Mitsuo Sumida 1st BN (100th Battalion) 442nd RCT

My grandfather Mitsuo Sumida was in B CO, 100th, 442 RCT from APR 1943 till NOV 1945. I have a lot of his service record and am requesting a DD214 from the national archives. The two things I am trying to do are: Trace his actual company's movement through the theatre, creating a timeline of battles/missions. And find any photos of him in theatre.

I can see the campaign credits but matching his company to specific battles or actions within battles is harder for me to figure out.

Does anyone have any good sources I could look in to that reference these battles to the company level?

 

The best way to track his Company is to obtain the Company's Morning Reports. They will give the location of at least the Company HQ on a daily basis. In many cases, they give actual coordinates. Some MRs even have descriptions of actions and movements, though the degree of detail can vary quite a bit. But that's just gravy anyway. Once you have the dates and locations, the Battalion or Regimental After Action Reports and Operations Reports can provide good narratives to flesh out the story. Of course, there are also a lot of books and publications regarding the 100th/442nd that can be mined as well.

The MRs are held at the NARA in St. Louis. However, unlike personnel records, the NARA will not fulfill requests of any kind for Morning Reports. The two options are 1) go there in person and make copies of the MRs, and 2) get someone else to do it. The latter option usually involves hiring a researcher. However, I do know a couple people who have gone there themselves. That trip is still on my bucket list. So far I have only used a researcher.