Finding Dead German Soldiers for English Speakers

[stcamp]

Hello all,
Many of you have been a help to me so I thought this might help someone:

By the way,
What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual
What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual
What do you call someone who speaks one language? An American

This has been helpful to figure out death cards. They have the name and date of death. Sometimes you can make a good guess at the man's actual unit by figuring out where he was buried and the date.

Steps,

1. Go to: http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche/content_suche.asp
2. They want to know:
Nachname: last name
Vorname: firstname
Geburtsdatum: dob
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: date of death

All you need is date of death and name. Also try using the first initial of the first name instead of the whole first name. It seems to work better.

They want you to fill out a survey before they give up the information. In order to get past this you will need a German city name and zip code. Try: 47799 Krefeld

The information you get will come up in German. I suggest having another window open with a translation page so you can cut and paste back and forth as you work.

Regards,

[Totalkrieg]

By the way,
What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual
What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual
What do you call someone who speaks one language? An American

LOL

I've heard the same joke from a American in Salzburg, Austria

[Klaus Yurk]

Does the German government have an office that I could contact for military information concerning my father? Something equivalent to the US "Office of Veteran's Affairs"?

My father served four years on the Eastern Front and then was transferred to France. In 1952 we emigrated to the US and he died in 1983. My mother is still getting German Social Security for herself and for his military service and post-war jobs. So the German government knows about him, but I'd like to know where I can write or e-mail to find out more about him myself (for instance, what units he was in.)

Can anyone guide me to the proper place?

[janus]

Hi Klaus,

this is the place where you can get information about people who served in the Wehrmacht.

http://www.dd-wast.de/

[Klaus Yurk]

Janus,

This link seems to be only for KIAs.

Do you know of any others? My father survived the war. We emigrated to the US is 1952. I know where he was born and the general area he fought in: Leningrad, Orel, Kursk. And his final posting when he came back from the Eastern front was in Lorient, France. He told me the names of some of his units, but that is 30 years ago, and my brain has turned to mush. And he passed away in 1982.

I can't seem to find any organization which can find him. I know things were a mess at the end of the war. I also know that in Lorient, he did lie about his name to prevent being repatriated to the Russians. He was a defector. I can't seem to find any info on what units he was with.

Help?




Klaus[/img]

[ckleisch]

In the same vein as searching for deceased WW2 soldiers from Germany is there any source for german soldiers who died in WWI. I seek an uncle whom was involved on the Eastern front in Galicia and didnt come home.??

[janus]

Klaus,

I think this is an archive for all german wehrmachts soldiers. Although they write on the webpage, that it is only for "killed" Soldiers they have also Information about my Grandfather, who did not die in the war.
I suggest you just try it with an e-mail. But i guess it is quite difficult to just get an advice from them. I life in Berlin and simply called them to ask whether they have information about my Opa.

Good luck

Jan

edit/ If you want i could call them. I is no problem because i live in berlin. But first you have to fill out the form on their webside. I few weeks later i could ask them whether they have information or not. This is the way i did it. but i am still waiting for the copies of the dokuments.

[Frank-72]

Hello Klaus !

Try the WAST-Berlin ! They have the files of 18 million German soldiers, also foreign Waffen SS
soldiers and foreign "Zwangsarbeiter".
I recently received copys of the files of all 4 brothers of my Grandfather.
It took 8 month waiting time and around 70 US Dollar.
I received a package of 60 pages with EVERYTHING.

This archiev was not touched during the battle of berlin
Only a few people know about the WAST archieves in Berlin - just try it.

Hope you will find plenty of information !

Regards,

Frank

[wajdi]

I am very interested in tracing the life of one of my relatives. So far, all I have found is that the was vice commander of Einsatzgruppe D; SS-Standartenfuehrer Willi (or Willy) Seibert. WAST seems to be only concerned with Whermacht. Does anyone have any suggestions?

W. E. Seibert

[steve248]

17 June 1908, born Hannover
1914-1928, schholing in Hannover
1928-1930, trained as a stone-mason
1929-1930, in his spare time attended the Technical Hochschule, Hannover
1930-1932, attended Göttingen University studying National Economy and acquired
his Diplomexamen
1932-1935, military service with the infantry
1 May 1933, NS No. 1886112
1 Aug-15 Sep 1935, attended Infanterieschule Dpberitz, rank - Ltn
1 Nov 1935, joined SS (SS No. 272375), as SS-Uschaf; at this time also
joined the SD-Hauptamt in Berlin
20 Apr 1936, SS-Schaf
13 Sept 1936, SS-Oschaf
20 July 1937, commissioned SS-Ustuf
20 April 1938, SS-Ostuf
30 April 1939, SS-Hstuf
Oct 1939, now head of SD-Hauptamt, Referat II/232; with re-organization into the
RSHA, Seibert became Deputy Chief RSHA III D
1 Aug 1940, SS-Stubaf
1 Jan 1941, RSHA org chart places him as RSHA III, Deputy Gruppenleiter D and
Referatsleiter III D2 (Commerce, Trade & Transportation)
May 1941, assigned to Einsatzgruppe D with his RSHA III boss Ohlendorf as the Stabsführer
and SD Referent/Leiter III (he was never Ohlendorf's deputy)
9 Nov 1941, SS-Ostubaf
summer 1942, returned to RSHA III, Berlin (to end of war)
30 Jan 1944, SS-Staf
1945-1946, in British internment
1947-1948, tried in the Einsatzgruppen Trial at Nuremberg (US Military Tribunal)
originally sentenced to death; progressively commuted
10 July 1957, released from prison
1962, living in Syke/Landkreis Bremen employed as a "Volkswirt" (economist)
died soon afterwards but no concrete information on the date

source: mainly US NARA trial records, SS officer file, OMGUS files

[wajdi]

Thank you so very much.

William Seibert (wajdi)

[Kádár Albert]

Amazing! This worked for me. I had a photo with some info on it. And I made a search on this website.

This is part of what I got:

Nachname: Biller
Vorname: Bruno
Dienstgrad: Oberleutnant
Geburtsdatum: 11.09.1918
Geburtsort: Regen
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 29.12.1944
Todes-/Vermisstenort: b. Zwolen



Bruno Biller ist vermutlich als unbekannter Soldat auf die Kriegsgräberstätte in Pulawy - Sammelfriedhof (Polen) überführt worden.

How can I use this information to make further researches?

Thank you!

[stcamp]

Hi,

Do a google search for Pulawy in Summer 1944.

[Beek]

I am looking for the proper agency to contact in order to see if there is actual documents from my grandfather. He was from Chemnitz , would access to new records be available since the fall of East Germany? My grandfather disappeared in Konigsberg. We have contacted Red Cross, The orginazation whose e-mail address is listed above for german dead.
Finally who do I contact about awards issued? My uncle was highly decorated and I would love to see if there is documentation.
P.S. Has anybody ever had success finding info of German POWs from the former Soviet Union?

[InfanterieRgt48]

Hello all,

I'm interested in finding out more about a relative of mine who was killed in action on October 4, 1944. I have his grave site and his rank, but that is about all. I've contacted the WAST in Berlin about 6 months ago, but haven't heard back yet. Would the fact that I do not have the family name and he is at best a cousin hamper any investigation? I really would rather not trouble the last living relative of his to get some information.

Thanks,
Eric