Questions on understanding the term Vermisst.

[Sparifankerl]

Hello Axishistoryforum,

long time reader first time poster here. I am sorry to first of start with a question without having contributed anything. Can anyone in depth explain the term Vermisst to me? I know its absence from the troops over 3 days without a sign. But what happened if a person became a POW and later over the Red Cross made contact with his family? Was he withdrawn from Vermisste(this seems a bit unrealistic in case of war in pre computer age)? Also in my family we had a case of a relative dying without Erkennungsmarken taken of the body but people testifying they saw him die and thus a letter of him dying was sent to home and pensions were paid. Was he listed as Gefallen or Vermisst by the Heer? After the war he was listed missing by the Kriegsgräberfürsorge. Was this done according to Wehrmacht standards of Vermisst or just because he lacks a grave?

Apologies for my bad English and i tried search function but can't find out how to make it work. Still would be glad if someone could explain the topic to me.