History of the Inventory Designer: On October 1, 1939, summary of the (Prussian) Secret State Police Office (Ge‧stapa), the office of the Political Police Commander of the (non-Prussian) Länder, the Reich Criminal Police Office, the Security Police Main Office, and the Sicherheits‧haupt‧amtes (SD Main Office) of the SS in the newly erected Security Police Main Office, which was established by the Chief of Security Police and SD, Reinhard Heydrich (since October 30, 1939). January 1943 Ernst Kaltenbrunner) Reichssi‧cher‧heits‧hauptamt (RSHA); in October 1943 the RSHA was established as follows: Amt I Per‧sonal, Training and Organisation of the Security Police and the SD, Amt II Haushalt und Wirtschaft, Amt III Deutsche Lebensgebiete, Amt IV Gegner-Erforschung und -Be‧kämp‧fung (Geheimes Staatspolizeiamt), Amt V Verbrechensbekämpfung (Reichskriminal‧poli‧zei‧amt), Amt VI Auslandsnachrichtendienst, Amt VII Weltanschauliche Forschung und Aus‧wer‧tung Content characterisation: Part 1 (formerly: ZStA, 17.03): 1917-1945 (138): Personnel, organisation, business administration of various SS and SD offices 1917-1919, 1933-1945 (12), political situation (with reports), labour movement, communist and social democratic actions, church affairs (both domestic and foreign) 1921-1945 (22), training activity (also church political training) 1936-1944 (13), Literaturnach‧weise (historical and contemporary documents) 1927-1943 (9), lecture directories, Seme‧ster and seminar papers, various records 1923-1945 (15), Hexenwesen, Zauberei (with references) 1932-1942 (36), Geheimes Staatspolizeiamt, Berlin 1933-1943 (14), Geheime Staatspolizei Bremen 1934 (1), Staatspolizei(leit)stellen - mit verschiedenen Außen(dienst)stellen und Grenz(polizei)kommissariaten - Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Königsberg (Prussia), Munich, Saarbrücken, Prague 1933-1944 (15), Commander of the Security Police and the SD in the Be‧reich of the Military Commander in France, Paris 1944 (1) Part 2 (formerly: BArch, R 58): 1920-1945 (1.670): Administration: Central authorities of the Security Police and SD 1933-1945 (21), Central and Unterbehör‧den 1933-1945 (6), Reichsstiftung für Länderkunde 1943-1944 (5), Correspondence and administration of written records 1933-1945 (20), Procurement, in particular Weapons and equipment 1933-1945 (15), vehicles 1936-1944 (10), literature 1941-1944 (9), budget, cash and accounting 1933-1945 (13), personnel affairs in general 1933-1945 (10), affairs of individual departments and persons 1936-1945 (97), Involvement of university teachers by the Orient Research Centre 1944-1945 (3), Ein‧stellung, education and training 1930-1945 (22), disciplinary measures 1934-1944 (4) Monitoring and prosecution of political opponents: Principles and guidelines 1933-1945 (6), status reports and overviews from the gesam‧ten Reichsgebiet 1931-1944 (34), status reports, v.a. individual state police officers 1933-1939 (68), imposition of protective custody and "special treatment" 1933-1945 (5), Über‧wachung and persecution of the labor movement in general 1928-1944 (27), popular front, united front 1925-1940 (15), German united party 1937-1940 (3), Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and socialist splinter groups 1931-1943 (23), Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and communist splinter groups 1932-1942 (41), individual social democratic, socialist or communist political organizations 1926-1942 (17), socialist and communist youth and sports organizations 1931-1941 (26), "Red Aid" 1930-1939 (16), cultural political organizations, free thinkers 1927-1941 (12), socio-political, professional and other organizations 1920-1941 (7), Ge‧werkschaftsbewegung 1922-1944 (20), anarcho-syndicalist movement 1930-1940 (5), Catholic and Protestant churches 1933-1945 (16), sects and freemasons 1933-1943 (10), Jews in the "Old Empire" 1933-1944 (16), Jews in integrated and occupied territories 1937-1944 (4), Zionist movement 1933-1944 (5), anti-Semitic propaganda 1936-1941 (6), national, liberal, conservative and monarchist opponents 1931-1945 (11) Surveillance of the NSDAP, its branches and the Wehrmacht: NSDAP and Wehrmacht in General 1933-1943 (1), Ribbentrop Office 1937 (1), German Labour Front 1933-1940 (2), Foreign National Socialist and Fascist Groups and Foreign Emigrants in Germany 1934-1942 (1), 20. July 1944, 1944 (1) Supervision of non-political organizations and economic enterprises: non-political organizations 1929-1941 (3), sports, youth and social associations 1930-1942 (2), consumer cooperatives 1934-1941 (6), artificial language organizations (Esperanto and others) 1933-1943 (10), economic enterprises, v.a. Insurances 1933-1942 (13) Defense against and fight against espionage and sabotage: Defense against espionage, treason and sabotage in general 1933-1945 (22), Lan‧desverrat and espionage 1933-1945 (9), sabotage and assassinations 1933-1945 (13) Measures against foreigners and in the integrated, affiliated and occupied Gebie‧ten: Treatment of foreigners in general 1933-1944 (3), foreign workers 1934-1944 (3), prisoners of war 1938-1945 (4), national minorities in Reich territory and in incorporated, affiliated and occupied territories 1934-1944 (1), state police measures in Austria 1938-1943 (7), daily reports of the state police headquarters Vienna 1938-1940 (11), mood and situation reports from Austria 1939-1944 (6), Sudetenland, Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia 1938-1945 (4), incorporated eastern territories and Generalgou‧vernement for the occupied Polish territories 1939-1945 (3), Denmark and Norway 1940-1945 (14), Eupen-Malmedy, associated western territories (Alsace, Lorraine, Luxem‧burg) 1940-1943, occupied western territories (Netherlands, Belgium, France) 1940-1944 (8), Occupied Eastern Territories (Baltic States, USSR) 1941-1945 (24), Yugoslavia, Hungary, Siebenbür‧gen, Macedonia, Operation Zone Adriatic Coastal Country 1941-1945 (6) Persecution and fight against non-political crime: Remainders of the criminal police 1935-1944 (3) Surveillance of public opinion and mood of the people: Principles of reporting by the SS Security Service (SD) 1937-1945 (2), Be‧richte on the 1939 domestic political situation (2), reports from the Reich: General, opponents, cultural areas, folklore and public health, administration and law, economics, Luft‧krieg 1939-1943 (39), SD reports on domestic issues 1943-1944 (10), regional Stimmungs‧berichte 1943-1945 (2), propaganda against foreign reports and "anti-state" influencing of public opinion 1933-1944 (3), combating antinationalsozialisti‧schen Literature 1933-1944 (11), Review and prohibition of books and brochures 1933-1943 (66), monitoring of the press 1933-1945 (55), broadcasting 1933-1945 (20), music, theatre, film, art 1935-1943 (2), science, education and popular education 1939-1945 (1), folklore 1939-1944 (1), situation of the general administration 1939-1945 (4), administration of justice 1939-1942 (1), economy 1939-1943 (1) procurement and evaluation of news from abroad: Foreign news in general 1938-1945 (16), monitoring of trips abroad 1936-1939 (10), German citizens and emigrants abroad 1933-1943 (6), German minorities abroad 1933-1943, news about individual countries: Abyssinia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Albania, Algeria, Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Bel‧gien, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nie‧derlande, Norway, Austria, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Rhodesia, Romania, Schwe‧den, Switzerland, Soviet Union, Spain, South Africa, Syria, Transjordan, Czechoslovakia, Turkey, Hungary, Uruguay, Venezuela, United States of America, Cyprus 1931-1945 (188) Individual cases of persecution and surveillance: Lists, files and collective files, v.a. about political opponents from the Weimar Republic 1934-1944 (7), card index about clergy retired from church service, Or‧densangehörige and civil servants 1940-1944 (5), card index of the SD to files about individual Perso‧nen also outside of Germany with personal data and information about the reason of the file keeping, a.o. Emigrants, diplomats, foreign legionnaires, lodge membership, political activity, Spionage‧verdacht, loss of service card 1936-1938 (157), SD file on persons in individual places, especially in northern Germany with a focus on Lower Saxony, including information on profession, organization (including KPD, Freemasons, denominational associations, companies, Be‧hörden), with additional stamp "Jude" o.Dat. if necessary. (223), SD card indexes on Germans and foreigners, especially Ireland, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Spain, Tsche‧chen and Hungary 1933-1943 (22) Annex: Personal documents 1883-1945, 1957-1960 (73) Part 3a (formerly: ZPA, PSt 3): 1913-1946 (616): Amt IV Geheimes Staatspolizeiamt (Office IV): political surveillance in the area of various state police (leading) positions 1929-1942 (135), Lage‧berichte 1938-1941 (4), KPD, SPD 1920-1944 (115), political emigration, directories of fugitive political opponents 1931-1944 (34), Distribution of illegal pamphlets 1927-1940 (43), jurisdiction against political opponents and interrogation practice 1933-1943 (21), various areas of surveillance 1913-1946 (27), internals, supplements 1933-1944 (16) Main Security Office of the RFSS: Monthly and situation reports, daily reports 1933-1939 (34), KPD, SPD, Red Massen‧selbstschutz, Red Frontkämpferbund 1924-1940 (50), Rheinischer Separatismus 1919-1940 (7), distribution of illegal pamphlets 1931-1941 (23), jurisdiction against politi‧sche opponents 1931-1938 (9), various areas of surveillance 1931-1939 (23), Perso‧nalangelegenheit Professor Dr. Scheidt 1936-1944 (1) Various offices of the RSHA, including state police (leit)stellen Berlin, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Stettin, Vienna 1920-1945 (73) Supplement: Structure of the main offices and offices of the Reichsführer of the SS o.Dat. (1) Part 3b (formerly: ZStA, 17.01 St 3): 1919-1946 (1.344): Office IV Secret State Police Office: printed reports of the Secret State Police and memorandums 1923-1942 (29), situation reports of the Secret State Police Office 1933-1942 (63), statistical reports of the State Police Offices 1938-1942 (30), reports of the State Police Offices in Germany and the occupied territories 1941-1943 (23), Anwei‧sungen, ordinances, orders and search lists of the Secret State Police, etc. Personal data and reports on doctors and guards in concentration camps 1928-1946 (42), materials of the Secret State Police Office on the dissemination of illegal writings, arrests, investigations, trials and the Tätig‧keit of the party organizations of the KPD 1928-1945 (81), various materials 1930-1945 (33), German, foreign and international organizations, parties and projects vor‧nehmlich of the labor movement 1919-1945 (291); various departments (RSHA and others) 1929-1945 (58); reports and notifications of the state police departments 1921-1945 (417); font collection: Illegal writings with reports and reports of the Secret State Police on their distribution and registration 1926-1945 (203); Supplements: various offices (RSHA and others) 1930-1946 (74) Part 4 (taken over by the Polish archive administration): approx. 17th century - 1945 (771): various agencies (RSHA and others; focus: RSHA Office VII Weltanschauli‧che Research and evaluation, with illegal and confiscated materials), approx. 17th century - approx. 1945 (771) Part 5 (Boberach/Muregger project): approx. 1782 - approx. 1946 (approx. 3,902): SD-Hauptamt and agencies III, VI and VII - Control and prosecution of ideological opponents: Jews, members of Christian denominations, Freemason lodges (with illegal and confiscated materials), ca. 1782 - ca. 1946 (ca. 3,902) State of development: Part 1 (former: ZStA, 17th century)03): Database/Find Index Part 2 (formerly: BArch, R 58): Database/Publication Findbuch: Boberach, Heinz: Reichssicherheitshauptamt (fonds R 58) (Findbücher zu Bestände des Bundesarchivs, Bd. 22), Koblenz 1982, reprint 1992 u. 2000 Annex - Personnel documents: database Part 3a (formerly: ZPA, PSt 3): database/findbuch (1967) Part 3b (formerly: ZStA, 17.01 St 3): database/findbuch, vol. 1-3 (1968) Part 4 (taken over by the Polish archive administration): Provisional directory Part 5 (Boberach/Muregger project): Database/Preliminary Findbuch Reichssicherheitshauptamt R 58 Part I: SD-Hauptamt und Ämter III, VI und VII, edited by Heinz Boberach and Dietrich Muregger Subsequent developments in database citation style: BArch, R 58/...

Geschichte des Bestandsbildners: Das Allgemeine Truppenamt (TA) wurde 1919 errichtet. Aus ihm ging 1935 der Generalstab des Heeres (GenStdH) hervor. Dieser gliederte sich wie folgt: Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres (ChefdGenStdH), zuvor Chef des Truppen amtes (ChefTA); Zentralabteilung des Generalstabes des Heeres (GZ), zuvor Zentralgruppe (TZ); Operationsabteilung (1. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Heeres abteilung (T 1); Organisationsabteilung (2. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Heeres organisationsabteilung (T 2); Abteilung Fremde Heere (3. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Abteilung Fremde Heere (T 3); Heeresausbildungsabteilung (4. Abt GenStdH), zuvor Heeresausbildungsabteilung (T 4); Transportabteilung (5. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Transportabteilung (T 5). Verselbständigte sich zu Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges als "Chef des Transportwesens"; Quartiermeisterabteilung (6. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Gruppe V der Heeres abteilung (T 1 V). Zu Kriegsbeginn verselbständigt als "Generalquartier meister"; Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung (7. Abt.GenStdH), zuvor Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung (TK), 1942 verselbständigt; Attach bteilung, entstanden 1940 durch Erweiterung der 1934 eingerichteten Attach-Gruppe. Dem Truppenamt angegliedert war die Heeresfriedenskommission, die bis 1927 bestand. Ab 1935 wurden zur Entlastung des Chefs des Generalstabes des Heeres sukzessive die Oberquartiermeister I bis V eingerichtet und unter ihrer Führung einzelne Abteilungen des Generalstabes zusammengefaßt, bis 1942 dann aber wieder aufgelöst. Ebenso wurden die 8. Abt. GenStdH (Technische Abt.), die 9. Abt. GenStdH (Heeresvermessungswesen und Militärgeographie), sie 10. Abt. GenStdH (Landesbefestigungsabteilung), die 11. Abt. GenStdH (Offizierausbildungsabteilung) und die 12. Abt.GenStd (Abteilung Fremde Heere Ost) neu geschaffen. Die 8., 10. und 11. Abteilung wurden zu Beginn des Krieges aufgelöst, die 9. Abteilung verselbständigte sich 1941 als Chef des Kriegskarten- und Vermessungswesens. Bestandsbeschreibung: Das Allgemeine Truppenamt wurde 1919 im Reichswehrministerium als Nachfolgeorganisation des "Großen Generalstabes" des Kaiserreiches errichtet, nachdem Deutschland durch den Versailler Vertrag ein Generalstab oder ähnliche Institutionen verboten worden war. Nach Wiedererrichtung der Wehrhoheit wurde das Allgemeine Truppenamt im Jahre 1935 in Generalstab des Heeres umbenannt. Das Truppenamt bestand zunächst aus folgenden Abteilungen: T 1 (Heeresabteilung): Innere und äußere militärische Lage, Grenzschutz, Landesbefestigung, Truppenverwendung und -gliederung, Militärtransportwesen, Militärvermessungs- und Kartenwesen. T 2 (Organisationsabteilung): Allgemeine Heeresangelegenheiten, Organisation des Übergangs- und künftigen Heeres. T 3 (Statistische Abteilung): Sammlung und Bearbeitung von Informationsmaterialien über fremde Armeen. T 4 (Lehrabteilung): Militärische Ausbildung (auch der Offiziere), Truppenübungen, Sammlung von Erfahrungen. T 5 (Wehrabteilung): Allgemeine Angelegenheiten der Offiziere und Unteroffiziere, Vorgesetzten- und Rangverhältnisse, innerdienstliche Angelegenheiten wie Garnisons- und Wachdienst, Ehrenbezeugungen, Flaggen, Anzugsordnung und Armeemusik, Wehrgesetze nebst Ausführungsbestimmungen, Führung der Personalpapiere. T 6 (Abteilung für Erziehungs- und Bildungswesen): Allgemeine Erziehungs- und Bildungsfragen, Erziehung und Unterrichtung der Offiziersanwärter, Unteroffiziere- und Mannschaften, militärpolitische Ausbildung. T 7 (Transportabteilung): Heerestransportangelegenheiten, insb. Eisenbahntransporte und Schifffahrtsangelegenheiten. H-Friko (Heeresfriedenskommission): Dem Truppenamt angegliedert. Zuständig für die Vertretung des Reichswehrministers in allen die Heeresleitung berührenden Friedensfragen gegenüber anderen Ministerien und der Ententekommission sowie für die Mitprüfung der zur Durchführung der Friedens- und Waffenstillstandsbedingungen von den zuständigen Stellen der Heeresleitung zu treffenden Maßnahmen (1927 aufgelöst). Der zweite Entwurf der "Geschäftsverteilung des Reichswehrministeriums" vom Juni 1921 sah eine Reduzierung des Truppenamtes auf die Abteilungen T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 und T 7 und die H-Friko vor. Im Rahmen der getarnten Aufrüstung nach 1933 wurde das Truppenamt um die Transportabteilung, die Inspektion der Festungen, die Zentralgruppe und die Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung erweitert. Der Generalstab des Heeres wurde durch Verfügung vom 26. Juni 1935 geschaffen. Er gliederte sich zunächst wie folgt: (siehe dazu: "Friedensgliederung des OKH mit Generalstab, 1938-1939", in: Ueberschär: Generaloberst Franz Halder, S. 104): Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres: Er stand an der Spitze des Generalstabes des Heeres, war dem Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres unterstellt und dessen erster Berater und ständiger Vertreter. Sein Arbeitsgebiet umfasste sämtliche mit der Vorbereitung und Führung eines Krieges zusammenhängenden Fragen. Zentralabteilung des Generalstabes: Die Zentralabteilung war zuständig für die Organisation der Dienststelle "Generalstab des Heeres" einschließlich der ihr nachgeordneten Behörden sowie für die Personalangelegenheiten der Generalstabsoffiziere. Dem Chef der Zentralabteilung war außerdem die Verwaltung der dem Chef des Generalstabes zur Verfügung stehenden Fonds und Stiftungen übertragen. 1. Abteilung des GenStdH - Operationsabteilung: Die Operationsabteilung hatte die Aufmarschvorbereitungen für den Kriegsfall zu bearbeiten. Daneben bereitete sie militärische Übungsreisen und operative Aufgaben zur Ausbildung der Generalstabsoffiziere vor. 2. Abteilung des GenStdH - Organisationsabteilung: Die Organisationsabteilung befasste sich mit dem Aufbau und der Gliederung des Friedens- und des Kriegsheeres; die Durchführungsanordnungen hierzu erließ das Allgemeine Heeresamt. Ferner bearbeitete sie die jährlich neu erscheinenden "Besonderen Anlagen zum Mobilmachungsplan (Heer)" und die Forderungen hinsichtlich der materiellen Rüstung (außer Munition und Betriebsstoff). 3. Abteilung des GenStdH - Abteilung Fremde Heere: Der Abteilung Fremde Heere oblag das Studium fremder Heere und militärpolitischer Probleme des Auslands durch die Auswertung der Berichte der Militärattachés und der zu ausländischen Heeren abkommandierten Offizieren. Ihr gehörte auch die Attaché-Gruppe des Generalstabes des Heeres an. 4. Abteilung des GenStdH - Heeresausbildungsabteilung: Die Heeresausbildungsabteilung erließ Verfügungen für die Truppenausbildung einschließlich der Truppenübungsplätze, für Herbst- und Sonderübungen sowie für die Ausbildung von Reserve- und Landwehrverbänden. Weiterhin hatte sie die von den Waffeninspektionen bearbeiteten Ausbildungsvorschriften vor der Ausgabe an die Truppe zu prüfen. 5. Abteilung des GenStdH - Transportabteilung: Die Transportabteilung bereitete die jährlichen Mobilmachungs- und Aufmarschtransporte vor. Im Bereich des Transportwesens war sie federführend für die ganze Wehrmacht, doch beschränkte sich ihr Arbeitsgebiet auf die Eisenbahn und auf die Binnenschifffahrt. Aus der friedensmäßigen 5. Abteilung ging zu Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges die OKH-Dienststelle "Chef des Transportwesens" hervor. Ihr jeweiliger Leiter war in Personalunion "Der Chef des Transportwesens der Wehrmacht" (letzterer ist ohne eigenständige Überlieferung; das Archivgut beider Dienststellen, einschließlich der Vorprovenienzen, ist im Bestand RH 4 zusammengefasst). 6. Abteilung des GenStdH - Quartiermeisterabteilung: Die Quartiermeisterabteilung hatte die Versorgung des Heeres mit allen Nachschubgütern vorzubereiten. Aus ihr entwickelte sich zu Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges die Dienststelle "OKH/Generalquartiermeister"(siehe Bestand RH 3). 7. Abteilung des GenStdH - Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung: Aufgabe der Kriegswissenschaftlichen Abteilung war die Auswertung der Kriegserfahrungen sowie die Bearbeitung, Prüfung und Herausgabe kriegswissenschaftlicher Veröffentlichungen, ferner das Studium kriegs- und heeresgeschichtlicher Probleme. Mitte 1942 wurde die 7. Abteilung geteilt in eine "Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung des Heeres" (siehe Bestand RH 60) und eine "Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung des Generalstabs des Heeres" (bereits Ende 1942 aufgelöst). Inspektion der Festungen (InFest): Der Inspekteur der Festungen hatte Vorschläge zur Ausnutzung und zum Aufbau der Landesbefestigungen zu erarbeiten. Am 24. November 1938 wurde die InFest im Rahmen der vom Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres befohlenen Organisationsänderungen der Waffeninspektionen dem Allgemeinen Heeresamt unterstellt (siehe Bestand RH 12-20). Vertragsgruppe: Sie wurde 1934 aus der Völkerbundabteilung gebildet. In der Folgezeit (ab 1935) war eine wichtige Erweiterung des Generalstabes die Bildung der Oberquartiermeister I bis V, die mehrere Abteilungen leiteten; ferner wurde die 8. (Technische Abteilung), 9. (Heeresvermessungswesen und Militärgeographie), 10. (mit zuständig für Fragen der Landesverteidigung) und 11. Abteilung (Ausbildung der Offiziere und Fortbildung der Generalstabsoffiziere) eingerichtet. Der Oberquartiermeister I war Stellvertretender Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres. Ein Teil der neu eingerichteten Abteilungen wurden nach und nach wieder aufgelöst oder ihre Aufgaben anderen Abteilungen zugeteilt (z.B. 1939 Auflösung des Oberquartiermeisters II; 1942 Auflösung des Oberquartiermeisters I und IV ¿ die Aufgaben gingen an die Operationsabteilung und Länderabteilung über; die Aufgaben der für die Generalstabsoffiziere zuständigen Personalabteilung in der Zentralabteilung wurden dem Personalamt des Heeres übertragen). Im Rahmen der Mobilmachung für den Zweiten Weltkrieg wurde der Generalstab des Heeres September 1939 in zwei Staffeln aufgegliedert: (siehe dazu: "Kriegsgliederung des OKH mit Generalstab 1939-1942", in: Ueberschär, Generaloberst Franz Halder, S. 105): Die 1. Staffel wurde als "Hauptquartier OKH" zusammengefasst. Seine Angehörigen waren dem Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres disziplinarisch unterstellt. Dieser stand an der Spitze des dem Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres zur Verfügung stehenden Führungsstabes und leitete die Operationen des Heeres in dessen Auftrag. Grundlegende Operationsbefehle wurden jedoch vom Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres unterzeichnet. Die für die Führung des Feldheeres nicht unmittelbar benötigten Teile des Generalstabes verblieben als 2. Staffel des Generalstabes des Heeres unter Führung des Oberquartiermeisters V in ihren Friedensunterkünften (Berlin), blieben dabei aber dem Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres unterstellt. Zur 2. Staffel des Generalstabes des Heeres gehörten die Zentralabteilung (GZ), die Abteilung Fremde Heeres Ost und West sowie die Ausbildungsabteilung (Ausbildungsfilmwesen), ferner die Attachéabteilung, die Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung und die Abteilung für Heeresvermessungswesen und Militärgeographie. Im Verlauf des Krieges veränderte sich die Organisation und Stellung des Generalstabes des Heeres. Die Führung des Polenfeldzuges lag noch in den Händen des Oberkommandos des Heeres, doch schon die Besetzung Dänemarks und Norwegens im Frühjahr 1940 (Unternehmen "Weserübung") lief unter Leitung des Chefs des Wehrmachtführungsamtes ab und wurde damit zum ersten Kriegsschauplatz des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht. Während der Westfeldzug im Mai/Juni 1940 trat die Einflussnahme Hitlers auf die Befehlsführung erstmals in den Vordergrund. Als Organ einheitlicher Befehlsgebung diente ihm das Wehrmachtführungsamt (am 8. August 1940 in "Wehrmachtführungsstab" umbenannt), das er dazu benutzte, um in die vom Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres geführten Operationen einzugreifen. Die Planung und Durchführung des Balkanfeldzuges im Frühjahr 1941 sowie die Vorarbeiten zum Krieg gegen die UdSSR lagen wiederum im wesentlichen in den Händen des Generalstabes des Heeres. Die Tätigkeit des Wehrmachtführungsstabes beschränkte sich hier auf die Bearbeitung der Weisungen Hitlers. Im Dezember 1941 wurde der Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch, abgelöst, und Hitler übernahm den Oberbefehl über das Heer selbst. Bei seinen Entscheidungen über die Operationsführung des Heeres zog er immer mehr den Wehrmachführungsstab heran. In dieser Zeit begann die eigentliche Trennung nach OKH- und OKW-Kriegsschauplätzen. Während der Generalstab des Heeres die Ostfront übernahm, lag die Zuständigkeit für alle anderen Kriegsschauplätze beim Wehrmachtführungsstab. 1945 wurde der Generalstab mit dem Wehrmachtführungsstab zusammengelegt. Vorprovenienz: Großer Generalstab Erschließungszustand: Online-Findbuch Vorarchivische Ordnung: In RH 2 ist die Überlieferung aller Abteilungen des Allgemeinen Truppenamtes bzw. des Generalstabes des Heeres zusammengefasst mit Ausnahme jener Organisationseinheiten, die seit 1938 selbständig wurden (5., 6., 7. und 9. Abteilung des Generalstabes des Heeres sowie die Inspektionen der Festungen) und demzufolge im Militärarchiv eigene Bestände bilden (siehe Punkt 2.2. und 3.2). Eine Ausnahme bildet die Attachéabteilung, bei deren Zuordnung und Verbleib beim Bestand RH 2 die im Juli 1944 befohlene Unterstellung unter den Wehrmachtführungsstab/Amtsgruppe Ausland außer acht gelassen wurde. Dies konnte erfolgen, da die Überlieferung der Attachéabteilung mit den Anlagen zum Kriegstagebuch nur bis Ende Oktober 1944 reicht und dann abbricht. Insgesamt gesehen bildet der Bestand RH 2 mit seinen mehr als 3000 Nummern ein relativ abgerundetes Bild von der Tätigkeit des Allgemeinen Truppenamtes und des Generalstabes des Heeres. Das Schriftgut sowohl des Truppenamtes - hier besonders der zwanziger und dreißger - als auch des Generalstabes des Heeres wurde, sobald es nicht mehr für den laufenden Geschäftsbetrieb benötigt wurde, aus den jeweiligen Registraturen ausgesondert und an das Heeresarchiv in Potsdam bzw. an die Außenstelle des Heeresarchivs in Liegnitz abgegeben. Das Magazingebäude des Heeresarchivs Potsdam und alle in ihm lagernde Unterlagen ¿ auch die Außenstelle Liegnitz war am 7. Dezember 1944 mit allen Archivalien dorthin zurückverlegt worden - verbrannten bei dem alliierten Luftangriff am 14. April 1945. Einzelne Bestände des Heeresarchivs waren zuvor allerdings nach Bad Reichenhall ausgelagert worden. Dort jedoch wurden sie beim Näherrücken der alliierten Truppen auf Befehl von General Scherff (Beauftragter des Führers für militärische Geschichtsschreibung) teilweise verbrannt. Verhältnismäßig dicht ist die Überlieferung aus der Zeit des Zweiten Weltkrieges, doch haben viele Kriegsereignisse auch hier schmerzliche Lücken gerissen (z.B. fehlt ein Teil der Kriegstagebücher - samt Anlagen - der Operations- und Organisationsabteilung). Soweit Archivgut aber die Kriegsereignisse überdauerte und den Amerikanern in die Hände fiel, wurde es in die USA verbracht. Dies gilt auch für das seinerzeit laufende Registraturgut des Generalstabes, das nach der deutschen Kapitulation von amerikanischen Truppen in Flensburg beschlagnahmt wurde. In den 60-er Jahren erfolgte die Rückführung der Unterlagen. Eine grundlegende Überarbeitung des Bestandes erfolgte zu Beginn der 80-er Jahre, wobei die Organisation des Truppenamtes/Generalstabes als Grundlage für die Bestandsordnung diente. 3.1. Überlieferung und ggf. archivische Bewertung 3.2. Sonstige Bestände, Hinweise RH 3 OKH/Generalquartiermeister RH 4 Chef des Transportwesens RH 7 Heerespersonalamt RH 12-20 Inspektion der Festungen RH 15 Allgemeines Heeresamt RH 60 Kriegswissenschaftliche Abteilung des Heeres Kart. RH 2 (Generalstabskarten) RW 4 Wehrmachtführungsstab N 28 Beck, Ludwig (Chef GenStdH) N 63 Zeitzler, Kurt (Chef GenStdH) N 220 Halder, Franz (Chef GenStdH) N 738 Adam, Wilhelm (Chef des Truppenamtes) Umfang, Erläuterung: 3282 AE Zitierweise: BArch, RH 2/...

History of the Inventory Designer: Skl = Operations Department of the Naval Command Office, Chief of the Authority was Chief of the Staff of the Naval War Command (Skl) from April 1, 1937. In this capacity, in 1938, the former naval intelligence department of the Naval Command Office was subordinated to him. In 1939 the Chief of Staff of the Skl handed over the leadership of the Naval Command Office. In 1939, as a result of the dissolution of the General Naval Office, the Nautical and Military Technical Division joined the Skl. From May 1, 1944, the Chief of the Staff of the Skl was known as the Chief of the Skl. Inventory Description: On April 1, 1937, the Chief of the Naval Command Office was given the additional service designation "Chief of the Staff of the Naval War Command (Skl)". Shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939, the Personalunion chief of the Naval Command Office/Head of the Naval Headquarters Staff was abolished. The Naval Command Office received its own Chief of Staff, who was subordinate to the Chief of Staff of the Skl. From 1.5.1944 the chief of the staff of the Skl led the service designation chief of the naval war management. The naval warfare management was the coordinating and decision-making body for all areas of naval warfare. She was in charge of operational and strategic warfare. It dealt with armaments and personnel matters, tactical problems, questions of ship readiness, equipment and supplies, questions of mine, air and land warfare as well as navigational and meteorological problems. The Skl was divided into the following sections: Chief of the Skl Staff (issued the operational guidelines and orders for the conduct of naval warfare and the deployment of naval forces); Chief of Naval Warfare; Operations Department (dealt with all areas related to the conduct of naval warfare and regulated the deployment of the Navy within the framework of the overall operations and ensured the operational cooperation of the Navy with the army and air force); U-boat department (was responsible for determining the military prerequisites and requirements for submarine construction, the establishment and training of submarine formations and crews, for the creation and design of submarine bases and escort ships as well as the submarine and anti-submarine defence); U-boat command and control department; naval intelligence department / naval intelligence department (was responsible for the entire naval intelligence service, d.h. for the securing of the intelligence connections, for the organisation and deployment of the intelligence service, for radio reconnaissance and radio measurement, as well as for the development, equipment and training of intelligence devices); intelligence evaluation department (collection and evaluation of all intelligence important for naval warfare and the resulting creation of the basis for enemy assessments by the operation group); locating service department (evaluation of operational experience, development, introduction and equipment of locating devices and systems); nautical department (head of the entire hydrographic and meteorological service). Characterisation of the contents: The main part of the tradition from the time after 1933 is the war diary of the Skl with its annexes, which, with a few exceptions, is completely preserved. The war diary records all essential events of the war events, also the land and air war. It also contains political and situation overviews and material on international law, propaganda and merchant shipping. Particularly noteworthy are the documents of the Operations Department and again those of Unit A (Operations of the Naval War, e.g. Case "Weser Exercise", case "Barbarossa", planning "Sea Lion", occupation of Denmark and Norway, attack on the Soviet Union, invasion 1944), of Unit I (International and Naval Law of War), of Unit L (Air Force Issues), of Unit M (work on the Mediterranean theatre of war, Balkans and the Black Sea), N (work on the theatre of war of the Group North, the Norwegian area and the operations spanning the Baltic Sea), and the W (work on the Western area, the Atlantic area and the French coastal forefield). The files of the Operations Department (e.g. case "Weser Exercise", occupation of Denmark) are relatively extensive. The material of the Merchant Shipping and Economic War group as well as of the General Department III (organisational and armament issues) are just as important as the files of the various departments of the Naval Intelligence Service. In addition there is also material about the Japanese Navy, the Spanish Civil War as well as about the cooperation with the Soviet Union, Italy and Spain. State of development: Findbuch, Datenbank Umfang, Erläuterung: Bestand ohne Zuwachs 152 lfm 3125 AE Zitierweise: BArch, RM 7/...

Preliminary note from 1966: The files listed in this repertory were transferred to the Archives of the Interior by the Ministry of the Interior in 1896 on the occasion of a reorganization of the ministerial registry (supplements 1897, 1903, 1906). As a remedy for the find, the extensive handover directory created according to the registry categories was used, even after the Archive of the Interior was merged with the State Branch Archive (since 1938: State Archive) in Ludwigsburg. since there was no prospect of repertorisation by an academic official in the foreseeable future, archive employee I. Müller, under the direction of the undersigned, was commissioned in 1962 with a more detailed indexing of the holdings. This work will continue over a longer period of time and will be reflected in numerous repertory volumes. Parallel to the new indexing, which retains the previous structure of the holdings, the files are repackaged and the completed repertory volumes are indexed by a complete register of places and persons. After completion of the indexing work, this register, which until then had only been kept in concept, is to be added to the entire repertory as a final volume. 2,510 old sets of files on 216 linear metres are to be found in the holdings. The present first volume contains 113 bundles (= now 690 tufts) with a volume of 11 m. Ludwigsburg, December 1966Dr. A. Seiler Retrokonversion und weitere Erschließung: The present find book represents the end product of decades of development work which was begun in 1962 by the archivist Irma Müller under the guidance of Dr. Alois Seiler. The work was initially continued until 1976 by Gerhard Rukwied, Rainer Trunk, Heinrich Graf and Regina Glatzle. Up to this key year, the number of 10 repertory volumes was reached, which comprise the alphabetically ordered categories from replacement matters to trade and commerce. Due to worsening personnel resources, the work had to be interrupted for a long period of time and was only resumed at the end of the 1990s by Franz Moegle-Hofacker in cooperation with numerous legal trainees and archive inspector candidates. After a change of responsibility as a result of the reorganisation of the archive administration in Baden-Württemberg in the course of the administrative reform in 2005, the undersigned took on the lead for the further indexing work, in which archive employee Julian Schulenburg was also involved. With regard to the official history of the Württemberg Ministry of the Interior, reference is made to the printed overview of the holdings of the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart (e-stocks) and the online overview of the holdings as well as the forewords of the holdings E 151/01 ff. A list of the interior ministers of Württemberg, which was not included there, can be found in the appendix. Because of the many editors and the long development period, a complete homogeneity of the overall find book could not be achieved. However, due to the partially complex nature of the documents, the title recordings contained in the previous finding aids were post-processed, increasingly for the purpose of applying more recent archival indexing principles, in particular ISAD (G) level indexing. In order to be able to properly depict the registry relationships, the classification scheme used in the ministry until 1922 was retained as a structure, whereby some very large categories were subdivided into sub-categories. Since the duration of the stock ends in 1906, no overlapping of different file plans had to be feared here. This practice should also be taken into account for the future archival indexing of the holdings E 141 and E 150, of which so far only very summary handwritten finding aids have been available. 10 earlier repertory volumes were retroconverted for the online version of the complete find book by the temporary employees Silvia Ebinger and Aurelia Varsami, and were structurally and in individual cases also linguistically revised by the undersigned. The indexing proved to be particularly elaborate, whereby numerous persons mentioned in the inventory only with surnames had to be identified as far as possible on the basis of relevant literature (see below). The administrative affiliation of the individual locations is now listed in the location index, no longer in the individual title recordings. In particular, the system has been continuously changed to new spelling. In the course of the registration work Regina Eberhardt professionally packaged the entire inventory, which comprises 10181 tufts of approx. 244 linear metres of shelving.Literature: Heinrich Ihme, Südwestdeutsche Persönlichkeiten, 3 volumes, Stuttgart 1988Frank Raberg, Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815 - 1933, Stuttgart 2001The Heads of the Oberämter, Bezirksämter und Landkreise in Baden-Württemberg 1810 - 1972 Published by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kreisarchive beim Landkreistag Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 1996 2nd nationality mark: A]Austria [AL]Albania [B]Belgium [BG]Bulgaria [BY]Belarus] Cuba [CDN]Canada [CH]Switzerland [CZ]Czech Republic [DK]Denmark [DZ]Algeria [E]Spain [ET]Egypt [F]France [UK]Great Britain and Northern Ireland [GR]Greece [GUY]Guyana [H]Hungary [HR]Croatia [I]Italy [IL]Israel [IRL]Ireland [J]Japan [L]Luxembourg [LV]Latvia [M]Malta [MA]Morocco [MAL]Malaysia MEX]Mexico [N]Norway [NL]Netherlands [PE]Peru [PL]Poland [PRI]Puerto Rico [RA]Argentina [RCH]Chile [RL]Lebanon [RO]Romania [RUS]Russia [S]Sweden [SK]Slovakia [SLO]Slovenia [SN]Senegal [SRB]Serbia [SUD]Sudan [TN]Tunisia [TR]Turkey [UA]Ukraine [USA]United States of America [ZA]South Africa 4. List of Württemberg interior ministers until 1806 - 1906/12 (duration of the collection): Philipp Christian von Normann-Ehrenfels1806 - February 1812 Carl Friedrich Philipp Heinrich Graf von ReischachFebruary 1812 to November 1817 Christian Friedrich von Otto10. November 1817 to 29 July 1821 Christoph Friedrich von Schmidlin29. July 1821 to 28 December 1830 Sixt Eberhard von Kapff3. January 1831 to 3 April 1832 Jakob Friedrich von Weishaar3. April to 10 August 1832 Johannes von Schlayer10. August 1832 to 6 March 1848 Joseph Freiherr von Linden6 to 9 March 1848 Johannes von Schlayer10. August 1832 to 6 March 1848 Gustav Heinrich Duvernoy9 March 1848 to 28 October 1849 ("Märzministerium") Johannes von Schlayer (2nd time)28 October 1849 to 2 July 1850 Joseph Freiherr von Linden20. September 1852 to 20 September 1864 Ernst von Geßler21. September 1864 to 23 March 1870 Friedrich Karl von Scheuerlen23. March 1870 to April 1, 1872 Theodor von Geßler4. April 1872 to 16 May 1872 Christian Christlieb Heinrich von Sick16. May 1872 to 13 October 1881 Julius von Hölder13. October 1881 to 30 August 1887 Karl Joseph von Schmid9. September 1887 to 6 December 1893 Johann von Pischek14. December 1893 to 20 December 1912

Foreword: The German Confederation, a confederation of states created by the Federal Act of 8 June 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, initially comprised 34 sovereign princes and four free cities, the last 28 of which were sovereign princes. It also included Denmark for Holstein and Lauenburg, England for Hanover (until 1837) and the Netherlands for Luxembourg and Limburg (from 1839). The only federal body was the Federal Assembly (also known as the Bundestag) in Frankfurt a. M., which met for the first time on 5 November 1816 after lengthy preliminary negotiations and was chaired by Austria as the presidential power. It was responsible for various commissions and other institutions such as the Federal Chancellery Directorate, the Military Commission, the Central Investigation Commission and the Federal Central Authority. The development of the German Confederation into a nation state remained impossible due to the guaranteed sovereignty of the member states and due to the dualism of the two great powers Austria and Prussia as well as the close connection of Austria to its non-German territories. The expansion of the Federal Constitution in the reactionary sense became disastrous. The resulting revolution of 1848/49 sought to transform the German Confederation into a national federal state. The Federal Assembly delegated its powers to the Imperial Administrator and ceased its activities on 28 June 1848. After the failure of the revolution, Austria restored the Bundestag in the summer of 1850, initially against Prussia. Prussia and its allies also returned to the Bundestag after the failure of the Union plans of Olomouc and the Dresden Conferences on the Reform of the Confederation, which resumed its activities on 14 May 1851. Further attempts at reform failed in the aftermath. The German Confederation finally broke up in the Austrian-Prussian conflict. In the Prague Peace of August 1866, Austria recognised the dissolution of the Confederation. The Württemberg legation to the Bundestag or the provisional central power for Germany 1848/49 existed from 1815 to 1866. It had to report all political matters negotiated in the Federal Assembly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry then decided on the further course of action and arranged for the Frankfurt resolutions to be enforced within Württemberg. Like the department so also the files about the Bundestag affairs had a prominent position in the ministry. Own diaries kept separately from the diaries of the main registry can be traced from November 1816 to December 1849 (E 59 Vol. 181-231). In order to distinguish between the general documents of the Ministry kept in blue envelopes, these files were filed in reddish fascicles, as laid down in paragraph 14a of the Rules of Business Procedure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of January 1824 (E 40/31 Bü 32). The allocation of the file numbers seems to have taken place initially according to an alphabetical structure (as described in the preface of the finding aid book to fonds E 65). But this scheme must soon have proved to be useless. In any case, in the twenties the registry was reorganized, whereby a new system was introduced with light fact file approaches according to chronological order. Only in the series of envoy reports was the old order maintained until about 1845. Between 1872 and 1904, the files must have been transferred from the secret registry of the Ministry to the Directorate of Archives. After temporary storage in the Staatsfilialarchiv Ludwigsburg, they were forwarded to the Staatsarchiv Stuttgart for safekeeping. The Staatsfilialarchiv also drew up lists of items for sale ("Bundesakten" Verz. ad 57 and "Zoll- und Handelssachen" Lit. F). At the time of the transfer, cassations also appear to have been provided for after entries on various envelopes, but these were then omitted for reasons no longer known. The present directory unites the files of the Foreign Ministry concerning the Württemberg Bundestag legation in Frankfurt a. M. from various holdings. The main part consists of archival documents from E 65 Verz. 24, 40 and 57 and E 36 Lit. F. Furthermore, some legation files, which had already been recorded in the eighties, were moved here. The archival records summarised under the keyword "complaints" were dissolved and structured according to the principle of fact files in the same way as the entire holdings. Files that did not come into existence until after the dissolution of the German Confederation in 1866 were assigned to the corresponding holdings of E 40, as were documents originating from other ministries that were returned there according to the principle of provenance. Only empty envelopes of some of the files rearranged in the ministry were left; these were collected. Minutes of the Federal Assembly from October 1816 to 1863 and of the Military Commission from 1837 to 1861 are available in the printed matter room of the Main State Archives. Other Military Commission protocols are also held in E 40/72 Bü 250-262. These logs were therefore not recorded in the record. Old pagination is obsolete. The collection paints a very vivid picture of the time of the German Confederation and the provisional central power in 1848/49 throughout Germany. It contains documents about the resolutions of the Bundestag and their implementation in Württemberg and thus also material about events in Württemberg. The countertradition - albeit to a much lesser extent - is in stock E 65. The indexing took place from 1980 to 1983 and from 1997 within the framework of training by the archive trainees Ronald Asch, Irmtraud Betz, Ernst Otto Bräunche, Elke Koch, Carl-Jochen Müller, Andreas Schmauder, Wolfgang Stetter and Volker Trugenberger as well as by the archive inspector candidates André Kayser, Thomas Krause, Sandra Krischel, Alexander Rantasa, Caroline Schach and Nicole Schütz. Wilfried Braunn then recorded the rest. The online-capable classification of the stock as well as the further editorial work were taken over by the undersigned. The transfer of the title recordings in MIDOSA 95 datasets, which were made on the index forms, was carried out by Ms. Tanja Bürger, Ms. Anna-Maria Diener and Ms. Gisela Filipitsch; Wilhelm Gieb and Doris Köhler took care of the packaging of the archive boxes. The present collection now contains 1737 numbers (the serial number 1433 is not documented) in the range of 43.1 linear metres with a running time from 1815 to 1866, including pre-files from 1771 and post-files up to 1875. Individual documents on economic history up to 1833 can be found in printed form: Prehistory and justification of the German Customs Association 1815-1834. Files of the states of the German Confederation and the European powers. Arranged by W. v. Eisenhart Rothe and A. Ritthaler, Volume I-III, Berlin 1934 Stuttgart, June 2001 Wilfried Braunn Sabine Schnell

The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) is one of the largest "robbery organisations" of the "Third Reich". Equipped with the authority to "secure" material in the occupied territories for the fight against the "ideological opponents" of National Socialism, he brought countless books, documents and other cultural assets from the possession of libraries, institutes, archives, private individuals, etc. into his hands in the occupied western and eastern territories; in addition, he was actively involved in art theft. The evaluation of the cultural property to be captured and secured by the ERR was to be carried out by the "Hohe Schule" or the "Institut zur Erforschung der Judenfrage" in Frankfurt, at least as far as research on the "Jewish question" could be useful, to which even "materials" of an incommensurable scope were then directed. The haste with which the "seizures" had to be made within a few years or months in areas often far from the borders of the German Reich, made final decisions about the whereabouts of the captured property, especially in the territory of the Soviet Union, at most theoretically visible; in its mass it remained in the territories cleared by German troops. In addition to the Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question, the East Library and the Central Library of Rosenberg in Berlin were the main places of reception, apparently for material on the "Study of Bolshevism". There were also numerous other recipients, such as the Wehrmacht (for entertainment literature, but also for "military files and archive material" from the occupied Eastern territories, which had to be handed over to the Danzig branch of the Army Archives). The following decrees are the basis for the establishment and mission of the task force: Führererlass of 29.1.1940 concerning the establishment of the "Hohe Schule": The Hohe Schule is to become the central site of National Socialist research, teaching and education. Their construction will take place after the war. However, in order to promote the preparations that have begun, I order Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg to continue this preparatory work - especially in the field of research and the establishment of the library. The services of the Party and the State shall give him every assistance in this work. Decree of the chief of the OKW of 4.7.1940 to the commander-in-chief of the army and the commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht in the Netherlands: Reichsleiter Rosenberg has applied to the Führer: 1. to search the state libraries and archives for writings of value to Germany, 2. to search the chancelleries of the high church authorities and lodges for political actions directed against us, and to confiscate the material in question. The Führer has ordered that this proposal be complied with and that the Secret State Police - supported by archivists of the Reichsleiter Rosenberg - be entrusted with the investigation. The head of the security police, SS-Gruppenführer Heydrich, has been notified; he will contact the responsible military commanders for the purpose of executing the order. This measure will be implemented in all the territories we occupy in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. It is requested to inform the subordinate services. Order of the chief of the OKW of 17.9.1940: To the commander-in-chief of the army for the military administration in occupied France In addition to the s.Zt. The Führer has decided, on the basis of the instructions given by the Führer to Reichsleiter Rosenberg to search lodges, libraries and archives in the occupied territories of the West for material of value to Germany and to secure it through the Gestapo: "The conditions before the war in France and before the declaration of war on 1.9.1939 are decisive for the possessions. After this deadline, transfers of ownership to the French Reichsleiter Rosenberg have been completed. State or the like are void and legally ineffective (e.g. Polish and Slovak library in Paris, holdings of the Palais Rothschild and other abandoned Jewish property). Reservations regarding search, seizure and removal to Germany on the basis of such objections shall not be accepted. Reichsleiter Rosenberg or his representative Reichshauptstellenleiter Ebert has clear instructions from the Führer personally regarding the right of access. He is authorised to transport the cultural goods that appear valuable to him to Germany and to secure them here. The Führer has reserved the right to decide on their use. It is requested that the relevant military commanders or services be instructed accordingly. Führer decree of 1.3.1942: Jews, Freemasons and the ideological opponents of National Socialism allied with them are the authors of the present war directed against the Reich. The systematic spiritual combat of these powers is a task necessary for war. I have therefore commissioned Reichsleiter Rosenberg to carry out this task in agreement with the head of the OKW. Its task force for the occupied territories has the right to investigate libraries, archives, lodges and other ideological and cultural institutions of all kinds for corresponding material and to seize it for the ideological tasks of the NSDAP and the later scientific research projects of the high school. The same regulation applies to cultural objects which are in the possession or property of Jews, of stray origin or of origin which cannot be clarified unobjectionably. The implementing regulations for cooperation with the Wehrmacht are issued by the head of the OKW in agreement with Reichsleiter Rosenberg. The necessary measures within the Eastern territories under German administration are taken by Reichsleiter Rosenberg in his capacity as Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories. For a short time the full name of the office was "Einsatzstab der Dienststellen des Reichsleiters Rosenberg für die besetzten westlichen Gebiete und die Niederlande", then "Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg für die besetzten Gebiete". The addition "for the occupied territories" was omitted according to the order of the Joint Staff Committee of 17.11.1944. The headquarters of the Joint Staff Committee was initially Paris. The expansion of the tasks made it necessary to relocate her to Berlin, where she temporarily stayed in the office building at Margarethenstrasse 17. The later office in Berlin, Bismarckstraße 1, was destroyed by an air raid. Organisation and structure: The structure of the ERR consisted in its main features of staff management, main working groups and working groups (set up regionally), occasionally also special detachments, branch offices, etc. The ERR was structured in such a way that it was able to provide a clear overview of the various departments. In addition, there were special staffs which were mainly charged with the "recording of cultural assets", which took place in constant collision with the equal interests of other authorities, such as the Reich Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda (in France with regard to the recording of musical works, musical manuscripts and instruments by the Special Staff for Music) and the Reichsführer-SS (for example with regard to the recording of prehistory and early history). The organisation and distribution of responsibilities of the staff management were adapted to the respective tasks of the ERR institution, which were constantly expanding until 1943 and have been changing ever since. The constant change of tasks, organisation and personnel conditions became a principle for the large number of the departments themselves active in the "worked" areas, which were also completely dependent on the politico-military and administrative conditions in these areas, caused by the respective military, civil or national administrations, and not least by the perpetual conflicts of competence of the party and imperial authorities touching or fighting each other in their areas of interest and ambitions. The development of the ERR began in France with the institution "Einsatzstab Westen" under the leadership of Kurt von Behr. Soon the "Westen" task force was divided into three independent main working groups: France (Paris), Belgium and Northern France (Brussels), Netherlands (Amsterdam). At the same time, V. Behr was the head of the Western Office, which was responsible for securing furnishings for the occupied eastern territories, the so-called M Action. This office was in itself "detached" to the East Ministry; according to Rosenberg's order of 24.11.1944, it was "taken back" to the task force. In the first half of 1944, both the M campaign and the "art collection campaign" were extended to southern France. Probably related to this is the establishment of the South of France Working Group, which finally set up a branch office in Nice and an external command in Marseilles. From the very beginning of its activity in France, the ERR had not confined itself to securing only material from libraries, archives, etc. for the "ideological struggle". He also began to collect and secure art treasures and thus entered into a certain competition with the actions carried out on behalf of Hitler ("Linz" Führer order) and Göring as well as with the art protection carried out by the military commander. Institutionally, he created a special task force "Fine Arts" (SBK) for this task, to which the collection points for fine arts in the Louvre and Jeu de Paume belonged. The Special Staff was only responsible for securing and inventorying the objects of art; the right of disposal over the objects of art - including those seized by the Office of the West in the course of the M Action and handed over to the Special Staff - had been reserved to the "Führer", a demand that was later extended to all works of art "that were or will be confiscated by German authorities in the territories occupied by German troops". The SBK maintained its activity in France to a certain extent until its dissolution. The struggle for responsibility for seized works of art continued until the end of the war, up to and including issues of relocation to Germany (Führer construction and salvage sites such as Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee, etc.) and ultimately works of art to be seized in Austrian mines (Alt-Aussee). The activities of the Italian working group are described in the report of its leader of 28.8.1944 as follows: "The procurement of material on the activities of ideological opponents will continue to be at the forefront of our work in Italy. In the form of translations, reports and evaluation work, this material is prepared by AG Italy and forwarded to the management. At the beginning of 1941, the ERR extended its activities to the Balkans and further to Greece. A Sonderkommando Greece was formed, which was dissolved in 1941. A Sonderkommando Saloniki is still provable until 1942. ERR services were also established in 1941 in Serbia - Special Staff of the Commanding General and Commander of Serbia, an Agram Liaison Office and a Belgrade Liaison Office for the Yugoslav Territories. Efforts to gain a foothold in Hungary failed apparently because of the resistance or influence of the envoy Dr. Veesenmayer. Later, a main working group for the southeast (Belgrade) can be proved, which was formed with effect from 15 February 1944 from the working group for the southeast, which in turn could have originated from the command "Southeast", proven for 1942, which was transferred from Belgrade to Thessaloniki on 10 July 1942. In Denmark, the ERR established a service in Copenhagen. Any approach to "profitable" activity was soon nullified by Dr. Best, representative of the German Reich in Denmark: "Confiscation in the style of the other occupied territories would never come into question". Immediately after his appointment as Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (RMbO), Rosenberg began to direct the initiative of his task force to the eastern territories as well. On April 2, 1941, Rosenberg had already conceived a Führer's order to instruct him "to carry out the same tasks as in the occupied western territories in all the countries occupied or still occupied by the German Wehrmacht within the framework of this war". Until the Führer's order of 1 March 1942 was issued, Rosenberg referred to "the orders issued by the Führer for the West and the tasks carried out in the Western territories by the departments of Art, Archive and Library Protection within the framework of military administration". Rosenberg's guidelines on the protection of cultural assets for "research into the activities of opponents of National Socialism and for National Socialist research" were issued to the Reichskommissariate Ostland and Ukraine on 20.8.1941 and 3.10.1941 respectively. By decree of 27.4.In 1942 Rosenberg finally commissioned the RKO and RKU as the RMbO to once again expressly "commission the ERR for the occupied Eastern territories with the recording and uniform processing of cultural assets, research material and scientific institutions from libraries, museums, etc.", which are found in public, ecclesiastical or private spaces". With the same decree, a central office was founded for the collection and recovery of cultural assets in the occupied Eastern territories. A special department for the collection and recovery of cultural assets was set up at the Reichskommissariaten (Imperial Commissionariats), whose leadership was entrusted to the head of the responsible main working group. For the two Reichskommissariate the main working group Ostland (Riga) with the working groups existed at first: Estonia (Reval), Lithuania (Vilnius), Latvia (Riga), White Ruthenia (Minsk) and the main working group Ukraine (Kiev, later Bialystok). With effect from 1.5.1943 the AG Weißruthenien was elevated to the main working group Mitte. In all HAG areas, in addition to the working groups, mobile staffs, known as "Sonderkommandos" or "Außenstellen", whose activities extended as far as the Crimea and the Caucasus region, worked directly under their command or under the command of the staff. The special staffs included, among others "Sonderstab Bildende Kunst", "Sonderstab Vorgeschichte", "Sonderstab Archive", "Sonderstab Sippenkunde", "Sonderstab Wissenschaft", "Sonderstab Volkskunde", "Sonderstab Presse" (founded 1944), "Sonderstab Dr. Abb", "Sonderstab Musik", "Sonderstab Zentralbibliothek" of the "Hohen Schule" (ZBHS), "Sonderstab weltanschauliche Information in Berlin". Structure of the staff leadership 1942 Staff leader: Utikal deputy: Ebeling 1st Division Organisation: Langkopf Group Indoor Service Group Human Resources Group Procurement Group Readiness to drive 2nd Division West and Southeast: by Ingram Group Planning Group Report 3rd Division East: Dr. Will Group Planning Group Report 4th Division Evaluation: Dr. Brethauer; Deputy: Dr. Wunder; from 1.11.1942: Lommatzsch Group General Group Library Group Inventory Group Photograph 5 Dept. Special Tasks: Rehbock Structure of the staff leadership 1944 Staff leader: Utikal representative: The senior head of department department I (head of department I: SEF Rehbock; head of department z.b.V.: SEF Brethauer) group I/1 personal adviser of the chief of staff: Rehbock group I/2 mob- and locksmith matters: Rehbock Group I/3 Personal Representative of the Chief of Staff for the Art Recording Action and Head of the Louvre Working Group: Rehbock Group I/4 Defense Representative of the Operational Staff: HEF Braune Group I/5 Procurement, Courier Service, Supply: OEF Jach Group I/6 Publications: HEF Tenschert Group I/7 Special Reports: EF Tost Division II (Head of Division: OSEF Dr. Will; Deputy: SEF Dr. Zeiß) Division IIa: Western Division, covering France, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Southeast: SEF Dr. Zeiß Division IIb: Division East, covering the occupied territories of the Soviet Union: OSEF Dr. Will Division III (Head of Division: SEF Zölffel) Division IIIa: SEF Zölffel Group III/1 Legal Affairs, Orders and Communications: SEF Zölffel Gruppe III/2 Wehrmachttfragen, Marschpapiere, Veranstaltungen, Marketenderei: HEF Gummert Abteilung IIIb: HEF Webendoerfer Gruppe III/3 Personal: HEF Sklaschus Gruppe III/4 Business Distribution: HEF Webendoerfer Gruppe III/5 Registratur: OEF Hechler Hauptabteilung IV (Head of Department: OSEF Dr. Wunder; Deputy: SEF Lommatzsch) Translation Office: OEF Dr. Benrath Gruppe IV/1 Archiv: HEF Dr. Mücke Group IV/3 Material preparation: HEF Reichardt Group IV/4 Evaluation by scientists: HEF Rudolph Group IV/5 Book control centre: HEF Ruhbaum Group IV/6 East Library: HEF Dr. Müller Abbreviations DBFU The commander's representative for the supervision of the entire intellectual and ideological training and education of the NSDAP EF Einsatzführer ERR Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg HAG Hauptarbeitsgruppe HEF Haupteinsatzführer IMT Internationales Militärtribunal MTS Maschinen-Traktoren-Station NKWD Volkskommissariat für Innere Angelegenheiten NSDAP National Socialist German Workers' Party NSPO National Socialist Party Organization OEF Upper Operations Leader OKH Army High Command OKW Wehrmacht High Command OSEF Wehrmacht Upper Staff Operations Leader RKO Reichskommissar für das Ostland RKU Reichskommissar für die Ukraine RMbO Reichsministerium für die besetzten Ostgebiete SEF Stabseinsatzführer WKP (b) Communistische Partei der Sovietunion ZbV zur besonderen Verwendung Inventory description: Inventory history In the 1960s, scattered files of the ERR were brought into the Federal Archives, with various returns of written material from the USA and predominantly in association with other provenances from the Rosenberg business area as well as with individual levies from the Rehse Collection, which were formed into an inventory there. Most of these files are written documents which were last found in the alternative office of the ERR in Ratibor. A part of the staff and the management of the Ostbücherei with large stocks of books were evacuated from Berlin to there. The remains of documents rescued by the members of the HAG Ostland, Ukraine and White Ruthenia were also recorded in Ratibor. The preserved files should come from holdings that were moved from Ratibor to the west. Subsequent additions to the holdings were mainly made by levies from the military archives, by re-enlargements of microfilms from the YIVO Institute, New York, by late recorded files from American repatriation, by three volumes from the dissolved holdings of the Rosenberg offices of the Central State Archives of the GDR (62 Tue 1) and by personal documents from the so-called "NS Archive of the Ministry for State Security of the GDR". The documents preserved at the end of the war and accessible to the Western Allies were used as evidence for the IMT process. The essential components were then left to the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine (CDJC), Paris. ERR documents can also be found today in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, in the YIVO Institute for Jewish Reserch, Washington, and in the Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (NIOD), Amsterdam. Documents from Rosenberg offices also reached archives of the former Soviet Union. An extensive collection (especially the provenance ERR) is kept in the Tsentral`nyi derzhavnyi arhiv vyshchykh orhaniv vlady ta upravlinnia Ukraïny (TsDAVO Ukraïny) in Kiev, further files in the Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi voennyi arkhiv (RGVA) in Moscow and in the Lithuanian Central State Archives, Vilnius. The Federal Archives, Bildarchiv, holds an extensive collection of photographs from the ERR (holdings Fig. 131). Inventories, directories and transport lists by the ERR of "seized objects" are contained in the holdings of B 323 Treuhandverwaltung von Kulturgut. Archive processing The NS 30 collection is a conglomerate of scattered files and individual documents. In the interest of rapid utilisation, the documents were recorded provisionally without costly evaluation and administrative work. Mrs. Elisabeth Kinder produced the preliminary finding aid book in 1968, from which essential elements of this introduction are taken. The "new entries" were recorded by the undersigned in 2003/2004. Citation method BArch NS 30/ .... State of development: Findbuch (1968/2005), Online-Findbuch (2004). Citation style: BArch, NS 30/...