Inventory description: Following the imminent prohibition of the Great General Staff by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, various military personnel (including Hans v. Seeckt, Wilhelm Groener, Hermann Ritter Mertz v. Quirnheim and Hans v. Haeften) endeavoured to be able to continue the former war-historical department of the Great General Staff as a civilian institution for future military historiography and evaluation of world war experience. After approval by the Reich Cabinet, the war-historical section was therefore taken over by the Reichsarchiv, newly founded on October 1, 1919, due to the dissolution of the Großen Generalstab. The first president of the Reichsarchiv was Major General Hermann Ritter Mertz v. Quirnheim until 31 October 1931, and Colonel Hans v. Haeften became head of the war history department. In addition to its function as the archival centre for the history of the German Reich since 1867, the Reichsarchiv also served as a research centre for the development of a major World War II work and for the evaluation of the war experiences of the World War II from 1914 to 1918 for the Reichswehr and a future rearmament. In 1924 the war history department was renamed the Historical Department. Its main task was to elaborate and publish the official military World War II work, together with the supplementary volumes on war armaments and war economy as well as the field railway system. She was also responsible for the publication of the series "Schlachten des Weltkrieges" ("Battles of the World War"); she also supported the "Erinnerungsblätter deutscher Regimenter" ("Memory Sheets of German Regiments") and the "Forschungen und Darstellungen aus dem Reichsarchiv" ("Researches and Presentations from the Reichsarchiv"). On November 1, 1931, retired Major General von Haeften became President of the Reichsarchiv, and his successor as Director of the Historical Department was Lieutenant Colonel Wolfgang Foerster. After the National Socialist seizure of power and the transition to open rearmament, the Reichsarchiv was reorganised according to military criteria. The official military and war historiography and military archives became the task of the Wehrmacht. From April 1, 1934, the Historical Department was under the control of the Reichswehr Ministry; one year later, it was completely removed from the Reichsarchiv and renamed the "Forschungsanstalt für Kriegs- und Heeresgeschichte" (Research Institute for War and Army History). On 1 April 1937 it was given the name "Kriegsgeschichtliche Forschungsanstalt des Heeres" (War Historical Research Institute of the Army), to which the library and printing works of the Reichsarchiv also passed. The military archives of the Reichsarchiv were taken over by the Heeresarchiv in Potsdam, which was newly founded on 1 April 1936. The former director of the research institute was promoted to president of the department. Foerster held this position until the end of the war. As a subordinate office of the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, the KGFA was now subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In the autumn of 1938, the General Staff re-established the office of Oberquartiermeister V under Lieutenant General Dr. Waldemar Erfurth, who was responsible for all war-historical and archival facilities of the army (7th War Science Department in the General Staff, Chief of the Army Archives, War History Research Institute). The KGFA was exclusively responsible for military historical research with the continuation and conclusion of the World War II work as well as the supplementary volumes. In addition, the research and presentation of the post-war fights of German troops and free corps as well as the fights in the colonies should be started. With the outbreak of the Second World War, however, Foerster's planned completion of work on the World War II plant at the end of 1942 was considerably delayed. At the end of September 1942, the KGFA was placed under the authority of Walter Scherff, the newly appointed "Representative of the Führer for Military Historiography" and head of the War History Department in the High Command of the Wehrmacht, Colonel (later Major General) Walter Scherff, on 17 May 1942. During the British air raid on Potsdam on 14 April 1945, extensive documents and archives were destroyed by fire, a large part of which had already been destroyed in an air raid on 14 February 1945. De facto the work of the War Historical Research Institute of the Army also ended with this. Structure of the KGFA (Source: RH 61/72): 1st President: Head of the Central Office (Z), at the same time responsible for personnel (ZP), budget (ZH) and mobilization matters (g. Kdos.); Head of Administration (ZV), for Central Office (ZB) with registry, post office, chancellery and printing office 2nd Division A: Director Group I : World War Plant Group II: War Armaments and War Economy 3rd Division A: Director Group I: World War Plant Group II: War Armament and War Economy 3rd Division A: War Department Department B: Director Group III: Colonial War Group IV: Military Railways Group VII: Research on 1918 Group VIII: Franktireur War Group IX: History of Heavy Artillery Group 4: Independent Groups Group V: Post-War Battles Group VI: Maps Group X: War and Army History up to the Beginning of the World War Group XI: Research Association for Post-War History Group XII: Individuals Library Other General Tasks: Warschuldfragen, Verwaltungsgeschichte Belgiens, Wehrwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft, Reichsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands Vorgänger der Kriegsgeschichtlichen Forschungsanstalt (KGFA) was the war history department of the Great General Staff of the Prussian Army, which was dissolved at the beginning of the war in 1914 and newly formed in the Reich Archives in 1919. Characterisation of the contents: The military archives of the German Reich suffered extraordinarily large losses during the Second World War, above all due to the destruction of the files remaining in the army archives during the Allied air raid on Potsdam on 14 April 1945. This also affected the documents of the Kriegsgeschichtliche Forschungsanstalt. Employees of the civilian Reich Archives and the Army Archives in Potsdam who had worked on behalf of the Soviet occupying forces until February 1946 were, however, able to recover large parts of the files of the Kriegsgeschichtliche Forschungsanstalt from the damaged building. They were transferred to the Central Archive of the Soviet Occupation Zone (later the Central State Archive of the GDR), which was newly founded in July 1946, where they were grouped under the "Reichsarchiv" holdings. The holdings were rearranged by the Central State Archives of the GDR in Potsdam and recorded by hand on index cards. For the most part, the traditional file titles were adopted, but in many cases supplemented by "Contained" notes. After it had been processed, the documents of the research institute were separated from the remaining documents of the Reichs- und Heeresarchiv and in the mid-1980s handed over to the military archive of the National People's Army (NVA) in Potsdam. The files were stored there under the inventory designation W 10. After the state end of the GDR, the documents were transferred to the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv in Freiburg in 1994 and were added to the existing holdings in Freiburg. The KGFA documents contained in RH 61 arose primarily in connection with the work on the World War II plant. It includes business files, correspondence files, research papers, studies, field reports, manuscript drafts, fair copies, flag proofs, copies of files of military and political authorities and agencies, of war diaries and personal records of officers, as well as notes of editors and newspaper clippings. In addition, detached parts of original documents, in a few cases even entire files, from the Reich Archives or Army Archives are in the process of being handed down. The documents offer an important replacement for the considerable war-related gaps in the records of the Prussian-German army before 1919. The present provisional index (copy of the index cards) of the KGFA holdings consists of the two parts of the records in Freiburg (RH 61) and formerly in Potsdam (formerly W 10). It is intended to merge the two separate stocks. State of development: Online-Findbuch Scope, Explanation: 2500 Citation method: BArch, RH 61/...

History of the Inventor: The Volksbund für Freiheit und Vaterland was founded in 1917. The aim of the bourgeois-liberal unification was the creation of a Verständigungsfrie‧dens to end the First World War and the struggle for a domestic reorganization. The meeting was chaired by Ernst Francke and deputies were Gustav Bauer and Adam Ste‧gerwald . After the end of the war, the Volksbund stood up for a German state under Ein‧schluss German-Austria and a moderate colonial policy. The dissolution of the association took place in January 1920. Content characterisation: Main points of the tradition: management and meeting documents, propaganda activity, accounting, member file Indexing status: finding file Citation method: BArch, R 8057/...

History of the Inventory Designer: Founded in 1880 as the "Deutscher Schulverein" (German School Association) based in Berlin; renamed Verein für das Deutschtum im Ausland (VDA) in 1908; the aim was to maintain the cultural and social Le‧bens of foreign and ethnic Germans, in particular by establishing and maintaining kindergartens, schools and libraries; in 1933 the association was given the name Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland. Portfolio description: Founded in 1880 as "Deutscher Schulverein" (German School Association) based in Berlin, renamed Verein für das Deutschtum im Ausland (VDA) in 1908. The aim was to foster the cultural and social life of Germans living abroad and ethnic Germans, in particular by establishing and maintaining kindergartens, schools and libraries. In 1933 the association received the designation Volksbund for the German nation abroad. State of development: Online-Findbuch Citation method: BArch, R 8056/...

Characterisation of the contents: The documents of the Ufa/Ufi group available in the Federal Archives contain minutes of meetings of the board members and supervisory boards of the Ufa, the Ufi, the Tobis and the Bavaria from the period before 1945 as well as of the successor companies after the Second World War. The files of the main accounting department and the audit department of Ufa as well as the patent department of Tobis have also been handed down in relatively closed form. In addition, the collection contains organisational and management files, documents on capital, construction, legal, litigation, patent, production and winding-up matters, a few scripts and other film manuscripts as well as contracts and audit reports of individual film companies. State of development: preliminary index, file, index. Citation style: BArch, R 109-I/...

Inventory description: Due to the Weimar Imperial Constitution, the previous contingent armies of the individual states (Prussia with North German federal states, Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg, Baden) of the German Empire were replaced by a uniform Imperial Army. Due to the Versailles Peace Treaty, it was subject to several restrictions and limitations in its scope and in its military and technical equipment. Thus the Great General Staff also had to be dissolved; its function was assumed by the troop office in the army leadership. Only two general or group commandos (in Kassel and Berlin) were allowed to be set up to lead the ten divisions granted (seven infantry and three cavalry divisions). From 1919 on, the army was headed by the Chief of Staff, whose name was changed to Commander-in-Chief of the Army from 16 March 1935 on, with the reintroduction of the general compulsory military service and the establishment of the Wehrmacht. From 1933 onwards, the National Socialist government increasingly broke away from the restrictions imposed by the Versailles Peace Treaty, and was able to fall back on internal preparations for army propagation, which had been under way since 1930. Content characterisation: The RH 69 holdings essentially contain the preserved documents of the units and units stationed in Saxony. A few archival records of Reichswehr formations were taken over by the Bavarian Main State Archives in 1957; they came from the Potsdam Army Archives and were sent to Munich at the time to process another volume of the post-war fights of German troops, where they finally survived the end of the war. The archives of the Reichswehr formations stationed in Saxony originate from the then branch of the Reichsarchiv in Dresden; this branch was given the name Heeresarchiv Dresden in 1937. After the war, Soviet troops confiscated the remaining parts of the archival material and transferred it to the Soviet Union, where it was kept in the Peter Paul Fortress in Leningrad. In 1955 the archives were finally returned to the GDR. Together with other holdings, the "Reichswehrbestand Sachsen" (Reich Army Stock Saxony) was transferred to the military archive of the National People's Army of the former GDR in Potsdam. Here, a basic inventory processing was carried out, especially as the inventory was difficult to use due to file losses and frequent relocations. When the two German military archives were brought together in the mid-1990s in Freiburg im Breisgau, the tradition was passed down from Potsdam to the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv. The classification of the files of the individual provenance sites corresponds to the structure of military command and control centres: The archives are largely assigned to the departments (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIa, IIb, IVb and IVc) of the brigade staffs (Reichswehrbrigade 12, 19, 28 with infantry commanders 19 and 29) or have been separated from each other by content. Individual documents of Reichwehr infantry regiments ( 20, 23, 37, 38, 55, 56) and of the artillery regiment 19 with several departments (news department, listening department, force department) and battalions are also available. If larger quantities of archival material were available from a department, a further subdivision was made. The number of files of the departments is different; occasionally no documents are handed down from certain departments. In addition to the organisational, service-related, personnel and material information on the individual stages and on the course of the reduction of the Reich Army in Saxony, the collection contains rich facts on the deployments of the troops stationed in Saxony in 1919 and 1920, not only the suppression of the workers uprisings in West Saxony, but also the deployments in other uprisings areas of Germany, for example in Hamburg, the Ruhr area and Upper Silesia. Troops from Saxony even took part in the fighting against Soviet troops in Latvia and Lithuania. The archives of the units and units of the provisional Reichswehr and the transitional army stationed in Saxony are of some interest for research because comparable records are not available, or at most still available, in the General State Archives in Karlsruhe (for formations stationed in the former Grand Duchy of Baden), in the Hauptstaatsarchiv/Kriegsarchiv Stuttgart (for formations stationed in the former Kingdom of Württemberg) and in the Hauptstaatsarchiv/Kriegsarchiv München (for formations stationed in the former Kingdom of Bavaria). However, the stocks available are no longer complete. On 23 February 1945, large parts of the documents and archives of the Army Archives in Dresden's Marienallee were burned after an Allied air raid. A further reduction in the number of files occurred through cassation (historically insignificant contents, e.g. incoming and outgoing mail books), which can partly be traced by means of the old finding aids. State of development: Various parts as finding aid, find index (also partly as Word file and with Basys-S program) Scope, Explanation: 3000 AE Citation method: BArch, RH 69/...

History of the Inventory Designer: In August 1943, the construction troops were taken over as pioneers and the superstructure staffs for the most part as higher pioneer leaders in the pioneer weapon. Special tasks were fulfilled by landing pioneers, mine detection and clearance units, road construction battalions as well as state pioneer regiments and battalions from older age groups who had to keep bridges open in the Reich territory and, if necessary, restore them and extend air-raid shelters. Characterisation of the contents: The documents of the pioneer battalion 47 (garrison: Munich) set up in 1935 date back to 1922 with previous files (approx. 220 units). A number of pre-war files (approx. 100 AU) from Pionierbataillon 7 (Rosenheim) and about 45 files from 1939/40 from Pionier-Sperrkolonne have also been preserved. Apart from that, only fragments of written material from numerous formations, mainly from the 2nd World War, have survived (see below). Also worth mentioning is the collection of operational reports of individual pioneer units from the first years of the war compiled by the Pioneer History task force of the Pioneer Department (In 5) of the General Army Office. State of development: fully developed Citation method: BArch, RH 46/...

Inventory description: Inventory history Files from the settlement office of the Police Regiment 14 in Stuttgart, in particular those of the regiment staff and the First Battalion, reached the Federal Archives via the Württemberg Main State Archives in March 1953. This includes files from the time before the regiment was established, but also from the time after the dissolution of the regiment. In the course of administrative work, about a quarter of the stock, mainly administrative files of the Reserve Police Battalion 51, was collected. In 1962, a large part of the personal documents was lent to the Federal Administration Office in Cologne for current processing purposes, but later returned to the inventory. The files of the police schools originate mainly from returns of archival material transferred by the National Archives of the United States of America to the Federal Archives as a result of the war. Archive evaluation and processing From the former NS archive of the Ministry of State Security of the GDR, 12 files - especially those of the SS Police Regiment 20 - were incorporated (R 20/227-238). The present finding aid book was created during an internship in August and September 2006. Content characterization: Police Regiment 14, 1941-1945 (75), SS Police Regiment 19, 1941-1944 (58), II. Battalion/Police Regiment 5, 1942-1944 (3), Police Battalion 63, 1940-1941 (2), Police Battalion 121, 1941-1942 (2), Police Battalion 322, 1941-1942 (5), SS Police Division 1939-1941 (3), other units of the Ordnungspolizei 1939-1945, 1962 (50), Polizei-Offiziersschule Fürstenfeldbruck 1938-1945 (4), police schools and institutes in Berlin 1935-1945 (3), Police school for high mountain training Innsbruck 1939-1945 (4), other police schools, training battalions and units 1931-1945 (16), chief of the gang combat units 1941-1945 (7) The stock R 20 comprises the splintered tradition of individual troops and schools of the order police as well as the chief of the gang combat units. With regard to the police forces, there are mainly files of the police regiment 14 (especially the regiment staff and the 1st Battalion), the police regiment 19 (here especially files of the 3rd and 6th Company) and the police battalion 322 (copies of files) in the inventory. In addition, numerous fragmented records of individual police units can be found. The police schools include documents from the police officer school of the Fürstenfeldbruck police force and the Innsbruck police school for high mountain training. In addition, a few documents of the chief of the gang fighting federations have been handed down. Particularly worth mentioning is the diary of the SS-Obergruppenführer Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski for the period from 25 June 1941 to 22 January 1945, in which he recorded his personal war experiences, especially in his function as chief of the gang combat units. In the inventory, the basic tasks of the police forces in the occupied territories are vividly expressed. The task of fighting partisans was of great importance. The reports reflect the ruthless use against partisans and their sympathizers. In addition, searches of the homes of Jews and Jewish ghettos, resettlement actions and other measures against Jews, including "cleansing actions" and mass executions, are documented. The files of the police schools show how training courses, especially for officers or officer candidates, were organised and carried out. You will find curricula, training schedules and weekly duty schedules, examination assignments and assessments as well as experience and final reports on the courses held. In addition, teaching materials and fact sheets have been handed down which give an impression of the content and practical design of weapons and combat training as well as training in police tactics. State of development: Online-Findbuch (2006) Citation method: BArch, R 20/...

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, colonies: German-Westafrica, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire

Togo: 1884-1914, Colonies: German West Africa, Germany, German Empire