these files, and I will create a bill for you through Pay.gov. If you would like to receive particular files in the first batch, please let me know so I can arrange them and calculate the first bill.

Please also let me know if you have any questions."

These archives contain information needed to complete the writing of a book about the Paratroopers on the Western Front.

Each supporter will get access to these archives after scanning them. In order to receive them, you need to put your e-mail login in the contributor's name (not the whole e-mail! - to avoid spam) and send a blank e-mail with the login name to: mariusz (dot) poz (dot) 84 (at) gmail (dot) com - so that I can associate the contributor with the login. On this email you will receive a link to the scans.

If successful, another fundraiser will be created - this time related to the 1st Marine Division. Do you remember the series “The Pacific”? There's some interesting information there, too!

I am available also on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariano.italiano/

This is very important to me because those document lay still in the boxes and are not published. I can't afford to buy them yet. I thing this is the best method to finish my book and for you to receive these reports for small amount of money.

ALSO IF YOU WONDER WHAT ARE S-2 REPORTS:

S-2 Reports from 1944 are military intelligence reports produced by the S-2 section of a U.S. Army unit—typically at the battalion or regimental level. The "S" in "S-2" stands for staff, and the "2" designates the intelligence function.

The S-2 officer was responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating tactical intelligence to support operations at the unit level. During World War II, especially in 1944, these reports were critical in fast-moving campaigns like the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge.

Typical contents of an S-2 report included:

• Enemy troop movements and locations
• Captured documents and interrogation summaries
• Sniper, artillery, and minefield activity
• Weather and terrain analysis
• Counterintelligence notes (e.g., rumors, suspected spies)
• Enemy unit identification and estimated strength
• Daily or periodic summaries of enemy activity