National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized
(Record Group 242)
1675-1983
Table of Contents
- 242.1 Administrative History
- 242.2 Microfilm Copies of General Records of the National Socialist German Labor Party (Nazionalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP) and Related Organizations 1813-1945 (bulk 1919-45)
- 242.3 Microfilm Copies of Records of SS (Schutzstaffel) Organizations ca. 1925-45
- 242.4 Microfilm Copies of Records of German Ministries
1833-1945 (bulk 1914-45)
- 242.4.1 Interfilmed records of the Foreign Office and the Reich Chancellery
- 242.4.2 Other records of the Foreign Office
- 242.4.3 Records of the Reich Ministry of Economics
- 242.4.4 Records of the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
- 242.4.5 Records of the Reich Ministry for Armaments and War Production
- 242.4.6 Records of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories
- 242.4.7 Records of the Reich Air Ministry
- 242.4.8 Fragmentary records of other ministries
- 242.5 Records of Other German Government Agencies
1919-45 (bulk 1935-45)
- 242.5.1 Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the Baltic States
- 242.5.2 Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germandom
- 242.5.3 Records of the Reich Office for Soil Exploration
- 242.5.4 Records of the General Plenipotentiary for the Serbian Economy
- 242.5.5 Records of the Plenipotentiary for High Frequency Research
- 242.5.6 Records of the Organization Todt
- 242.5.7 Fragmentary records of other government agencies
- 242.6 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German Armed Forces High Command 1914-45
- 242.7 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German Army
1864-1945 (bulk 1935-45)
- 242.7.1 Records of the Army High Command
- 242.7.2 Records of army groups
- 242.7.3 Records of army detachments (Armee-Abteilungen)
- 242.7.4 Records of armies
- 242.7.5 Records of army corps
- 242.7.6 Records of army divisions
- 242.7.7 Records of other army field units
- 242.7.8 Records of army areas
- 242.7.9 Records of army rear areas and occupied territories
- 242.8 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German Navy 1850-1945
- 242.9 Records of the German Air Force 1911-47 (bulk 1927-45)
- 242.10 Microfilm Copies of Other German Military Records 1675-1945
- 242.11 Microfilm Copies of Records of Private German, Austrian, and Dutch Enterprises 1917-46
- 242.12 Microfilm Copies of Records of German Political, Trade, and Professional Organizations 1922-45
- 242.13 Microfilm Copies of German Cultural and Research Organizations 1916-45
- 242.14 Microfilm Copies of the Papers of Private German Individuals 1881-83, 1916-45
- 242.15 Microfilm Copies of Records Filmed at the Berlin Document Center (BDC) ca. 1919-45
- 242.16 Microfilm Copies of Miscellaneous German Records 1917-45
- 242.17 Microfilm Copies of Italian Records 1922-45
- 242.18 Russian Records 1870-1947
- 242.19 Microfilm Copies of Hungarian Records 1909-45 (bulk 1938-45)
- 242.20 Polish Records 1887-1939
- 242.21 Microfilm Copies of Japanese Records ca. 1928-45
- 242.22 Records of Other Countries, Seized During and at the End of World War II 1815-1945
- 242.23 North Korean Records 1914-53
- 242.24 Grenadan Records 1979-83
- 242.25 Cartographic Records (General) 1910-18, 1935-45
- 242.26 Motion Pictures (General) 1915-54
- 242.27 Sound Recordings (General) 1917-44
- 242.28 Still Pictures (General) 1913-45
Finding Aids: Guides to German Records Microfilmed at Alexandria, Virginia, Nos. 1-94 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service/Administration, 1958-93); hereafter cited as "GG," followed by the appropriate number or numbers.
Related Records: National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records, RG 238.
Collection History
The National Archives established this record group in 1947 for records in federal custody that had been captured from Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II, or seized from the defeated Axis Powers at the end of the war. Included among the German records were not only those of the national socialist ("Nazi") regime, but also those of predecessor German governments and of other European governments that had been acquired by the Germans during the war. The National Archives augmented this World War II collection by accessioning microfilm copies of other seized records from the Department of State, the Department of the Navy, and other sources. In addition to the World War II collection, this record group now includes records acquired by U.S. armed forces during operations in Korea, 1950-53, and on the Caribbean island of Grenada, October 1983.
Nearly all of the originals of the seized World War II records have been returned to their country of origin, with the National Archives retaining the microfilm copies. The Grenadan records were accessioned in microfiche format.
Language Note: Records are in the language of their nationality or country of origin.
Copyright Note: Some of the materials in this record group may have been of private origin. The fact that such materials were seized is not believed to have divested their original owners of any literary property rights in them. Anyone who publishes such materials in whole or in part without the permission of the original owners or their heirs may be held liable for infringement of property rights.
242.2 Microfilm Copies of General Records of the National
Socialist German Labor Party (Nazionalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP) and Related Organizations
1813-1945 (bulk 1919-45)
363 rolls
Textual Records: Records of organizations of the party proper, and of related organizations (classified by the party itself as "formations," "affiliated associations," and "supervised organizations"), 1813-1945 (bulk 1919-45), dealing with intraparty operations on the national, regional, and local levels, and documenting the NSDAP's permeation of public and nonpublic institutions.
Microfilm Publications: T81 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 3, 20, 35, 77.
242.3 Microfilm Copies of Records of SS (Schutzstaffel)
Organizations
ca. 1925-45
1,491 rolls
Textual Records: Records, ca. 1925-45 (219 rolls), of the personal staff of the Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police, Heinrich Himmler, and other staff offices responsible to him, containing information on all aspects of state security and police activities, including concentration camp administration; and information on other positions held by Himmler during his career. Records of the various security and police agencies responsible to Himmler, ca. 1936-45 (436 rolls), including records of the Chief of Security Police and Security Service and his office, the Main Office of Reich Security; records of uniformed and combat police units; and records of local officials responsible for coordinating security and police activities in their districts.
Microfilm Publications: T175.
Finding Aids: GG 32, 33, 39, 81.
242.3.2 Records of particular SS organizations
Textual Records: Records of district offices of the General SS, 1934-44 (260 rolls). Records of the Central Immigration Agency (responsible to the Chief of Security Police and Security Service), relating to the naturalization of ethnic Germans serving in SS organizations, the German armed forces, the German police, and the Organization Todt, ca. 1940-45 (115 rolls). Records of German Economic Enterprises, Incorporated, a holding company functioning under the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office, concerning various concentration camp-based enterprises operated by the SS, 1935-45 (37 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T354 (part), T976.
Finding Aids: GG 27, 83.
242.3.3 Records of the Armed SS (Waffen-SS)
Textual Records: Records of headquarters, 1942-45 (1 roll). Operational records of numbered and named field organizations, ca. 1939-45 (423 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T354 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 75, 79. National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 24.
242.4 Microfilm Copies of Records of German Ministries
1833-1945 (bulk 1914-45)
6,926 rolls
242.4.1 Interfilmed records of the Foreign Office and the Reich
Chancellery
Textual Records: Selected records of the Foreign Office and its predecessors, the foreign ministries of Prussia and the North German Confederation, 1855-1945 (6,112 rolls), including records of the offices of the Foreign Minister, the State Secretary, and the major departments; working files and personal papers of key officials; and records of various diplomatic and consular posts. Interfilmed with these records are records, 1919-45, of the Chancellery ("Old," 1919-33, and "New," 1933-45), selected mainly for their foreign affairs content, but containing also information on domestic matters.
Microfilm Publications: T120, T136, T139, T149, T249, T264, T1026.
Finding Aids: American Historical Association, Committee for the Study of War Documents, A Catalogue of Files and Microfilms of the German Foreign Ministry Archives, 1867-1920 (Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1959), available as National Archives Microfilm Publication T322 (1 roll). George O. Kent, ed. and comp., A Catalog of Files and Microfilms of the German Foreign Ministry Archives, 1920-45, 4 vols. (Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution, 1962-72).
242.4.2 Other records of the Foreign Office
Textual Records: Records of the German Embassy in Washington, DC, 1921-38 (52 rolls). Records of the Foreign Office relating to China, 1919-35 (31 rolls). Records of German consulates in Tsingtao, Hankow, and Chefoo, China, 1906-45 (61 rolls); and in Yokohama, Japan, 1926-40 (1 roll). Working files and personal papers of various German diplomats, 1833-1927 (25 rolls). Fragmentary records, some dealing with the wartime situation in the USSR, 1939-44 (3 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T178 (part), T179 (part), T290, T291, T1141.
Finding Aids: GG 11, 15. George O. Kent, ed. and comp., A Catalog of Files and Microfilms of the German Foreign Ministry Archives, 1920-45, 4 vols. (Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution, 1962-72). American Historical Association, Committee for the Study of War Documents, "List of Archival References to Material in the German Foreign Ministry Archives Filmed under Grant from the Old Dominion Foundation" (1959), available at the National Archives.
242.4.3 Records of the Reich Ministry of Economics
Textual Records: Records of predecessor and component organizations, 1914-45 (149 rolls), dealing with various aspects of the peacetime and wartime economies, including industrial planning, production, and distribution; the employment of prisoners of war; and security in war plants.
Microfilm Publications: T71.
Finding Aids: GG 1.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of the Reich Office for Soil Exploration, a subordinate organization of the Reich Ministry of Economics, Under 242.5.3.
242.4.4 Records of the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment
and Propaganda
Textual Records: Records relating to internal administration and to the ministry's efforts, under its head, Dr. (Paul) Joseph Goebbels, to control the broadcasting and publishing industries and the organs of education and culture in order to disseminate information favorable to the national socialist regime, 1933-45 (126 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T70 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 22.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of the Reich Press Association, which was responsible to the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Under 242.12.
242.4.5 Records of the Reich Ministry for Armaments and War
Production
Textual Records: Records of the central office and some regional offices, 1941-45 (193 rolls), relating to war production, planning, and quotas; machinery, plants, and labor; use of foreign workers and prisoners of war; transportation; air raid damage; and industrial security.
Microfilm Publications: T73.
Finding Aids: GG 10.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of a predecessor organization, the Military Economics and Armaments Office of the Armed Forces High Command, Under 242.6.
242.4.6 Records of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern
Territories
Textual Records: Records, 1921-45 (107 rolls), consisting of records of component and field organizations of the ministry dealing with the administration of German-occupied territories of the USSR (the Baltic States, the Ukraine, and Belorussia), 1941- 45; records of Minister Alfred Rosenberg covering his entire career as NSDAP ideologist, 1921-45; and records of Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg, the organization engaged in cultural spoliation throughout occupied Europe, 1941-45.
Microfilm Publications: T454.
Finding Aids: GG 28.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of the Reich Commissioner for the Baltic States, a subordinate organization of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, Under 242.5.1.
242.4.7 Records of the Reich Air Ministry
Textual Records: Records of component organizations of the ministry, as well as some records of aircraft manufacturing firms and organizations promoting aeronautics, relating to civilian and military aircraft research, production, and testing; the development of weapons for military aircraft; and the wartime mobilization and administration of the aircraft industry, ca. 1920-45 (52 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T177.
Finding Aids: GG 13.
242.4.8 Fragmentary records of other ministries
Textual Records: Records of the Reich Ministry of Justice concerning prison administration and the transfer of prisoners to the Secret Police (Geheime Staatspolizei, "Gestapo") and to concentration camps, 1935-45 (5 rolls). Records of the Reich Ministry of Finance relating to taxation, social security, war loans, and expenditures, 1924-45 (4 rolls). Records of the Ministry of Labor dealing mainly with the economic exploitation of the eastern occupied territories, 1941-42 (2 rolls). Issuances of the Ministry of the Interior concerning police, budget, and personnel matters, 1932-44 (1 roll). Budgetary records of the Reich Ministry for Science, Education, and Popular Instruction, 1937, 1942-43 (2 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T178 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 11.
242.5 Records of Other German Government Agencies
1919-45 (bulk 1935-45)
56 lin. ft. and 156 rolls of microfilm
242.5.1 Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the
Baltic States
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records of component organizations and some field offices, relating generally to the administration of occupied Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (collectively designated Ostland), and particularly to the exploitation of workers and material resources of that region, 1941-44 (45 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T459.
Finding Aids: GG 31.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, to which the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the Baltic States was responsible, Under 242.4.6.
242.5.2 Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the
Strengthening of Germandom
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records, mainly of the central office, concerning the resettlement, in Germany, of ethnic Germans living in German-occupied territories; and the confiscation of lands and estates, ca. 1939-45 (20 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T74.
Finding Aids: GG 2.
242.5.3 Records of the Reich Office for Soil Exploration
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records, ca. 1937-43 (7 rolls), including reports on German, Dutch, and Romanian oil companies; and records concerning the acquisition of oil concessions abroad, especially in South America, Japan, and the Netherlands East Indies.
Microfilm Publications: T401.
Finding Aids: GG 26.
Related Records: Microfilm copies of records of the Reich Ministry of Economics, to which the Reich Office for Soil Exploration was responsible, Under 242.4.3.
242.5.4 Records of the General Plenipotentiary for the Serbian
Economy
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records of the Provisional Administration for Jewish Property, Belgrade, and of the Evaluation Commission for Jewish Property, Banat, 1941-45 (68 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T75.
Finding Aids: GG 89.
242.5.5 Records of the Plenipotentiary for High Frequency
Research
Textual Records: Records, 1930-45 (56 ft.), including minutes; English-language extracts of reports from individuals and from government and nongovernment technological institutions; and reports concerning radio, television, radar, navigation, and communications.
242.5.6 Records of the Organization Todt
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records of the Principal Office, Swabia, relating to military construction, 1941-45 (7 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T76.
Finding Aids: GG 4.
242.5.7 Fragmentary records of other government agencies
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of records of the Reich Research Council relating to the development, production, and testing of weapons and other war material, 1941-45 (5 rolls). Microfilm copy of records of the Office of the Commissioner for the Four-Year Plan concerning food production and supply, 1919-45 (bulk 1935- 45, 2 rolls). Microfilm copy of records of the Reich Weather Bureau, consisting of reports of the Air Force Weather Service on climatic conditions in the USSR, 1942-43 (1 roll). Microfilm copy of records of the General Director of German Roads, 1936-45 (1 roll), including records dealing with construction of the Autobahn.
Microfilm Publications: T178 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 11.
242.6 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German Armed Forces High
Command
1914-45
1,581 rolls
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diary with supplements, issuances, operational and planning records, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of component organizations, 1914-45, including the Operations Staff and its predecessors; the Intelligence Service; the Military Economics and Armaments Office and its predecessors; the Legal Branch; and the Propaganda Section.
Microfilm Publications: T77.
Finding Aids: GG 7, 17-19, 78, 80, 84-86, 94.
Related Records: Records of the Reich Ministry for Armaments and War Production, successor to the Military Economics and Armaments Office, Under 242.4.5.
242.7 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German Army
1864-1945 (bulk 1935-45)
9,086 rolls
242.7.1 Records of the Army High Command
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, statistical summaries, interfiled maps, and other records of component organizations, 1864-1945 (bulk 1935- 45, 993 rolls), including the Operations Branch; the Attache Branch; the Foreign Armies East and Foreign Armies West sections of the Intelligence Service; and the Office of the Chief of the Army Archives.
Microfilm Publications: T78.
Finding Aids: GG 12, 29, 30, 82, 87, 91.
242.7.2 Records of army groups
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of army groups lettered A-H, and army groups named North, Center, South, Upper Rhine, Don, and Vistula, 1937-45 (304 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T311.
Finding Aids: GG 40, 52.
242.7.3 Records of army detachments (Armee-Abteilungen)
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of the following army detachments: A, Fretter-Pico, Lanz-Kempf, Narwa- Grasser-Kleffel, and von Zangen, 1939-44 (25 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T312 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 50.
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of the 1st-12th, 14th-19th, 20th Mountain, 21st, and 25th Armies, 1938- 45 (1,665 rolls); the 1st-5th Panzer Armies and Panzer Army Africa, 1941-45 (489 rolls); the Parachute Army, 1944-45 (1 roll); and the Army of Liguria, 1944-45 (1 roll).
Microfilm Publications: T312, T313.
Finding Aids: GG 14, 42-44, 47-49, 51, 53, 54, 56.
Textual Records: Records, ca. 1939-45 (1,670 rolls), including correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, and interfiled maps, of regular, armored, mountain, and reserve corps numbered between I and XCI; and of the following named corps: German Africa Corps, Corps Feldt, Cavalry Corps, Corps Headquarters Lombardia, Corps Scheele, and Corps Headquarters Schneckenburger.
Microfilm Publications: T314.
Finding Aids: GG 46, 55, 58-62.
242.7.6 Records of army divisions
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, issuances, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of divisions numbered between 1 and 999, and of named divisions, ca. 1939-45 (3,256 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T315.
Finding Aids: GG 41, 45, 63-74, 76.
242.7.7 Records of other army field units
Textual Records: Records of the staff of the German General with the Italian 8th Army (on the Russian front), 1942-43 (3 rolls). Records of Armeegruppe Woehler, which saw action with the Italian 8th Army, the Romanian 4th Army, and the Hungarian 1st Army, 1942-44 (1 roll).
Microfilm Publications: T312.
Finding Aids: GG 56.
Textual Records: Records of Army Areas I-XIII, XVII, and XVIII, ca. 1935-45 (315 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T79.
Finding Aids: GG 34.
242.7.9 Records of army rear areas and occupied territories
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries with supplements, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of the commanding officers of rear areas; and of the military commanders in such occupied territories as Russia, southeastern Europe, France, Belgium, and Norway, ca. 1940-45 (363 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T501.
Finding Aids: GG 38, 57.
242.8 Microfilm Copies of Records of the German NAVY
1850-1945
4,391 rolls
Textual Records: Selected records of the Navy High Command and of various operational commands, 1850-1945 (4,383 rolls), filmed by the U.S. Navy in the United Kingdom following World War II.
Microfilm Publications: T1022.
Finding Aids: Guides to the Microfilmed Records of the German Navy, 1850-1945: U-Boats and T-Boats, 1914-1918, No. 1 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1984); and No. 2, Records relating to U-Boat Warfare, 1939-1945 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985). For navy records, 1850-1920, National Archives Microfilm Publication T1022, Rolls 1 and 2.
242.8.2 Records of the Navy High Command
Textual Records: Records, mainly from the Commander in Chief of the Navy and the Naval Operations Staff, 1939-45 (8 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T608.
Finding Aids: GG 37. National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 24.
242.9 Records of the German AIR FORCE
1911-47 (bulk 1927-45)
411 rolls of microfilm
242.9.1 Microfilm copies of records of the Air Force High Command
Textual Records: General records, ca. 1927-45 (274 rolls), including correspondence regarding the procurement of armaments and supplies for the air force; prewar air force mobilization and civil air defense plans; transcripts of Ordnance Section conferences, presided over by Field Marshal Erhard Milch, Air Force Chief of Supply ("Milch Collection"); and records of the Foreign Air Forces East and West staffs of the Intelligence Section.
Microfilm Publications: T321.
Finding Aids: GG 24, 92.
242.9.2 Microfilm copies of records of air force organizations
Textual Records: Records of various numbered commands, rear area commands, and commands created during the course of the war, ca. 1939-45 (31 rolls), dealing with such administrative matters as construction and maintenance of airfields, personnel, and accounting. Records of various antiaircraft units, ca. 1939-45 (18 rolls). Records of the Air Force Mission to Romania, charged with directing the air defense of Romania and with coordinating German and Romanian air force units on the Russian front, 1940-45 (15 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T405.
Finding Aids: GG 25.
242.9.3 Microfilm copies of the von Rohden collection of research
materials on the role of the German Air Force in World War II
Textual Records: Collection, 1911-47 (73 rolls), consisting of studies, reports, texts of speeches, issuances, and other records, 1911-45, compiled by the Historical Division of the Air Force High Command under the direction of Brig. Gen. Herhudt von Rohden in preparation for an official air force history; and drafts of portions of the history, prepared by von Rohden and a staff of German Air Force officers under the general supervision of the U.S. Air Force, 1946-47.
Microfilm Publications: T971.
Finding Aids: National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 32.
242.9.4 Other air force records
Textual Records:Records accumulated by various German Air Force Commands ("Luftgaukommandos"), consisting primarily of reports and translations thereof, pertaining to downed Allied aircraft, captured airmen and other prisoners of war, paratroopers, and Allied casualties. Also included are correspondence and telegram cables relating to missing personnel, prisoner camp rosters, lists of personal property taken from prisoners, downed aircraft and air crews, prisoner-related grave registrations, censored mail, burials, and photographs from the Far Eastern as well as the European theater, 1939-1947.
Aerial Photographs (8,000 items): Target dossiers of sites in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, with each dossier consisting of a map, an overprinted aerial photograph, and a site description, 1938-44; aerial photograph studies relating to specific types of targets in the United Kingdom, France, and the USSR, 1940-44; aerial mosaics of coastal areas in the United Kingdom and France, 1942-43; aerial prints and anaglyphs of central Italy, 1943-44; and aerial photographs of North African and Mediterranean sites, compiled for the German X Air Corps war diary, 1941-44. See ALSO 242.25.
Finding Aids: Daryl Bottoms, comp., World War II Records in the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of the National Archives, RIP 79 (1992).
242.10 Microfilm Copies of Other German Military Records
1675-1945
322 rolls
Textual Records: Records relating to Prussian mobilization, 1866- 1918 (5 rolls). Records of the Royal Bavarian War Ministry and other Bavarian military authorities, 1866-1913 (7 rolls). Collection of German military records that formerly made up an exhibit in the Army Archives, Potsdam, 1675-1935 (2 rolls). Official and personal papers, formerly in the Army Archives, of the following Prussian military leaders: Hermann von Boyen, 1787- 1848 (12 rolls); August Wilhelm, Duke of Braunschweig-Bevern, 1756-62 (1 roll); August Graf Neithardt von Gneisenau, 1785-1831 (43 rolls); Wilhelm Groener, 1870-1938 (bulk 1892-1938, 27 rolls); Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff, 1918-19 (1 roll); Christoph E.H. Ritter Mertz von Quirnheim, 1916-39 (2 rolls); Helmuth C.B. Graf von Moltke, 1839-91 (6 rolls); Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, 1787-1842 (1 roll); Albrecht Graf von Roon, 1848-66 (2 rolls); Gerhard J.D. von Scharnhorst, 1737- 1882 (12 rolls); Heinrich Scheuch, 1918-39 (1 roll); Alfred Graf von Schlieffen, 1822-1938 (8 rolls); Hans F.L. von Seeckt, 1803- 1940 (bulk 1878-1936, 28 rolls); and Hans Karl von Winterfeldt, 1744-59 (2 rolls). Technical and other manuals, 1910-45 (162 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: M129, M132, M137, M207, M211, M953-M963, T84, T283.
Finding Aids: National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 14.
242.11 Microfilm Copies of Records of Private German, Austrian,
and Dutch Enterprises
1917-46
232 rolls
Textual Records: Compilation of records of private German, Austrian, and Dutch enterprises, 1917-46 (bulk 1933-45, 103 rolls), including records of the major German industrial and commercial firms whose directors were tried at Nuremberg. Additional records of I.G. Farben, A.G., 1937-44 (4 rolls); the Reichswerke Hermann Göring, 1924-45 (3 rolls); and the Dresdner Bank, 1930-45 (115 rolls). Daily ships' logs of the North German Lloyd liner, SS Europa, June 24, 1930-June 20, 1945 (7 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T83 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 23, 88, 93.
242.12 Microfilm Copies of Records of German Political, Trade,
and Professional Organizations
1922-45
23 rolls
Textual Records: Records of the German Social Democratic Party, 1935-40, consisting of reports and other issuances published from Prague and Paris (5 rolls). Records of the Reich Press Association, 1928-45 (7 rolls). Records of the All-German Federation of Trade Unions, 1922-33 (11 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T70 (part), T83 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 88, 93.
Related Records: Records of the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, to which the Reich Press Association was responsible, Under 242.4.4.
242.13 Microfilm Copies of German Cultural and Research
Organizations
1916-45
436 rolls
Textual Records: Records of the German Academy Munich, concerning the academy's research activities in German language and culture and its administration of German schools in foreign countries, 1925-45 (bulk 1941-45, 22 rolls). Records of the Academy for German Law, 1933-44 (34 rolls). Selected records of the Institute for German Labor in the East, headquartered in Cracow, Poland, 1940-45 (6 rolls). Records of the German Foreign Institute, Stuttgart, 1916-45 (374 rolls), dealing with German emigration, particularly to eastern European lands; and national socialist plans for the resettlement of ethnic Germans.
Microfilm Publications: T81 (part), T82 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 6, 16, 21, 93. National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 24.
242.14 Microfilm Copies of the Papers of Private German
Individuals
1881-83, 1916-45
63 rolls
Textual Records: Papers of Herbert von Bismarck, public official and son of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, 1881-83 (1 roll). Papers of Dr. Walter Luetgebrune, trial lawyer who defended conservative and nationalist political cases, 1916-33 (33 rolls). Papers of Dr. Theo Morell, personal physician to Adolf Hitler, 1918-45 (13 rolls). Papers of geopolitical theorist Dr. Karl Haushofer, 1922- 44 (16 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T253, T972. National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 33.
Finding Aids: GG 9, 88. National Archives Microfilm Publication T176, Roll 33.
242.15 Microfilm Copies of Records Filmed at the Berlin Document
Center (BDC)
ca. 1919-45
1,213 rolls
History: BDC established, May 10, 1945, as a center for consolidation of German records taken into allied custody, with the intention of their being used for evidentiary purposes in war crimes and denazification trials. BDC administered by the U.S. Army, May 10, 1945-October 1, 1953, and the U.S. Department of State, October 1, 1953-July 1, 1994, with Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) bearing the operating expenses. BDC holdings consisted of NSDAP membership records and personnel records of NSDAP-affiliated organizations, known collectively as "biographic files"; and other records of those same entities, known collectively as "nonbiographic files." In accordance with bilateral agreements concluded between FRG, on the one hand, and United States, United Kingdom, and France, on the other, most of the "nonbiographic" files were microfilmed, 1956-58, with the original records turned over to the FRG upon completion of filming, and the former allies retaining the microfilm copies. A 1993 agreement between the FRG and the United States provided that, in anticipation of the completion of microfilming of the remaining BDC records by July 1, 1994, title and control of the BDC records would pass to the FRG on that date. The transfer was effected, and the BDC is presently administered by the Archives of the FRG (Bundesarchiv). The U.S. National Archives is in process of accessioning approximately 40,000 rolls of microfilm copies of the remaining BDC records, most of which are "biographic" files. For further information, contact the National Archives.
Textual Records: Records ("Nonbiographic Files") of organizations of the NSDAP proper, and of its related organizations; records of some Reich ministries and other government agencies; papers of NSDAP officials Kurt Daluege, Walther Darre, Hans Frank, Friedrich Krueger, Hans Lammers, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Julius Streicher, and Karl Wolff; records of some private industrial firms; and papers of some private individuals, ca. 1919-45 (1,190 rolls). Selected records concerning Jews, ca. 1933-45 (14 rolls). Card file containing names of Jews whose German citizenship was annulled by the national socialist regime, ca. 1936-44 (9 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T355, T457, T580, T581, T611.
Finding Aids: National Archives Microfilm Publication T580, Roll 999.
242.16 Microfilm Copies of Miscellaneous German Records
1917-45
928 rolls
Textual Records: Collection of records separated from their original context ("Miscellaneous German Records Collection"), 1917-45 (440 rolls), including rcords relating to the opposition against Hitler; diaries and other papers of such leading figures as Gens. Franz Halder, Alfred Jodl, and Erwin Rommel, and Dr. (Paul) Joseph Goebbels; the diary of Eva Braun (February-May 1935); and the personal and political testaments of Adolf Hitler, 1945. Records, from both government and nongovernment sources, dealing with various aspects of German and Italian economic, military, and cultural relations with countries of the Far East, ca. 1936-40 (488 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T82 (part), T84 (part).
Finding Aids: GG 5, 6, 8, 36, 90.
242.17 Microfilm Copies of Italian Records
1922-45
827 rolls
242.17.1 Records of Italian government officials and organizations
Textual Records: Selected official records of Benito Mussolini, together with selected records of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Italian Africa, the Interior, and Popular Culture, 1922- 44 (318 rolls). Collection of official records of the Foreign Minister, Count Galeazzo Ciano ("Lisbon Papers"), 1936-43, consisting of memorandums of conversation and telegrams, in particular those memorandums and telegrams exchanged between Hitler and Mussolini (3 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T586, T816.
Finding Aids: T586, Roll 1.
242.17.2 Records of the Italian armed forces
Textual Records: Correspondence, war diaries, reports, interfiled maps, and other records of various organizations of the Italian armed forces, mainly those of the army, ca. 1940-45 (506 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T821.
Finding Aids: Guide to Records of the Italian Armed Forces, Parts I-III (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1967).
242.18 Russian Records
1870-1947
224 lin. ft. and 75 rolls of microfilm
242.18.1 Records of the Smolensk Region (Oblast) of the All-Union
Communist Party
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of correspondence, proceedings of meetings, party directives, reports, and news clippings, 1917-41 (75 rolls).
Microfilm Publications: T84 (part), T87, T88.
Finding Aid: Guide to the Records of the Smolensk Oblast of the All-Union Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1917-1941 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1980).
242.18.2 Records of the Soviet Purchasing Commission in Prague,
Czechoslovakia
Textual Records: Correspondence relating to the purchase of machinery from Czech firms, especially the Skoda Works, 1936-41. Export orders, export and import permits, and shipping documents, 1936-41. Records concerning manufacturing standards, administration, and finance, 1936-41.
242.18.3 Miscellaneous Russian records
Textual Records: Reports, publications, correspondence, and other records concerning the industrial economy, political organization, scientific research, and military forces of the USSR, 1870-1947.
Slides (5,230 images): Color and black-and-white slide sets, containing propaganda on various aspects of Soviet politics, economics, culture, geography, and history, produced in the USSR, 1934-41, and seized by the German army, 1941-42 (SPS, 5,000 images). Color and black-and-white slide sets, containing propaganda mainly on Soviet economic, educational, and literary life, produced in the USSR, 1946-48, and later acquired by U.S. military sources (PWS, 230 images). See ALSO 242.28.
Finding Aids: Barbara Burger, William Cunliffe, Jonathan Heller, William T. Murphy, and Les Waffen, comps., Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II, RIP 70 (Revised, 1992).
242.19 Microfilm Copies of Hungarian Records
1909-45 (bulk 1938-45)
21 rolls
Textual Records: Records, 1909-45, consisting mainly of correspondence, minutes, texts of speeches, and postwar planning records of the collaborationist Arrow Cross Party, led by Ferenc Szalasi, 1938-45.
Microfilm Publications: T973.
Finding Aids: Guide to the Collection of Hungarian Political and Military Records, 1909-1945 (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1967).
Related Records: Additional Hungarian records Under 242.22.
242.20 Polish Records
1887-1939
27 lin. ft.
Textual Records: Geodetic journals and survey notebooks of the Military Geographical Institute and of the Ministries of Communications and Public Utilities, 1929-39. Publications of the Academy of Science Commission on Physiography, Cracow, 1887-1908; the National Archaeological Museum, Warsaw, 1926-38; and the Central Statistical Office, 1931-38. Miscellaneous publications on Polish history and literature, n.d.
242.21 Microfilm Copies of Japanese Records
ca. 1928-45
169 rolls
Textual Records: Collection consisting mainly of records of the Army and Navy High Commands and of various operational commands, 1941-45, including issuances, war diaries, operations reports, and after-action analyses, as well as the papers and memoirs of individual commanders (34 rolls). Records of the Aeronautical Research Institute of the Imperial University, Tokyo, consisting of Japanese-language studies in such fields as aerodynamics, aeromechanics, aeronautics, and aviation medicine, with some interfiled German- and English-language material, ca. 1928-45 (135 rolls).
Related Records: Additional Japanese records Under 242.22.
242.22 Records of Other Countries, Seized During and at the End
of World War II
1815-1945
93 lin. ft.
Textual Records: Miscellaneous records of Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czechoslovakian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss, Turkish, and Wendish national origin or language, 1815-1945.
Related Records: Additional Hungarian records Under 242.19, and Japanese records Under 242.21.
242.23 North Korean Records
1914-53
552 lin. ft.
Textual Records: Records, 1914-53, including records of North Korean military, governmental, and party organizations; and library materials.
Posters (2 images): North Korean propaganda documents, ca.1950.
242.24 Grenadan Records
1979-83
4 lin. ft. and 13,220 microfiche
Textual Records: Records, seized by U.S. Army and Marine Corps units during military operations on the Caribbean island of Grenada (October 1983), documenting activities of Grenadan government ministries, the New Jewel Movement (Communist Party), and prominent political and military leaders, 1979-83; with name and subject index, on paper, prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency prior to transfer of records.
Finding Aids: Original machine-readable index used to prepare paper copy described above in RG 373, Records of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Seized motion pictures from the Soviet Embassy in Grenada in RG 306, Records of the United States Information Agency. See ALSO Michael Ledeen and Herbert Romerstein, comps., Grenada Documents: An Overview and Selection (Washington, DC: Department of State and Department of Defense, Sept. 1984).
Subject Access Terms: Bishop, Maurice; Coard, Bernard.
242.25 Cartographic Records (General)
1910-18, 1935-45
22,635 items
Maps and Charts: Published German topographic maps of areas in Europe and North Africa, 1936-44; German maps of British cities, overprinted to show bombing targets, 1940-42; German maps and charts used during military operations in Europe and North Africa, 1910-18, 1937-45; German charts included in naval handbooks and manuals designed to aid U-boat commanders in their duties from the Middle East to the North American coast, 1935-45; Russian maps of areas of the USSR and eastern Europe, captured by German forces, 1941-43; Italian maps showing defenses along the Italo-Austrian border, 1937-40, Italian air force positions in Sicily, 1942, and military situations in China, 1937-38; and Japanese maps and hydrographic charts of areas of the Pacific and the Far East, 1937-44.
Finding Aids: Daryl Bottoms, comp., World War II Records in the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of the National Archives, RIP 79 (1992).
See Aerial Photographs Under 242.9.4.
242.26 Motion Pictures (General)
1915-54
2,576 reels
German documentary, newsreel, and scientific films depicting naval aspects of World War I, history of the NSDAP and its leaders, World War II military operations, and wartime weapons experiments, 1915-45 (1,293 reels). Personal films of Eva Braun, 1935-41 (8 reels). Russian newsreels, documentaries, and travel and feature films, 1935-50 (426 reels). Italian war newsreels, 1940-44 (191 reels). Japanese newsreels and documentaries, 1932- 44 (302 reels). Vichy French newsreels, 1944 (2 reels). French newsreels on the campaign against the Vietminh in Indochina, 1951-54 (11 reels). North Korean and Communist Chinese films on the Korean War, 1947-52 (343 reels).
Finding Aids: Barbara Burger, William Cunliffe, Jonathan Heller, William T. Murphy, and Les Waffen, comps., Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II, RIP 70 (Revised, 1992).
242.27 Sound Recordings (General)
1917-44
1,551 items
Speeches by Adolf Hitler, Dr. (Paul) Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Göring, Albert Speer, and other prominent figures of the national socialist regime, collected by war crimes investigators, 1932-44 (1,182 items). Fascist propaganda broadcasts, consisting of speeches by Benito Mussolini, Count Galeazzo Ciano, and other Italian leaders, 1917-42 (369 items).
Finding Aids: Barbara Burger, William Cunliffe, Jonathan Heller, William T. Murphy, and Les Waffen, comps., Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II, RIP 70 (Revised, 1992).
242.28 Still Pictures (General)
1913-45
355,060 images and 232 items
Photographic Prints (9,992 images): Collection used in Greater Germany in World Events--Daily Picture Reports, showing German life on the home and fighting fronts, in albums, 1940-42 (PKA, 800 images). Snapshots presented to Maj. Gen. Erhard of Luftgruppe Kommando Westfrankreich, by Capt. Rabe, in album, 1941 (CR, 18 images). Military action north of Verdun, collection of the Artillery Survey Section 25, Bavarian Foot Artillery, in album, ca. 1916 (KNV, 105 images). Trial of those accused of attempting to assassinate Hitler, 1944 (PA, 385 images). Luftwaffe pilots, 1940-43 (GLP, 44 images). German army units in Norway, France, Tunisia, Finland, and the USSR, 1940-43 (GAV, 240 images). Gen. Rommel's campaigns in France and North Africa, 1940-41 (EAPC, 1,700 images). Joachim von Ribbentrop Collection, relating to foreign affairs activities and Ribbentrop biography, 1934-42 (JRA, JRB, JRM, JRFA; 6,700 images).
Photographic Prints and Negatives (59,316 images): Berlin Office segment of the collection of Heinrich Hoffmann, official NSDAP photographer (hereafter, "Heinrich Hoffmann Collection"), showing NSDAP political activities, rallies, meetings, and personalities; and various aspects of German life, 1933-44 (HB, 31,000 images); and, on postcards, national socialist activities in the 1930's (HPKTA, HPKTC; 255 images). Eva Braun Collection, in albums, 1913-44 (EB, 2,000 images). German military operations in Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North Africa, Norway, Poland, R0mania, the USSR, and Yugoslavia, as well as activities on the home front, recorded by propaganda units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, 1939-45 (GAP, 25,000 images). Gen. Rommel and family, and German military operations in North Africa, 1940-41 (EAPB, 352 images). German diplomatic events, from the Joachim von Ribbentrop Collection, 1934-42 (JRPE, 709 images).
Photographic Negatives (9,620 images): Heinrich Hoffmann Collection, showing Olympic Games, German exhibits at international expositions, revolution in Bavaria, Munich soviet republic, early NSDAP activities, rise of Hitler, construction of the Fuhrerhaus, and other German political, economic, and cultural developments, 1918-40 (HLT, HD, HK, HWO, HKL, HMR, HF, HMC, HFH, HBA, HMA; 9,593 images). German military personnel and operations, 1942-44 (M, 27 images).
Photographic Negatives and Proof Sheets (211,500 images): Berlin Office segment of the Heinrich Hoffmann Collection, showing political, military, diplomatic, cultural, and social developments of the national socialist era, 1933-44 (HLB).
Photographic Proof Sheets (62,500 images): Activities of Waffen- SS units on the Eastern and Western Fronts, and German home front scenes, taken by SS photographers, 1940-44 (JRP, SS; 34,000 images). Munich Office segment of Heinrich Hoffmann Collection, showing political rallies, election campaign meetings, NSDAP leaders, and Hitler's rise to power, 1930-34 (HLM, 28,500 images).
Photographic Prints and Collotypes (366 images): German military operations during World War I, confiscated from the Rehse Archiv in Munich, 1914-36 (RH).
Slides (1,480 images): Color views of German troops and equipment in North Africa, 1941 (EAPA, 169 images); and of eastern European cities, landscapes, and agricultural settlements, n.d. (RPLB, 82 images). Black-and-white views of military equipment, German cities, and rural areas, 1941-44 (LBR, RPLA; 1,229 images).
Photomechanical Reproductions (286 images): Episodes in the early history of Russia, seized by German forces from a Ukrainian library, n.d. (NP, 112 images). Pictures used in the Spanish- language magazine, Revista Alemana, illustrating a variety of cultural, diplomatic, military, and technological subjects, 1938 (RA, 174 images).
Filmstrips (232 items): German filmstrips showing newsworthy events of the week, 1938-41 (BB, 190 items). Indoctrination of members of the Hitler Youth, n.d. (HJ, 34 items). Hitler biography, German expansion, and other propaganda subjects, n.d. (MNF, 8 items).
Finding Aids: Barbara Burger, William Cunliffe, Jonathan Heller, William T. Murphy, and Les Waffen, comps., Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to World War II, RIP 70 (Revised, 1992).
See Slides Under 242.18.3.
See Posters Under 242.23.
Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.
This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.
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