Military bodies and associations
The Federal Archives provides access to the archives of German military organisations since the early 19th century. The archives contains current records in conventional and digital form, as well as audio-visual sources. It is supplemented by collections and records of private origin.
The holdings of the Federal Archives include the written, picture and film archives of
- the Military Commission of the German Confederation
- the military agencies of the German Confederation (Mainz and Luxembourg fortresses)
- the Reich War Ministry and the Navy of 1848/49
- the naval authorities 1849-1853
- the Federal Commissioner for the disestablishment of the German Fleet
- the Prussian Army from 1867
- the armed forces of the North German Confederation
- the Imperial Navy
- the Imperial Troops
- other organisations under the Kaiser's command
- the Freikorps
- the Reich armed forces/armed forces
- the Waffen SS
- the German military organisations in the service of the Allies
- the Ministry of National Defence, the National People's Army including the border troops of the GDR
- the Federal Ministry of Defence, the armed forces and the federal defence administration.
Special groups
- Private diaries, army postal service
- Manuals, lists of ranks
- Maps of military origin
- Plans and technical drawings of military origin
- Records lost as a result of war
- Library holdings on the military
Research options
- ARGUS (Archival Search Engine)
- Picture database
- Central database for personal papers
- Inventories and other finding aids
Advices for reference
The regulations governing the use of the reference service are contained in the Federal Archives Act (BArchG), the Federal Archives access regulations, the Federal Archives cost regulations and the reading room regulations of the Federal Archives. Please note that specific legal and contractual provisions may apply in the case of access to personal records and archives of private origin with copyright implications.
Reference locations
Several places provide a reference service for the Federal Archives:
Freiburg
- Records of military origin from 1867
- Pictures and posters of military origin
- Maps, plans and technical drawings of military origin
- Personal papers from members of the military
- Military history collections
Berlin-Lichterfelde
- Military archives up to 1866
Berlin-Wilmersdorf
- Films and film-related documents of military origin.
Koblenz
- Pictures