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{{Germany | {{CountrySidebar | ||
|Country=Germany | |||
|Name=Germany | |||
|Type=Topic | |||
|Topic Type=Records | |||
|Records=Military Records | |||
|Rating=Standardized | |||
}}{{breadcrumb | |||
| link1=[[Germany Genealogy|Germany]] | | link1=[[Germany Genealogy|Germany]] | ||
| link2= | | link2= | ||
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==Online Resources== | ==Online Resources== | ||
*'''1752 and 1792''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61534/ Halle, Germany, Thadden Regiment, Muster Roll, 1752 and 1792] at Ancestry - index | *'''1752 and 1792''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61534/ Halle, Germany, Thadden Regiment, Muster Roll, 1752 and 1792] at Ancestry - index & images ($) | ||
*'''1828-1888''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61532/ Halle(Saale), Germany, Military Recruitment Lists, 1828-1888] at Ancestry - index and images ($) | *'''1828-1888''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61532/ Halle(Saale), Germany, Military Recruitment Lists, 1828-1888] at Ancestry - index & images ($) | ||
*'''1870-1955''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62723 Germany, Volksbund, Indexes of Victims of War, WW1 and WW2, 1870-1955] at Ancestry ($) | |||
*'''1916-1918''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/prisoners-of-war-sound-recordings-1916-1918 Prisoners Of War Sound Recordings 1916-1918] at Findmypast — index & images ($) | |||
*'''1940-1945''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=62617 Wanzleben, Germany, External Foreign Workers, 1940-1945] at Ancestry — index & images ($) | |||
*'''1943-1947''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61742/ United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) Records, 1943-1947 (USHMM)] at Ancestry — index ($) | |||
*'''1947-1948''' [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=35161 Italy, Mauerstein Family Papers, 1947-1948 (USHMM)] at Ancestry — index ($) | |||
*[https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-20309/soviet-prisoners-of-world-war-ii-held-in-germany?s=1317099232 Soviet Prisoners of World War II Held in Germany] at MyHeritage — index & images ($) | |||
==Military Records in Germany== | ==Military Records in Germany== | ||
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20-23 year old males now had to be on active duty for 3 years in times of peace. In times of war all males up to 50 years of age were called to active duty. In 1813/15 approx. 3% of Prussian males were enlisted. | 20-23 year old males now had to be on active duty for 3 years in times of peace. In times of war all males up to 50 years of age were called to active duty. In 1813/15 approx. 3% of Prussian males were enlisted. | ||
Laws about military duty were legal by 1814/15. Each Prussian province had a general comissioner (Generalkommissar), who was in contact with the Amt (Kreisausschuss or Landwehrausschuss) regulating the levying of the male population. | Laws about military duty were legal by 1814/15. Each Prussian province had a general comissioner (Generalkommissar), who was in contact with the Amt (Kreisausschuss or Landwehrausschuss) regulating the levying of the male population. The Kreisausschuss consisted of an officer, the Landrath and the manor lord (Gutsbesitzer). They conducted yearly inspections of the recruits and determined their fitness for service. Accordingly men were assigned to the infantery, cavallery or service at the garrison. After the inspection, the men were sent home. When they received their draft papers, they were shipped to their regiments. | ||
Source: Klöffler, Martin. ''Materialien zu den Aushebungen der preussischen Landwehr 1813-15'' | Source: Klöffler, Martin. ''Materialien zu den Aushebungen der preussischen Landwehr 1813-15'' | ||
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Germans served on both sides of the American Revolution. To find information about Germans who fought for the Americans, see [[United States Military Records]]. | Germans served on both sides of the American Revolution. To find information about Germans who fought for the Americans, see [[United States Military Records]]. | ||
About 25,000 | About 25,000 troops raised in Germany worked for the British. They may have come from any part of Germany, but they are usually called “Hessians.” Some deserted or were sold to Americans as laborers. | ||
Many remained in the United States or went to Canada after the war. The following source is a major index of German mercenaries: | Many remained in the United States or went to Canada after the war. The following source is a major index of German mercenaries: | ||
''Hessische Truppen im amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg (HETRINA) (Hessian Troops in the American Revolution).'' Six Volumes. Marburg, Germany: Archivschule, 1971-1976, 1987-. | ''Hessische Truppen im amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg (HETRINA) (Hessian Troops in the American Revolution).'' Six Volumes. Marburg, Germany: Archivschule, 1971-1976, 1987-. {{FSC|2707192|item|disp=(FS Library book 943 M2mg; films 1,320,516 items 6-7 and1,320,542 items 5-6.)}} Indexes from this series list each soldier's name, year of birth, place of origin, rank, and military unit and the source of the information. | ||
The following source indexes thousands of American and British records of German | The following source indexes thousands of American and British records of German soldiers: | ||
Smith, Clifford Neal. ''Cumulative Surname Index and Soundex to Monographs 1 through 12 of the German-American Genealogical Research Series''. McNeal, Arizona, USA: Westland Publishing, 1983. | Smith, Clifford Neal. ''Cumulative Surname Index and Soundex to Monographs 1 through 12 of the German-American Genealogical Research Series''. McNeal, Arizona, USA: Westland Publishing, 1983.{{FSC|229888|item|disp= (FS Library book 973 W2smn no. 13.)}} This index lists only the soldier's surname and the series number of the monograph where information about that soldier can be found. Each monograph is individually indexed. The monograph normally lists the soldier's name, rank, and unit. Some of the following may also be listed: birthplace; age; occupation; promotions; where the soldier resided or was recruited; and whether he was wounded, killed, missing in action, captured, deserted, or sold, and where. | ||
''' Additional Sources ''' | ''' Additional Sources ''' | ||
*Karl J.R. Arndt.'' How to Find Your Hessian Ancestor.'' Genealogical Journal 6 (March, 1977):15-18. | *Karl J.R. Arndt.'' How to Find Your Hessian Ancestor.'' Genealogical Journal 6 (March, 1977):15-18. FS Library 973 D25gj. | ||
* | *{{FSC|629540|item|disp=Don Heinrich Tolzmann, ed. ''German Allied Troops in the American Revolution: J. R. Rosengarten's Survey of German Archives and Sources.'' Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1993. FS Library 973 M2ge}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|2059873|item|disp=Journal of the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association.}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|79611|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Annotated Hessian Chaplaincy Record of the American Revolution.'' MeNeal, Arizona, Westland Publications, 1994. FS Library 973 W2smn no. 30}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|199604|item|disp=Neal Smith. ''British and German deserters, discharges, and prisoners of war who may have remained in Canada and the United States.''McNeal, Arizona : Westland Publications, c1988-. FS Library 973 W2sco pt 1 & Pt 2}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|479979|item|disp=Neal Smith. ''Deserters and disbanded soldiers from British, German and Loyalist military units in the South, 1782.''McNeal, Arizona : Westland Publications, c1991. FS Library 973 W2scd}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|114302|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Mercenaries from Ansbach and Bayreuth, Germany who remained in America after the Revolution.''Thomson, Illinois : Heritage House, 1974. FS Library 973 W2smn no. 2 1974}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|211874|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Mercenaries from Ansbach and Bayreuth, Germany, who remained in America after the Revolution.''McNeal, Arizona : Westland Publications, 1979. FS Library 973 W2smn no. 2 19179.}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|211891|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Mercenaries from Hessen-Hanau who remained in Canada and the United States after the American Revolution.''DeKalb, Illinois : Westland Publications, 1976.}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|211882|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Muster rolls and prisoner-of-war lists in American archival collections pertaining to the German mercenary troops who served with the British forces during the American Revolution.''DeKalb, Illinois : Westland Publications, 1976. FS Library 973 W2smn no. 3}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|629164|item|disp=Clifford Neal Smith. ''Notes on Hessian soldiers who remained in Canada and the United States after the American Revolution, 1775-1784.''McNeal, Arizona : Westland Publications, 1992, 1996. FS Library 973 W2smn no 28 pt 1-3;973 W2smn no. 28 4A-4E}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|656935|item|disp=Hessian soldier file, 1777-1962}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|1131337|item|disp=compiled and translated by Bruce E. Burgoyne ; with special assistance from his wife, Marie E. Burgoyne, ''Hessian chaplains : their diaries and duties'' Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c2003 FS Library 973 K2bhc}} | ||
''' Histories ''' | ''' Histories ''' | ||
* | *{{FSC|298650|item|disp=Max Von Eelking. ''The German Allied Troops in the North American War of Independence, 1887-1783.'' Albany:Joel Munsell's Sons, 1893. reprint Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969. FS Library 973 M2r}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|612350|item|disp=Rodney Atwood. ''The Hessians: Mercenaries from Hessen Kassel in the American Revolution.'' Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1980. FS Library 973 H2at}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|213334|item|disp=Edward J. Lowell. '' The Hessians and other German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.'' New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884. FS Library 973 M2Lej}} | ||
''' Canada ''' | ''' Canada ''' | ||
* | *{{FSC|125910|item|disp=Virginia Easley DeMarce. '' The Settlement of Former German Auxiliary Troops in Canada after the American Revolution.'' Sparta, Wisconsin, 1984. FS Library 971 W2dv}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|488157|item|disp=Jean-Pierre Wihelmy. '' German Mercenaries in Canada.'' Beloeil,Quebec: Maison des Mots, 1985. FS Library 971 M2w}} | ||
====American Civil War==== | ====American Civil War==== | ||
About one in ten Union soldiers was born in Germany. Over 200,000 German immigrants to the United States were recruited by the Union, many as they stepped off the boat. Some were drafted. Some Germans served in the Confederate military. To find information about Germans who fought in the Civil War, see [[United States Military Records]]. | About one in ten Union soldiers was born in Germany. Over 200,000 German immigrants to the United States were recruited by the Union, many as they stepped off the boat. Some were drafted. Some Germans served in the Confederate military. To find information about Germans who fought in the Civil War, see [[United States Military Records]]. | ||
* | *{{FSC|638433|item|disp=William L. Burton.''Melting pot soldiers : the Union's ethnic regiments.''Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University Press, 1988. FS Library 973 M2bw}} | ||
* | *{{FSC|424136|item|disp=Ella Lonn. ''Foreigners in the Union Army and Navy'' reprint New York, New York: Greenwood Press, 1969. FS Library 973 M2Le}} | ||
* | *Kamphoefner, Walter D. and Helbich, Wolfgang eds. ''Germans in the Civil War : the letters they wrote home'' Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, c2006. {{FSC|1440538|item|disp=FS Catalog book 973 F2kw}}; | ||
== Locating Military Records == | == Locating Military Records == | ||
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German military records can be of great genealogical value, but getting access to them is often a problem. | German military records can be of great genealogical value, but getting access to them is often a problem. | ||
For example, it is very hard to get information from military records through correspondence. Also, the | For example, it is very hard to get information from military records through correspondence. Also, the FamilySearch Library has microfilmed only a few German military records. Those that have been microfilmed are hard to read, incomplete for several years, poorly arranged, and not indexed. | ||
If you write to archives for information from military records, you must indicate the regiment or company to which your ancestor belonged. Also include the garrison town or commanding officer's name and your ancestor's rank if you know that information. | If you write to archives for information from military records, you must indicate the regiment or company to which your ancestor belonged. Also include the garrison town or commanding officer's name and your ancestor's rank if you know that information. | ||
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Some books help identify where regiments from Preußen were stationed. Although the records they describe were burned in World War II, the garrison towns listed are locations to look for in other records: | Some books help identify where regiments from Preußen were stationed. Although the records they describe were burned in World War II, the garrison towns listed are locations to look for in other records: | ||
Lyncker, Alexander von. ''Die altpreußische Armee1714-1806 und ihre Militärkirchenbücher (Old Prussian army and its military parish records, 1714-1806).'' Berlin, Germany: Verlag für Standesamtswesen, 1937. ( | Lyncker, Alexander von. ''Die altpreußische Armee1714-1806 und ihre Militärkirchenbücher (Old Prussian army and its military parish records, 1714-1806).'' Berlin, Germany: Verlag für Standesamtswesen, 1937. (FS Library book 943 M2lv.1; film 477,806.) | ||
——. ''Die preußische Armee 1807-1867 und ihresippenkundlichen Quellen (Old Prussian army and its genealogical sources, 1807-1867).'' Berlin, Germany: Verlag für Standesamtswesen, 1939. ( | ——. ''Die preußische Armee 1807-1867 und ihresippenkundlichen Quellen (Old Prussian army and its genealogical sources, 1807-1867).'' Berlin, Germany: Verlag für Standesamtswesen, 1939. (FS Library book 943 M2l v. 2; film 477,807.) | ||
Voß v., Wilhelm. ''Die Regimentsnamen der altpreußischen Armee. ''This book is available online through ancestry.com at [http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=31626 Link] | Voß v., Wilhelm. ''Die Regimentsnamen der altpreußischen Armee. ''This book is available online through ancestry.com at [http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=31626 Link] | ||
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=== Records at German State Archives === | === Records at German State Archives === | ||
[https://www.bundesarchiv.de/EN/Navigation/Use/Using-specific-types/Military-Records/military-records-en.html Military Records information from the ''Bundesarchiv'']. | |||
There is no central archive for German military records. German states each had their own system of keeping military records before 1867. These records are now stored in several German state archives. The following pamphlet lists the archives where existing military records for each state are found: | There is no central archive for German military records. German states each had their own system of keeping military records before 1867. These records are now stored in several German state archives. The following pamphlet lists the archives where existing military records for each state are found: | ||
Reschke, Horst A. ''German Military Records as Genealogical Sources.'' Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: Reschke, 1990. ( | Reschke, Horst A. ''German Military Records as Genealogical Sources.'' Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: Reschke, 1990. (FS Library book 943 M2r; fiche6,001,596.) | ||
In 1867 the armies of all but three German states were integrated into the armies of Preußen. From that time, soldiers of any German state (except Bayern, Sachsen, or Württemberg) were recorded only in the military records of Preußen. Unfortunately, the Preußen military records were almost completely destroyed in 1945. | In 1867 the armies of all but three German states were integrated into the armies of Preußen. From that time, soldiers of any German state (except Bayern, Sachsen, or Württemberg) were recorded only in the military records of Preußen. Unfortunately, the Preußen military records were almost completely destroyed in 1945. | ||
=== Records at the | === Records at the FamilySearch Library === | ||
Only a few German military records are available at the | Only a few German military records are available at the FamilySearch Library. They are mostly military parish registers, a few published officer rolls [Stammlisten and Ranglisten], and regimental histories. German military church records are usually listed in the FamilySearch Catalog with other church records. | ||
For other German military records, see the Place Search of the catalog under: | For other German military records, see the Place Search of the catalog under: | ||
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'''1939-1945:''' World War II. Many German records were destroyed. | '''1939-1945:''' World War II. Many German records were destroyed. | ||
[https://www.bundesarchiv.de/EN/Content/Artikel/Artikel-ausserhalb-der-Navigation/Hinweise-milit-Unterlagen-persbez/benutzen-hinweise-militaerische-unterlagen-persbezogen-en.html Personal Documents of Military Provenance until 1945] | |||
==== Prisoner of War Records ==== | ==== Prisoner of War Records ==== | ||
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===Deaths of German Citizens Abroad=== | ===Deaths of German Citizens Abroad=== | ||
*'''1939-1955''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61888/ Germany, Deaths of German Citizens Abroad, Registers from Berlin Standesamt 1, 1939-1955] at Ancestry - Index and images | *'''1939-1955''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61888/ Germany, Deaths of German Citizens Abroad, Registers from Berlin Standesamt 1, 1939-1955] at Ancestry - Index and images ($) | ||
== Additional Resources == | == Additional Resources == | ||
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For more historical information about the German military, see the following sources: | For more historical information about the German military, see the following sources: | ||
*Alfoldi, Laszlo M. ''The Armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany, 1740-1914''. Pennsylvania, USA: Carlisle Barracks, 1975. ( | *Alfoldi, Laszlo M. ''The Armies of Austria-Hungary and Germany, 1740-1914''. Pennsylvania, USA: Carlisle Barracks, 1975. (FS Library book 943 A3a v. 1, film 1,045,372 item 3.) | ||
*Sigel, Gustav A. ''German Military Forces of the 19th Century''. New York, NY, USA: Crown Publishing, 1989. (Not at | *Sigel, Gustav A. ''German Military Forces of the 19th Century''. New York, NY, USA: Crown Publishing, 1989. (Not at FS Library.) | ||
*[[Baden Military History]] | *[[Baden Military History]] | ||