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German WW2 Archives

NARA

German WW2 records are available online at the US National Archives and Records Administration at the following links:

Armed Forces (OKW – only partially available): https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7820260

Army High Command (OKH): https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7821296

Military Districts (Wehrkreis): https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7825435

Army Groups (only partially available): https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788370

Armies: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12007587

Panzer Armies: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788523

Army Corps: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12004195

Army Divisions: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12004423

SS Records: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788697

Navy High Command: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7818012

Other Navy Documents: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/315246058

Luftwaffe High Command: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7788651

Reich Air Ministry: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7787207

Von Rhoden Collection (Luftwaffe): https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12004872

Organization Todt: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7787132

Ministry for Armaments and War Production: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7773935

Ministry for Enlightenment and Propaganda: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7741409

Miscellaneous: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/229630550

Italian Military Records: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12007155

Searching for Records

To search for a specific record, you will need to consult one of the German Guides. The German Guides associated with each topic are listed here (look for the “GG” next to the topic): https://www.archives.gov/research/captured-german-records/foreign-records-seized.html#virginia

Once you determine the guide you need, you can find it using this search query: https://catalog.archives.gov/search-within/176887728?q=German%20Guides – note that the German Guides are often buried in unrelated reels.

The guide will list the roll for that record, which you can find by navigating to the identical “reel” in the link associated with that topic above.

 

German Guides

German Guide 1-5: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178381511

German Guide 6-14: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178382475

German Guide 15-20: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178384180

German Guide 21-33: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178385770

German Guide 34-37: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178387049

German Guide 38-39: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178388315

German Guide 40-45: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178389356

German Guide 46-49: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178390767

German Guide 53-55: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178393247

German Guide 56-59: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178394449

German Guide 60-65: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178407998

German Guide 66-69: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178408540

German Guide 70-72: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178409010

German Guide 73-75: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178409477

German Guide 76-80: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/178409980

Bundesarchiv Militärarchiv

The military archives in Freiburg, Germany can be searched online through Invenio at the following website:

https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/login.xhtml

There is no need to register. Simply click on the top button,"Suche ohne Anmeldung":

BA MA Guide 2.png

On the next page, you can browse the German military archives by navigating to "Norddeutscher Bund und Deutsches Reich (1866-1945)":

If you know the signature of the specific file you are looking for (e.g., "RH 2/94" for the Marcks Plan), click on the "Suche" page and enter the signature under "Signatur" and click on "Suchen". Note that you should omit "BA-MA" when entering the signature. 

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