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History of the Inventory Designer: Tasks and Organization Essentially follows: (1) Jany, Curt: History of the Prussian Army from the 15th century to 1914, 2nd ed. Edition (= Die Königlich Preußische Armee und das Deutsche Reichsheer 1807 bis 1914, vol. 4), Osnabrück 1967, pp. 294-296. (2) Cron, Hermann: Geschichte des deutschen Armeres im Weltkriege 1914 bis 1918, Berlin 1937, pp. 3-23. (3) PH 3/124 Die Organisation des Großen Generalstabes 1803-1914 (4) PH 3/1026 Die Organisation des Großen Generalstabes (vom 18. Jhr.. until its dissolution in 1919, manuscript by HOAR Stoeckel) (5) PH 3/1272-1273 Graphical representation of the development of the organisation of the Great General Staff 1802-1914 (6) PH 3/310 First introduction to the organisation and activities of the Deputy General Staff of the Armed Forces (1919) (7) Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt, MGFA (Ed. by the German Military Historical Research Institute, MGFA) (ed. by the German historian HOAR Stoeckel)): German military history in six volumes 1648 - 1939. Munich 1983 ff, pp. 69-72. (8) Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, ed. v: Gerhard Hirschfeld, Gerd Krumeich, Irina Renz in conjunction with Markus Pöhlmann, updated and extended study edition, Paderborn 2009, p. 754f. (9) PH 3/3 (10) Waldemar Erfurth: The History of the German General Staff 1918-1945 (= Studies on the History of the Second World War, ed. by Arbeitskreis für Wehrforschung in Frankfurt/Main, vol. 1), Göttingen 1957. 1. Großer Generalstab und Oberster Heeresleitung Großer Generalstab (7) With the Cabinet Order of 24 May 1883, the Generalstab became an Immediatbehörde (Immediate Authority), in fact it had held this position since the Wars of Unification. The General Staff was also assigned independently and directly to the monarch by the War Ministry. The tasks of the War Ministry and the Great General Staff overlapped in part, which occasionally led to conflicts. The position of Chief of Staff of the General Staff was respected, but, apart from operational management in the event of war, it was not endowed with important powers. The General Staff nevertheless exerted a decisive influence on the formation of the army through the training of leaders (the War Academy was subordinate to the Great General Staff), the care for the training of troops in warfare, and the handling of all questions connected with the conduct of a mobilization and a war. His activities included the cultivation of war science education, especially the study and processing of war history, the collection of news and statistical material on foreign armies and the various theatres of war, mapping, investigation and description of his own country. In the peacetime there were no far-reaching changes in the organization of the Grand General Staff, only some expansions due to the increasing scope of the General Staff duties. General Staff of the Field Army and Supreme Army Command (OHL) of the German Army (2) "According to Article 63 of the Constitution of the German Reich of 16 April 1871, the entire land power of the Reich formed a unified army, which was under the Emperor's command in war and peace. In peace, the head of the Great General Staff had practically no power of command and no right of inspection. He merely acted as chief and disciplinary superior of the Grand General Staff. The highest power of command was in fact with the emperor, but in practice it was the chief of the general staff of the army. During the war, the Chief of the General Staff issued operational orders in the name of the Emperor in accordance with the mobilization regulations and was jointly responsible for the management and execution of military operations as well as the other branches of service (ammunition replacement, catering, health, stage service). With the mobilization on August 2, 1914, the chief of the Prussian General Staff of the Army was formed as the "Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army" and the OHL, which was located in the Great Headquarters. The Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army thus embodied the OHL and was always equated with it by concept. On August 5, 1914, the deputy general staff of the army was mobilized in Berlin. The latter remained in existence until 31 January 1919. With the demobilisation, de Große Generalstab resumed its activities on 1 February 1919, with the exception of the positions remaining with OHL. (10) On the basis of the Treaty of Versailles, the dissolution of the Great General Staff was decided and initiated in July 1919. On 4 July 1919 Major General von Seeckt took over the business of the Chief of the General Staff. The name of the service is now "General von Seeckt". On September 30, 1919, the Great General Staff was finally dissolved with the establishment of a liquidation office from part of the central department. The Heads of the General Staff of the Army in Prussia from 1857 to 1918 Field Marshal General Hemuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke 1857-1888 Field Marshal General Alfred Heinrich Karl Ludwig von Waldersee 1888-1891 Field Marshal General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen 1891-1906 General Colonel Helmuth von Moltke 1906-1914 Between 1914 and 1918 a total of four OHLs were formed (8) 1. OHL: General Colonel Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from Aug. 2 to Sep. 14, 1914 2. OHL: General of the Infantry Erich von Falkenhayn, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from Aug. 14 to Sept. 14, 1914 2. 3rd Sept. (officially from 3 Sept. 1914) to 29 Aug. 1916 3rd OHL: General Field Marshal Paul von Beneckendorff and von Hindenburg, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from 29 Aug. 1916 to 9 Nov. 1916. 1918, Commander-in-Chief of the Field Army from 9 Nov. 1918 to 3 July 1919, assisted by the First Quartermaster General of the Infantry Erich von Ludendorff, First Quartermaster General from 29 Aug. 1916 to 26 Oct. 1918, then Lieutenant General Wilhelm Groener became First Quartermaster General from 29 Oct. 1918 to 3 July 1919 4. OHL: Lieutenant General Wilhelm Groener took over the OHL after the resignation of Hindenburgs on June 25, 1919 until the dissolution on Sept. 30, 1919 3. The organizational development of the Great General Staff The organization of the Great General Staff since April 1, 1889 (1) The Quartermaster General was first abolished again, but on April 1, 1889 three Quartermasters (O.Q.) were established. Central Office (from 1890 Central Division) Oberquartiermeister (O. Q.) I since 1 April 1889: 2nd Division Ordre de Bataille (Battle Regulations) and deployment of the German Army Railway Division Railway Section The Railway Section was responsible for the operation and training of the Railway Regiment, subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and of the Airship Division. Eisenbahn-Regiment Oberquartiermeister (O.Q.) II 4th Section - New Formation for the Affairs of Foreign Fortresses and the Preparation of the Drafts of Attacks, with AKO of Dec. 19, 1889 the Department for Foreign Fortresses was added by the Engineering Committee Geographical-Statistical Department (since 1894 an independent Department) German Section - Affairs of the Academy of War and the Training Trips of the General Staff Oberquartiermeister (O.Q.) III 1st Division (Russia, the Scandinavian states, Austria, the Balkans, etc.) 3rd Division (France, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy) Division of War History National Recording The position of the Quartermaster General was abolished. Structure of the Large General Staff of the Army since 1908 (1) Central Division 6th Division (Manoeuvre) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) I 2nd Division (Aufmasch) Technical Section (Air Force) 4th Division (Foreign Fortresses of the Western War Theatre) 7th Division (Foreign Fortresses of the Eastern War Theatre) Railway Division Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) II 3rd Division (O.Q.) Department (Foreign Armies in the West) 9th Department (German Colonies) Oberquartiermeister (O. Q.) III 5th Department (Training Trips of the General Staff) 8th Department (Affairs of the War Academy) Oberquartiermeister IV (newly added since 1 April 1894) 1st Department (Foreign Armies in the East) 10th Department (Foreign Armies in the East) Oberquartiermeister V War Historical Department I and II The Head of the Large General Staff Central Department (Personnel, Organisation, Administration) with Section III b (Communications) 6th Section (Manoeuvres) War History Department II (Older War History) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) I. 2. (German Division) - Deployment and Operations Division Railway Division Section 1a (for the revision of the Military Transport Order) 4th Division (Foreign Fortresses) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) II 3rd Division (France with Morocco, England with Egypt, Afghanistan) 9th Division (Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, Portugal, America, German Colonies) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) III 5th Division (Operations Studies) 8th Division (Operations Studies) Division (War Academy and General Staff Service) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) IV 1st Division (Russia, Nordic States, East Asia, Persia, Turkey) 10th Division (Russia, Northern States, East Asia, Persia, Turkey) Department (Austria-Hungary and Balkan States) Oberquartiermeister V Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung I (neuere Kriege) Kriegsarchiv Kartenarchiv Chief of the Landesaufnahme and Oberquartiermeister Trigonometrische Abteilung Topographische Abteilung Kartographische Abteilung Photogrammetische Abteilung Kolonialsektion Der Chef des Generalstabes des Feldheeres 1914 bis 1918 (2) 1. General Staff Departments Central Department She was responsible for receiving and forwarding correspondence to the relevant departments, in cooperation with the Military Cabinet for Personnel Matters and Administration. The department was headed by Colonel von Fabeck, and from 26 March 1916 it was headed by Colonel Tieschowitz von Tieschowa. Operations Department The department with the closest connection to the Chief of Staff. She was also the office for his personal letters. It was responsible for creating the conditions for all operational measures of the army: to monitor the organisation and organisation of the entire army and to propose improvements as well as the training, armament and operational capability of the units. The Chief of the Opera Department was responsible for advising the Chief of General Staff, drawing up the operational plans of the General Staff and issuing his orders. During the war the department was expanded extensively. Heads: Major General Tappen Lieutenant Colonel Wetzell (since 31 Aug. 1916) Operations Department B On 18 August 1916, a subdivision was set up under the Operations Department which was responsible for the Macedonian and Turkish fronts. Operations Division II On 23 September 1916, the post of Chief of Field Ammunition was dissolved. The tasks of ammunition and equipment replacement were taken over by the ammunition section in the operations department. Subsequently, the ammunition section was merged with the warfare section to form Operations Division II. Chief: Colonel Bauer News Department, since 20 May 1917 Foreign Armies Department She was responsible for the prosecution of military operations abroad, especially for the warfare of the enemy states. She primarily collected information on their organization and distribution of forces. Division III b Your task was to transmit the enemy's messages. This was done by intelligence officers deployed to the armies and at suitable points in the home country. There were also voluntary or paid agents in neutral and hostile foreign countries and the Secret Field Police in the occupied territories. News material was also provided by the border police and the field police, which also served to carry out espionage. The intelligence and counter-espionage services in the homeland communicated with Division IIIb of the Deputy General Staff, which in turn was subordinated to Division IIIb in the Great Headquarters. The guidelines for patriotic education were issued by the department, as was the press service set up to steer public opinion. Political Department since Feb. 10, 1916 Military Political Department It was responsible for the military political affairs of all states, dealt with legal issues and passed on the information to the military attachés and the written authority on peace issues. 2. the Quartermaster General and his subordinates The Quartermaster General was responsible for all the duties relating directly to the relief of the Chief of the Quartermaster General. operations. This included the entire supply, stage and railway system, field post and administration of justice, field medical services and veterinary services. Generalquartiermeister Generalleutnant von Stein since 14 Sept. 1914 Generalleutnant Hahndorff since 16 Jan. 1916 Subordinate positions Generalintendant des Feldheeeres He was responsible for providing the army with food. In addition, he was the head of the field and troop directorships. With the transition to the positional war, the monitoring of the nutrition in the occupied territory was added. In particular the cultivation of the soil and the necessary procurement of the agricultural machine material and the utilization of the harvest surplus for the field army. Later the industrial use of the occupied territories was added. A new economic department was set up for the West with effect from 5 September 1916. With effect from January 1, 1917, the economic department was made independent and expanded and set up on behalf of the General Quartermaster for the Western Theatre of War (B.d.G. West). He was responsible for the administration, management and utilization of the occupied territories in the West. Besides, he was subordinated: - General Wechselamt - art expert for monument preservation - prisoners of war - and civilian worker battalions - electrotechnical workshop West - artillery and training equipment repair workshops - looting and collecting (until subordinated to a special commissioner) At the beginning, the following positions were also subordinated to the Generalquartiermeister: - Chief of field munitions - Chief of field telegraphy - Chief of field railways - Chief of field aviation - Inspector of balloon guns Chief of field medical services General staff physician of the army Prof. Dr. Schiernig headed the medical services in the entire war zone as the highest superior of the medical personnel. His responsibilities included: the medical service, the care and transport of the wounded, the distribution of hospital trains and ships, hospitals in the homeland. Field Chief Postmaster He supervised the postal system on all theatres of war. The Field Oberpost Inspections West and East were set up to relieve him. Second Commander of the Great Headquarters He was responsible for the security and supply of the headquarters and the control of the sub personnel. He commanded the Infantry and Cavalry Staff Guard, a Land Storm Battalion, a Field Gendarmerie Command, Military Police, a motor vehicle spark station and a telephone department, three balloon defence guns (later ducrh replaced two air defence batteries), a headlight train (later expanded into a headlight department), the field directorate of the Great Headquarters together with the field warfare fund, motor vehicle fleet, field post office, Central Postal Surveillance West with the post office monitoring centre of the Great Headquarters, marketing department and reading hall. Secret Field Police cooperated closely with Division III b. During the war, B.d.G.West also added a number of agencies to the Great Headquarters. The commander of the troops, newly created in 1915, was located in Luxembourg. The Chief of Field Service was established at the end of 1916 and placed under the authority of the Quartermaster General. It served to centralise the motor vehicle formations. After the approval of the Generalqaurtiermeister, he was authorized to give instructions to the motor troops of the army high commandos and the staff figures assigned to the army groups in the west. On 17 May 1918, the staff of the commander of the combat vehicle departments was subordinated to the head of the motor vehicle division. The B.d.G. Ost with its seat in Warsaw was responsible for the utilization of the land in the administrative area of the Supreme Commander East and the General Government of Warsaw. Valenciennes Military Mine Directorate It fell under the jurisdiction of the Quartermaster General in September 1917. The mining administrations of Mons and Valenciennes, which until then had been part of the Metz government, were united to form a military directorate. The German representation in occupied Italy Used in February 1918 in Udine with evacuation of the 14th army. It served to assert German interests in the war spoils acquired jointly with Austria. The commander of the 13th Cavalry Brigade and his staff were to regulate the demand for horses on the eastern and western fronts due to the increasing shortage of horses. He was assigned to the GQ on 31 December 1916. In February 1918 he became the Commissioner of the Quartermaster General in equestrian affairs. Commissioner of the General Quartermaster in Berlin In order to reestablish trade relations with the former Russian territories resulting from the treaties with the Allies, coordination between the central authorities and the General Staff was necessary. He also took over the supervision of the import and export points. Commissioner of the Master Quartermaster General for Prey and Collecting This was created with effect from 1 June 1918. It had already been settled in 1917. He was responsible for the administration of the spoils of war and the control of the services. General of the Ammunition Columns and Trains in the Great Headquarters The increase in the number of formations was accompanied by the technical contraction of weapons, which was created in July 1918. Her task was to use the units, to supervise the technical service in the war zone and at home, and to replace the clothing and field equipment. 3. foot artillery and pioneers were among the special weapons and their technical training was monitored by the inspections. The General of the Foot Artillery in the Great Headquarters He was adviser to the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army on technical matters and the deployment of heavy artillery. In addition, he shaped the training in his home country. He was subordinate to the later established "Inspector of Artillery Metrology" and the "Staff Officer for Heavy Flat Fire". At first he had no direct influence on the general of artillery. This did not change when the OHL introduced the unit staffs "Artillery Generals" instead of "Field Artillery Brigade Commanders" and Foot Artillery Generals to unify artillery. Thus his name was changed to "General von der Artillerie Nr. 1". A month later he became "Inspector General of Artillery Shooting Schools". He was in charge of the shooting training of the entire field and foot artillery in the field and at home. General Inspectors: General of the Artillery of Lauter (until 15 Oct. 1917) Lieutenant General Ziethen The General of the Engineering and Pioneer Corps in the Great Headquarters He was the supreme weapons superior during the war of increasing and specializing formations of the pioneers. He advised the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army and was responsible for the organizational and technical development of the pioneers. The special services of the pioneers, such as the stage-managers of the mine-throwing machine, in existence since the end of 1915, the inspector of the gas regiments created in 1916 and the stage-manager of the pioneer melee means of close combat established in May 1918. In August 1918 he received the designation General of the Pioneers from the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army. General der Pioniere: General der Infanterie von Claer bis bis zum 2. Juli 1916 Major General Marschall von Bieberstein seit 28. Aug. 1918 The Chief of the Field Ammunition Service This was initially subordinated to the Generalquartiermeister. His tasks included coordinating the ammunition provided by the War Ministry in conjunction with the Chief of Field Railways as well as the replacement of equipment on the basis of the reports from the Army High Commands and the Stage Inspection. In addition, he was responsible for planning the needs of the army commandos and the stage inspections and reporting them to the War Ministry. With effect from 10 May 1915, he was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army. This should ensure close coordination with the operations department. On 23 September 1916 the position of Chief of Field Ammunition was dissolved. His duties were performed by the Operations Department. The Chief of the Field Telegraphy The Chief of the Field Telegraphy was settled during the first three years of war at the General Quartermaster. He was in charge of the entire intelligence troops and intelligence media of the field army. During the war the news formations were strongly expanded, which caused the army leadership under Hindenburg to carry out a reorganization. A general of the telegraph troops for the western, eastern and southeastern theater of war was created to relieve the field telegraphy chief. These generals were subordinated to the chief of field telegraphy. A new restructuring of the intelligence system took place, with the head of the field telegraphy reporting to it. A new organizational change was made by the Chief of Field Telegraphy to "Chief of Intelligence" and reporting directly to the Chief of General Staff of the Field Army. He also became commanding general. He was now responsible for organisation, use, training, staffing, replacement, replenishment, technical requirements and all German spark telegraphy traffic. Chief: Major General Balck Colonel von Wolff since Dec. 7, 1914 Major General von Hesse since Apr. 9, 1917 The Chief of Field Railways He was initially subordinate to the Quartermaster General. It was not until his replacement in October 1916 that he was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff. His tasks included the complete railway system and the use of the waterways. At the commander-in-chief east he was represented by the field railway boss east. There were also railway officers at the stage commandos and the stage inspections, later there were authorized general staff officers at the allied states in Constantinople, Sofia, Vienna, and from mid-1916 also at the army groups. Further streamlining of the organization was achieved by the creation of independent railway transport departments based at the Great Headquarters in Kowno and Pleßhatten. Heads: Major General Groener until 31 Oct. 1916 Colonel Freiherr von Oldershausen Chief of War Surveying With the war of positions and the production of a wide variety of maps, war surveying became increasingly important. The head of war surveying was to steer this task. Therefore, the authority was created in July 1915. All surveying units were subject to this authority. Depending on requirements, staff figures for surveying were assigned to the army commandos in the west and the army groups in the west. Chief of the military aviation While one was superior to the army airships, one lay back with the planes behind France, with the captive balloons one was set up in something equal. In order to make the air forces more efficient, the chief of the air force was set up in 1915 with the general quartermaster. He ran the aviators, the airmen and the weather service. On 1 July 1915, an inspector of the balloon guns of the General Quartermaster was created for the air defence, which belonged to artillery. On 8 October 1916, Lieutenant General Hoppner was appointed Commanding General of the Air Force by Allerhöchste Kabinettsordrre and the former Chief of Field Aviation, Lieutenant Colonel Thomsen, became his Chief of Staff. All formations of the airmen, the airship, the air defence and the weather service in the field and in the homeland were subordinated to the Kogenluft. This was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff in October 1915. The head censorship office was also integrated into this, which had previously been the organisational office of the deputy commanding generals. The tasks of the War Press Office were to improve cooperation between the home authorities and the Supreme Army Command in the field of the press, to provide information to the authorities and the press, and to ensure that the supervision of the press was uniform. She was also responsible for forwarding the censorship guidelines to the censorship offices. The press office had contact to all departments, the otherwise usual way of appeal did not exist. In October 1918, the War Press Office was subordinated to the War Ministry. Military post of the Federal Foreign Office The post was established on 1 July 1916 and was subordinated to the Supreme Army Command, but was organisationally subordinated to the Federal Foreign Office, Division IIIb of the Deputy General Staff, the War Press Office, the War Ministry, the Admiral Staff and the R e i c h s m a r i n e a m t . She was responsible for the defense against enemy propaganda and for German propaganda at home and abroad. On 30 January 1917, a "Picture and Photo Office" was set up, which in April 1917 was designated as the "Picture and Film Office". In December 1917, Universum Film AG was founded on the initiative of the Picture and Film Office and used for educational purposes. In January 1918, the Bild- und Filmamt was administratively subordinated to the War Ministry. However, the Military Office of the Federal Foreign Office continued to be empowered to issue directives. The organization of the Great General Staff from 1. February 1919 Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army (9) Central Department Chief of the Landesaufnahme General Staff Departments Department Foreign Army Department (F) Railway Department (E) War Economics Department (Kriweis) Economics Department (W) War History Department (K) War History Department (K 1) War History Department (K 2) War History Department (K 3) Description of the Collection: The Federal Archives have a few copies of organisational documents as well as orders, leaflets and reports from the various areas of responsibility, but also individual documents on events of the First World War and lists of formations of the field army. The Railway Department has received some files on individual projects, and the Chief of the Deputy General Staff has duplicated news from the Surveying Department on the evaluation of aerial photographs. Most of the files of the General Staff were destroyed by the effects of war in 1945 during the fire at the Army Archives in Potsdam. What has remained are only fragmented individual pieces that have been handed down. At the beginning of 1994, a large part of the documents again reached the inventory. These remains were originally kept in the military archives of the former GDR. The stock of official printed matter PHD 7 was dissolved and transferred to the stock. The large-format plans and maps were taken from the files, placed in map folders and attached to the holdings. With the exception of the official printed matter (old PHD 7) and the large formats, the stock was microfilmed. Microfilms are available for use. Content characterisation: Based on the area of responsibility, the collection contains documents on the organisation and distribution of responsibilities, on military measures by foreign states and defensive measures by German agencies, reconnaissance reports and news about foreign armies, evaluation of prisoner testimonies as well as on the deployment, use and strength of foot artillery in war. In addition, there are occasionally reproduced organisational documents as well as orders, orders, notices, leaflets and elaborations from various areas of responsibility, but also individual news about war events from the First World War. From the railway department of the Great General Staff a remnant of individual case files on railway projects has been preserved. The head of the deputy general staff has handed down duplicated reports from the surveying department on the evaluation of aerial photographs. A very small number of copies of the files from the First World War were preserved in the National Archives in Washington. Additional copies of these have been delivered here. Replacement traditions, e.g. of fundamental decrees, orders or correspondence of Prussian military and command authorities, which went to civilian or military authorities of the individual states, can be found in the holdings of the respective competent state archives, in particular Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden as well as Saxony. State of development: Invenio Scope, Explanation: Inventory without increase 37.0 m 1006 AE Citation method: BArch, PH 3/...

History of the Inventory Designer: 1902-1918 Central Information Office for Emigrants, 1918-1919 Reichsamt für deutsche Rückwanderung und Auswanderung, 1919-1924 Reichsamt für deutsche Einwanderung, Rückwanderung und Auswanderung, 1924-1945 Reichsamt für das Auswanderungswesen. Essential tasks: Informing the public about the prospects for German Auswan‧derer, promoting welfare efforts, regulating migration movements: Teil‧aufgaben was transferred to the Reichsstelle für Nachlasssse und Nachforschungen im Ausland in 1924 Long text: From 1924 to 1943, the "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen" acted as the central German advisory and observation office for the emigration movement. It largely took over the field of work and tasks as it had developed at the "Zentralauskunftsstelle für Auswanderer" (1902-1919), continued by the "Reichsstelle für deutsche Rück- und Auswanderung" (1918-1919) and expanded by the "Reichsamt für deutsche Einwanderung, Rückwanderung und Auswanderung" (1919-1924). The Foreign Office and the missions abroad of the German Reich were entrusted by the Reich Chancellor with providing information to those interested in emigrating. The processing of fundamental questions of emigration fell within the competence of the Foreign Office as well as that of the Reich Chancellery and the later Reich Office or Reich Ministry of the Interior. Until 1897, federal emigration legislation applied. Until then, the Reich had regulated only a few individual questions which were in a certain connection with emigration (e.g. §§ 1 and 3 of the Passgesetz of 12 October 1867, Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz of 1 June 1870). It was not until the Emigration Act of 9 June 1897 (see Reichsgesetzblatt 1897, p. 463) that a uniform emigration law was created. The Emigration Act confirmed the Reich Chancellor as the highest supervisory authority in the field of emigration. According to § 38 of the Emigration Act, an "Advisory Council for Emigration" (1898-1924) was attached to the Reich Chancellor (Auswärtiges Amt). The work and duties of the Advisory Council were governed by the regulations of 17 February 1898 issued by the Federal Council (cf. Announcement of the Reich Chancellor of 17 February 1878, in: Central-Blatt für das Deutsche Reich 1898, p. 98; BArch, R 1501/101567). The Chairman of the Advisory Council was appointed by the Emperor, the members were selected by the Federal Council for a period of two years. The ongoing business work of the Advisory Board was carried out by the Foreign Office's office staff. The Advisory Council for Emigration had only an advisory function in the licensing of settlement societies and emigration enterprises. The circular instruction of the Reich Chancellor of 10 June 1898 on the implementation of the Emigration Act obliged the German consular authorities to provide the Auswärtiges Amt constantly with information and documents for the provision of information in the field of emigration (cf. BArch, R 1501/101574). Soon after the Emigration Act came into force, efforts to establish a central information centre for emigrants did not lead to the constitution of an independent Reich authority. Rather, one of the already existing private information associations, the "Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft", was commissioned to provide the information. It was placed under state supervision and supported financially by the state. Before 1902 the following private associations were active in the field of emigration counselling in the German Reich: Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft, Berlin, Verein für Auswandererwohlfahrt, Hanover, Zentralverein für Handelsgeografie und Förderung deutscher Interessen im Ausland, Berlin, Leipzig, Jena, Stuttgart, Evangelischer Hauptverein für deutsche Ansiedler und Auswanderer, Witzenhausen, St. Gallen, Berlin, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen Raphaelsverein, Limburg (Lahn), Central Office for the Provision of Information to Emigrants and for German Enterprises Abroad, Berlin, Public Information Office for Emigrants, Dresden, German Emigration Association of Seyffert, Berlin, German-Brazilian Association, Berlin, Overseas Association, Munich, All-German Association, Berlin, German School Association, Nightingale Society, Evangelical African Association, Catholic African Association. On 1 April 1902, the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft opened the "Zentralauskunftsstelle für Auswanderer" (1902-1919) as the administrative department of the Kolonialgesellschaft based in Berlin (cf. BArch, R 1501/101573). The Central Information Office was under the supervision of the President of the "Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft", who appointed the head of the Central Information Office with the permission of the Reich Chancellor. The head of the central enquiry unit was responsible for the management and publications of the unit. The Reich Chancellor exercised the right of supervision over the Central Information Office. The organisation of the Central Enquiry Office was governed by the provisions laid down in the "Guidelines for the provision of information to persons wishing to emigrate" and in the "Rules of Procedure of the Central Enquiry Office for Emigrants". The provision of information extended to all non-German territories as well as to the German colonies. It was carried out free of charge, either directly through the Central Information Office or through branches of the Central Information Office. Branch offices were departments of the D e u t s c h e K o l o n i a l s e l s c h a f t , as well as private emigrant associations and organizations. The Central Information Office for Emigrants had a network of more than 50 voluntary branches. The main task of the Central Information Office was to exert propagandistic influence on the flow of emigrants flowing out of the German Reich. The German emigration movement should be contained and brought under control as effectively as possible. Until 1914, the focus was on providing information on possibilities of emigration to the German colonies, to the United States of America and to South America. This advisory and information activity was accompanied by a corresponding collection, inspection and processing of the news and documents submitted by the diplomatic and consular representations of the German Reich via the Foreign Office to the Central Information Office. Similar information on the situation and prospects of emigrants abroad was also sent to the Central Information Office by public bodies, non-profit associations and registered associations at home and abroad. The Central Information Office cooperated closely with the emigrant associations that operated independently in the German Reich. The Central Information Office published information booklets on immigration regulations, economic conditions and career prospects in various countries, e.g. Paraguay, Mexico, Chile, Argentina or the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. On 9 May 1902, the "Advisory Council of the D e u t s c h e K o l o n i a l s c h e G e l l l s c h a f t for the Central Information Office" - Information Advisory Council - was constituted (cf. Barch, R 1501/101573). The Information Advisory Board assisted the President of the D e u t s c h e K o l o n i a l g e s e l l s c h a f t or his representative in the supervision of the Central Information Office. One third of the members of the Advisory Board were representatives of the D e u t s c h e K o l o n i a l g e s e l l s c h a f t , and two thirds were the chairman of the information associations and organizations that had joined the Central Information Office. The ordinary meetings of the Advisory Board, convened once a year in Berlin by the President of the D e u t s c h e K o l o n i a l g e s e l l s c h a f t , took place in camera. The head of the Central Information Office submitted the annual report of the Central Information Office to the Information Advisory Board for confirmation after obtaining the consent of the Reich Chancellor. The Imperial Chancellor could be represented by commissioners at the meetings of the Advisory Council and veto the decisions taken there. With the outbreak of the First World War, the "Central Information Office for Emigrants" stopped providing information to those interested in emigrating. After the Prussian War Ministry had established a "Central Office of Evidence for War Losses and War Graves" at the beginning of the war, the A u s w ä r t i g e s A m t assigned similar tasks to the Central Information Office, especially for the circle of Reich citizens interned in civilian affairs. On the basis of the announcement made by the Reich Chancellor on the creation of a "Central Office for the Provision of Information on Germans in Hostile Foreign Countries" on 1 September 1914, the Central Information Office assumed responsibility for the provision of information, the transfer of money, the transmission of information, the processing of applications for release, and the investigation of German citizens of the Reich both in the Entente states and in the neutral states (cf. German Reich Gazette No. 205 of 1 September 1914). By decree of the Reich Chancellor of 30 September 1914, the "Zentralauskunftsstelle für Auswanderer" (Central Information Office for Emigrants) was annexed to the Foreign Office as a "Reich Commission for the Affairs of German Civilians in Enemy Land" with official character (cf. BArch, R 1501/118320). Even before the beginning of the First World War, a "Reichsstelle für deutsche Rückwanderung und Auswanderung" (Reich Migration Office) was issued by the Reich Chancellor on 29 May 1918 at the Reich Office of the Interior to regulate the return migration and emigration of Reich Germans and Volks Germans (Announcement by the Reich Chancellor on 29 May 1918, in: Deutscher Reichsanzeiger on 30 May 1918 and Königlich Preußischer Staatsanzeiger No. 125). The Reich Migration Office commenced its activities on 1 June 1918, which until the end of 1918 extended almost exclusively to return emigrant affairs. This was essentially a matter of central influence on the return migration from the occupied Polish, Romanian and Russian parts of the territory. Special attention was also paid to the return migration from the western Entente countries and the German colonies. In this context, the Reich Migration Office dealt with the collection, inspection and processing of incoming documents, the provision of information, the promotion of care for returnees, the organisation of returnees, the securing of admission, care, secondment and temporary accommodation of returnees. The chairman, his deputy and the members of the advisory board of the Reich Migration Office were appointed by the Reich Chancellor. The "Advisory Council of the Reich Migration Office", under the direction of the Chairman of the Reich Migration Office, advised the plenum and the committees on fundamental questions of return and emigration (cf. BArch, R 1501/118318). The Reich Migration Office was initially divided into an administrative and an advisory department. The advisory department consisted of members of the administrative department and of the advisory board members who discussed policy issues of return and emigration in a joint meeting. The Reich Migration Office subsequently consisted of five working groups: an administrative group, an information group, a welfare group, a legal group and a scientific group. In the occupied eastern territories, the Reich Migration Office maintained two branch offices, which had to be dismantled at the beginning of the armistice negotiations. The area to the south of the Polozk-Lida railway line and the Warsaw General Government were the responsibility of the "Deutsche Rückwandererfürsorstelle Ostgebiet Bezirk Süd" with its head office in Kowel. The area north of the railway line Pskow-Wilna-Grodnow belonged to the "Sprengel der Deutschen Rückwandererfürsorgestelle Ostgebiet Bezirk Nord" with its head office in Vilnius. Both main offices were subject to several border transit and return migration collection camps (cf. BArch, R 1501/118318). In central Russia and the Ukraine "representatives of the Reich Migration Office" were appointed (cf. BArch, R 1501/118318). They had the task of contacting the German population living there, informing them about settlement and accommodation possibilities in Germany and advising them on legal, supply and property matters. The commissioners remained active only until the withdrawal of German troops or the severance of diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia. On 1 April 1919, the work and tasks of the "Central Information Office for Emigrants" were transferred to the Reich Migration Office (cf. BArch, R 1501/118318). Since then, the Reich Migration Office has been responsible not only for dealing with the affairs of returnees but also for keeping lists and records of the Reich German civilians interned abroad. At that time, the organisation and powers of the Reichswanderungsstelle no longer met the requirements for dealing with questions of return, immigration and emigration. By decree of the Reich President of 7 May 1919, the Reich Migration Office was renamed "Reichsamt für deutsche Einwanderung, Rückwanderung und Auswanderung" (Reich Migration Office) (Reichsgesetzblatt 1919, p. 451), while the business area was expanded (see Reichsgesetzblatt 1919, p. 451). In addition, the "Reichskommissar zur Erörterung von Gewalttätigkeiten gegen deutsche Zivilpersonen in Feindesland" (Reich Commissioner for the Discussion of Violence against German Civilians in Enemy Land) remained responsible for the settlement of war damages and the "Reichszentrale für Kriegs- und Zivilgefangene" (Reich Central Office for War and Civil Prisoners) remained responsible for the care of German returnees from war captivity and civil internment. The Reich Migration Office, as an independently operating Reich Resources Authority, was simultaneously subordinate to the Reich Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office. The Ministry of the Interior was responsible, among other things, for combating unreliable emigration agents, monitoring private information activities and promoting the welfare of migrants in Germany. The Federal Foreign Office was responsible for communicating with the German missions abroad and promoting migration assistance abroad. The Central Office of the Reich Migration Office in Berlin was initially divided into eight, later fourteen working groups, which were grouped into three departments. According to the business distribution plan of 1 April 1923, valid until the dissolution of the Reich Migration Office, the central office was structured as follows (cf. BArch, R 1501/118321): Department A I. Administrative Affairs a) Personnel Affairs b) Administrative and Economic Affairs c) General Affairs of the Emigration Service d) Welfare Affairs II. Country Affairs 1. Europe 2. Asia Section B I. General Affairs II. Country Affairs 1. Africa 2. Asia 3. Australia 4. America C. The Reich Migration Office maintained official branch offices administered by employees of the Reich Migration Office, municipal branch offices whose administration was left to municipal bodies, and private branch offices. On the basis of the "Richtlinien für die Anerkennung gemeinnütziger Auskunftsstellen für deutsche Aus-, Rück- und Einwanderer durch das Reichswanderungsamt" (Guidelines for the Recognition of Non-Profit Information Centres for German Immigrants, Returnees and Immigrants by the Reich Migration Office) of 1 January 2006, the following information is available In June 1920, the Reichswanderungsamt assigned tasks from branches of the Reichswanderungsamt to institutions and associations such as the "Deutsche Auslandsinstitut" in Stuttgart, the "Evangelische Hauptverein für deutsche Ansiedler und Auswanderer" in Witzenhausen and the "Raphaelverein zum Schutze deutscher katholischer Auswanderer" in Freiburg im Breisgau (cf. BArch, R 1501/118320). Outside the German Reich there were no information facilities under the control of the Reich Migration Office. In Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, "experts in emigration matters" worked to support the Reich Migration Office by providing information and promoting emigration assistance. The experts had been assigned to the German missions abroad and were subordinate to them in official and disciplinary respects (cf. BArch, R 1501/118320). According to the constitution of the Reichswanderungsamt of 24 May 1919 (cf. BArch, R 1501/118320), an "Advisory Council of the Reichswanderungsamt" was constituted for the purpose of an expert opinion on fundamental migration matters. The Advisory Council consisted of 54 members appointed by the Reich Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office for a period of two years. Advisory councils were also set up in the branches of the Reich Migration Office. These advisory councils brought together all the local organisations active in the area of activity of the branch offices, which, like the branch associations of the "Verein für das Deutschtum im Ausland", the "Red Cross", dealt, among other things, with questions of migration. The Reich Migration Office operated an extensive intelligence, reconnaissance and information service. Those interested in emigrating should be made aware of the employment and settlement opportunities available in Germany and held back from emigrating. The information and documents forwarded to the Reichswanderungsamt were processed by the Reichswanderungsamt into information leaflets on countries considered as German emigration destinations and into leaflets on emigration problems of general interest. The Reichswanderungsamt published twice a month since 1919 the "Nachrichtenblatt des Reichsamtes für deutsche Einwanderung, Rückwanderung und Auswanderung (Reichswanderungsamt)", since 1921 under the title "Nachrichtenblatt des Reichswanderungsamtes (Reichsamt für deutsche Einwanderung, Rückwanderung und Auswanderung)". After the dissolution of the Reichswanderungsamt, the newsletter was published until 1944 under the title "Nachrichtenblatt der Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen". The business area of the Reichswanderungsamt expanded continuously until 1924. At the beginning of 1920, the Reich Migration Office took over from the Passport Office of the Foreign Office the processing of all written and oral applications for travel opportunities for Germans abroad, emigrants and returnees from Germany to other countries and vice versa. With effect from 1 October 1923, the tasks of the probate office and the civil status department were largely transferred from the legal department of the Foreign Office to the Reich Migration Office (cf. the news bulletin of the Reich Migration Office 1923, p. 210). In this way the migration, investigation, inheritance and civil status matters were essentially united at the Reich Migration Office. The scope of duties of the Reich Migration Office was limited only by the responsibilities of the Reich Commissioners for Emigration and the Reich Ministry of the Interior for dealing with emigration ship matters, for dealing with emigrant and refugee welfare associations and associations, and for deciding on applications for entry by returnees. This demarcation, however, did not have such a strong effect as the head of the Reich Migration Office was at the same time expert for return migration matters and personnel officer for the office in the Reich Ministry of the Interior. The efforts of the Administrative Removal Commission to dismantle the Reich Migration Office led to the decision of the Administrative Removal Commission of 24 January 1924, according to which the Reich Migration Office was to be dissolved with effect from 1 October 1924. Under the pressure of the financial situation of the German Reich, a cabinet decision of 12 February 1924 and the ordinance of 28 March 1924 set the dissolution date for 1 April 1924 (see BArch, R 1501/118321). By decree of 29 March 1924, the newly formed "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen" (Reich Office for Emigration) continued from 1 April 1924 only to deal with the central tasks connected with the emigration movement (cf. Reichsgesetzblatt 1924 I, p. 395). The Reich Office for Emigration processed information and documents for emigration counselling, forwarded relevant materials to the counselling offices, and supervised the emigration counselling offices permitted in the German Reich. The Reich Office carried out its activities with the assistance of an advisory council in the portfolio of the Reich Ministry of the Interior, with a significantly limited circle of employees compared to the Reich Migration Office. With effect from 1 April 1924, the legal ownership of the official branches of the Reich Migration Office was transferred from the German Reich to public corporations, non-profit associations and registered associations. According to the business distribution plan of 1 April 1924 (cf. BArch, R 1501/118322), the Reich Office began its work with the following subject areas grouped into groups: 1. general administrative matters; general matters of the information centres and recognised information centres; dealings with associations, societies and the press; observation of the emigration movement; prevention and combating of grievances in the emigration movement; legal cases; annual reports; matters of the Advisory Council 2. personnel matters 3. treasury and accounting matters 4. Emigration and information statistics 5. collection and transmission of information material to advice centres and cooperation in the news bulletin for North and Central America and Asia (excluding Siberia) 6. the same for South America 7. the same for Western and Northern Europe 8. the same for Western and Northern Europe the same for Southern Europe 9. the same for Eastern Europe and Siberia 10. the same for Africa, Australia and the South Seas 11. Editing and publication of the newsletters, leaflets and information leaflets 12. Internal ministry 13. Library and archive 14. Registry 15. Chancellery. The investigation, estate and civil status matters processed to date by the Reich Migration Office were transferred to the newly founded "Reichsstelle für Nachlässe" by ordinance of 1 April 1924 (cf. Reichsgesetzblatt 1924 I, p. 402). This Reich Office was an authority subordinate to the Federal Foreign Office with a central area of responsibility. The Reichsnachlassstelle was dissolved by decree of 30 December 1927 (see Reichsgesetzblatt 1927 I, p. 4). It handed over the subjects it dealt with to the Federal Foreign Office, the German missions abroad and the responsible state authorities. The Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen lost considerable importance during the Nazi era. The fundamental questions of emigration were concentrated to a greater extent at the Reich Ministry of the Interior, the Foreign Office and, in the following years, especially at NSDAP offices and, since 1938/39, at the "Reichsführer SS und Chefs der Deutschen Polizei", such as the "Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle" and the "Deutsche Umsiedlungs- und Treuhandgesellschaft mbH". From 1924 to 1936, the Reich Office for Emigration was subject to Department II (Public Health, Welfare, German Studies) and from 1936 to 1943 to Department VI (German Studies, Surveying) of the Reich Ministry of the Interior. After the dissolution of Division VI of the Reich Ministry of the Interior, the "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen" (Reich Office for Emigration) with the subjects "Flüchtlings- und Rückwandererfürsorge" (Refugee and Return Migration Welfare), "Wanderungswesen" (Migration), "Auswanderungsschifffahrt" (Emigration Shipping), previously dealt with by Division VI of the Reich Ministry of the Interior, merged in December 1943 into the "Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle, Amt VI. Reichswanderungsstelle" (cf. BArch, R 4901/185). Inventory description: Inventory history On November 30, 1951, the Deutsche Zentralarchiv Potsdam took over files of the "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen" (Reich Office for Emigration) from the cellar of the registry office I, Berlin C 2, Stralauer Straße 42/43, amounting to about 1,400 files. According to information provided by the former main archives department at the Ministry of the Interior of the GDR, these files had been found in the building of the former Reichsarchiv in Troppau and had been handed over to Berlin by the CSSR at an unknown time. According to investigations carried out after 1945, the files of the Reich Office for Emigration (most recently "Amt VI Reichswanderungsstelle" of the Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle) were moved in 1944/45 to the Posterholungsheim Templin and to the Reichsarchiv in Troppau. The files that were transferred to Templin included state and administrative files from 1918 to 1945, German origin files from 1920 to 1945, files from Department VI of the Reich Ministry of the Interior, which was dissolved in 1943, and personnel files from the personnel registry. These files had not been found in 1946. Of the files moved to Troppau - more than 12,000 files are said to have been sent to more than 170,000 German civilian internees all over the world from the time of the First World War - the aforementioned 1,400 files were transferred to the German Central Archive in Potsdam. The files were in an extraordinarily poor state of preservation, disordered and unrecorded. These were very fragmentary documents on individual cases from the activities of the "Central Information Office for Emigrants", the "Reichswanderstelle", the "Reichswanderungsamt" and the "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen". Archival evaluation and processing At the beginning of the 1960s, around 1,360 file units were collected due to a lack of archival value. 44 file units remained as inventory 15.05 "Reichsstelle für das Auswanderungswesen" for permanent storage. They provide an insight into the subject and method of work of the emigration authorities. The first indexing of the files took place in 1960. In view of the fragmentary tradition at hand, the organizing work was limited to a classification according to factual aspects. The following classification groups were formed: Group I Provision of information to those interested in emigrating Group II Investigation of German citizens interned in civilian life Group III Organization and business operations Wolfgang Merker provided the initial development in 1960/63. The finding aid he has compiled forms the basis for the present finding aid. During the revision in 2009, a previously unlisted fragment was integrated into the collection (R 1505/45). The classification of the stock has been retained. Subsequently, series and band sequences were created. The listing information as well as the introduction to the history of the authorities and the inventory have been editorially revised. Characterisation of content: Characteristics of content: The files handed over to the German Central Archive in Potsdam in 1951 essentially contained inquiries from individuals, associations under private law and authorities about the whereabouts of emigrants, prisoners of war and civilian internees of the First World War, processes concerning the settlement of property and inheritance matters, correspondence about search forms and communications with foreign missions, German and foreign authorities as well as applications for the release and extradition of prisoners of war and civilian internees. There are no procedures on fundamental issues of emigration, the organisation and the remit of the emigration authorities. The 45 AE (1.3 running meter) of the stock remaining after the archival processing are assigned to three classification groups: Provision of information to prospective emigrants 1902-1928 (18), searches for civilian internees of the German Reich 1914-1923 (17), business operations and personnel files 1920-1945 (10). ‧‧ State of development: Online-Findbuch (2009) Citation method: BArch, R 1505/...

History of the Inventory Designer: Tasks and Organization Essentially follows: (1) Jany, Curt: History of the Prussian Army from the 15th century to 1914, 2nd ed. Edition (= Die Königlich Preußische Armee und das Deutsche Reichsheer 1807 bis 1914, vol. 4), Osnabrück 1967, pp. 294-296. (2) Cron, Hermann: Geschichte des deutschen Armeres im Weltkriege 1914 bis 1918, Berlin 1937, pp. 3-23. (3) PH 3/124 Die Organisation des Großen Generalstabes 1803-1914 (4) PH 3/1026 Die Organisation des Großen Generalstabes (vom 18. Jhr.. until its dissolution in 1919, manuscript by HOAR Stoeckel) (5) PH 3/1272-1273 Graphical representation of the development of the organisation of the Great General Staff 1802-1914 (6) PH 3/310 First introduction to the organisation and activities of the Deputy General Staff of the Armed Forces (1919) (7) Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt, MGFA (Ed. by the German Military Historical Research Institute, MGFA) (ed. by the German historian HOAR Stoeckel)): German military history in six volumes 1648 - 1939. Munich 1983 ff, pp. 69-72. (8) Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, ed. v: Gerhard Hirschfeld, Gerd Krumeich, Irina Renz in conjunction with Markus Pöhlmann, updated and extended study edition, Paderborn 2009, p. 754f. (9) PH 3/3 (10) Waldemar Erfurth: The History of the German General Staff 1918-1945 (= Studies on the History of the Second World War, ed. by Arbeitskreis für Wehrforschung in Frankfurt/Main, vol. 1), Göttingen 1957. 1. Großer Generalstab und Oberster Heeresleitung Großer Generalstab (7) With the Cabinet Order of 24 May 1883, the Generalstab became an Immediatbehörde (Immediate Authority), in fact it had held this position since the Wars of Unification. The General Staff was also assigned independently and directly to the monarch by the War Ministry. The tasks of the War Ministry and the Great General Staff overlapped in part, which occasionally led to conflicts. The position of Chief of Staff of the General Staff was respected, but, apart from operational management in the event of war, it was not endowed with important powers. The General Staff nevertheless exerted a decisive influence on the formation of the army through the training of leaders (the War Academy was subordinate to the Great General Staff), the care for the training of troops in warfare, and the handling of all questions connected with the conduct of a mobilization and a war. His activities included the cultivation of war science education, especially the study and processing of war history, the collection of news and statistical material on foreign armies and the various theatres of war, mapping, investigation and description of his own country. In the peacetime there were no far-reaching changes in the organization of the Grand General Staff, only some expansions due to the increasing scope of the General Staff duties. General Staff of the Field Army and Supreme Army Command (OHL) of the German Army (2) "According to Article 63 of the Constitution of the German Reich of 16 April 1871, the entire land power of the Reich formed a unified army, which was under the Emperor's command in war and peace. In peace, the head of the Great General Staff had practically no power of command and no right of inspection. He merely acted as chief and disciplinary superior of the Grand General Staff. The highest power of command was in fact with the emperor, but in practice it was the chief of the general staff of the army. During the war, the Chief of the General Staff issued operational orders in the name of the Emperor in accordance with the mobilization regulations and was jointly responsible for the management and execution of military operations as well as the other branches of service (ammunition replacement, catering, health, stage service). With the mobilization on August 2, 1914, the chief of the Prussian General Staff of the Army was formed as the "Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army" and the OHL, which was located in the Great Headquarters. The Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army thus embodied the OHL and was always equated with it by concept. On August 5, 1914, the deputy general staff of the army was mobilized in Berlin. The latter remained in existence until 31 January 1919. With the demobilisation, de Große Generalstab resumed its activities on 1 February 1919, with the exception of the positions remaining with OHL. (10) On the basis of the Treaty of Versailles, the dissolution of the Great General Staff was decided and initiated in July 1919. On 4 July 1919 Major General von Seeckt took over the business of the Chief of the General Staff. The name of the service is now "General von Seeckt". On September 30, 1919, the Great General Staff was finally dissolved with the establishment of a liquidation office from part of the central department. The Heads of the General Staff of the Army in Prussia from 1857 to 1918 Field Marshal General Hemuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke 1857-1888 Field Marshal General Alfred Heinrich Karl Ludwig von Waldersee 1888-1891 Field Marshal General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen 1891-1906 General Colonel Helmuth von Moltke 1906-1914 Between 1914 and 1918 a total of four OHLs were formed (8) 1. OHL: General Colonel Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from Aug. 2 to Sep. 14, 1914 2. OHL: General of the Infantry Erich von Falkenhayn, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from Aug. 14 to Sept. 14, 1914 2. 3rd Sept. (officially from 3 Sept. 1914) to 29 Aug. 1916 3rd OHL: General Field Marshal Paul von Beneckendorff and von Hindenburg, Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army from 29 Aug. 1916 to 9 Nov. 1916. 1918, Commander-in-Chief of the Field Army from 9 Nov. 1918 to 3 July 1919, assisted by the First Quartermaster General of the Infantry Erich von Ludendorff, First Quartermaster General from 29 Aug. 1916 to 26 Oct. 1918, then Lieutenant General Wilhelm Groener became First Quartermaster General from 29 Oct. 1918 to 3 July 1919 4. OHL: Lieutenant General Wilhelm Groener took over the OHL after the resignation of Hindenburgs on June 25, 1919 until the dissolution on Sept. 30, 1919 3. The organizational development of the Great General Staff The organization of the Great General Staff since April 1, 1889 (1) The Quartermaster General was first abolished again, but on April 1, 1889 three Quartermasters (O.Q.) were established. Central Office (from 1890 Central Division) Oberquartiermeister (O. Q.) I since 1 April 1889: 2nd Division Ordre de Bataille (Battle Regulations) and deployment of the German Army Railway Division Railway Section The Railway Section was responsible for the operation and training of the Railway Regiment, subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and of the Airship Division. Eisenbahn-Regiment Oberquartiermeister (O.Q.) II 4th Section - New Formation for the Affairs of Foreign Fortresses and the Preparation of the Drafts of Attacks, with AKO of Dec. 19, 1889 the Department for Foreign Fortresses was added by the Engineering Committee Geographical-Statistical Department (since 1894 an independent Department) German Section - Affairs of the Academy of War and the Training Trips of the General Staff Oberquartiermeister (O.Q.) III 1st Division (Russia, the Scandinavian states, Austria, the Balkans, etc.) 3rd Division (France, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy) Division of War History National Recording The position of the Quartermaster General was abolished. Structure of the Large General Staff of the Army since 1908 (1) Central Division 6th Division (Manoeuvre) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) I 2nd Division (Aufmasch) Technical Section (Air Force) 4th Division (Foreign Fortresses of the Western War Theatre) 7th Division (Foreign Fortresses of the Eastern War Theatre) Railway Division Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) II 3rd Division (O.Q.) Department (Foreign Armies in the West) 9th Department (German Colonies) Oberquartiermeister (O. Q.) III 5th Department (Training Trips of the General Staff) 8th Department (Affairs of the War Academy) Oberquartiermeister IV (newly added since 1 April 1894) 1st Department (Foreign Armies in the East) 10th Department (Foreign Armies in the East) Oberquartiermeister V War Historical Department I and II The Head of the Large General Staff Central Department (Personnel, Organisation, Administration) with Section III b (Communications) 6th Section (Manoeuvres) War History Department II (Older War History) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) I. 2. (German Division) - Deployment and Operations Division Railway Division Section 1a (for the revision of the Military Transport Order) 4th Division (Foreign Fortresses) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) II 3rd Division (France with Morocco, England with Egypt, Afghanistan) 9th Division (Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, Portugal, America, German Colonies) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) III 5th Division (Operations Studies) 8th Division (Operations Studies) Division (War Academy and General Staff Service) Chief Quartermaster (O.Q.) IV 1st Division (Russia, Nordic States, East Asia, Persia, Turkey) 10th Division (Russia, Northern States, East Asia, Persia, Turkey) Department (Austria-Hungary and Balkan States) Oberquartiermeister V Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung I (neuere Kriege) Kriegsarchiv Kartenarchiv Chief of the Landesaufnahme and Oberquartiermeister Trigonometrische Abteilung Topographische Abteilung Kartographische Abteilung Photogrammetische Abteilung Kolonialsektion Der Chef des Generalstabes des Feldheeres 1914 bis 1918 (2) 1. General Staff Departments Central Department She was responsible for receiving and forwarding correspondence to the relevant departments, in cooperation with the Military Cabinet for Personnel Matters and Administration. The department was headed by Colonel von Fabeck, and from 26 March 1916 it was headed by Colonel Tieschowitz von Tieschowa. Operations Department The department with the closest connection to the Chief of Staff. She was also the office for his personal letters. It was responsible for creating the conditions for all operational measures of the army: to monitor the organisation and organisation of the entire army and to propose improvements as well as the training, armament and operational capability of the units. The Chief of the Opera Department was responsible for advising the Chief of General Staff, drawing up the operational plans of the General Staff and issuing his orders. During the war the department was expanded extensively. Heads: Major General Tappen Lieutenant Colonel Wetzell (since 31 Aug. 1916) Operations Department B On 18 August 1916, a subdivision was set up under the Operations Department which was responsible for the Macedonian and Turkish fronts. Operations Division II On 23 September 1916, the post of Chief of Field Ammunition was dissolved. The tasks of ammunition and equipment replacement were taken over by the ammunition section in the operations department. Subsequently, the ammunition section was merged with the warfare section to form Operations Division II. Chief: Colonel Bauer News Department, since 20 May 1917 Foreign Armies Department She was responsible for the prosecution of military operations abroad, especially for the warfare of the enemy states. She primarily collected information on their organization and distribution of forces. Division III b Your task was to transmit the enemy's messages. This was done by intelligence officers deployed to the armies and at suitable points in the home country. There were also voluntary or paid agents in neutral and hostile foreign countries and the Secret Field Police in the occupied territories. News material was also provided by the border police and the field police, which also served to carry out espionage. The intelligence and counter-espionage services in the homeland communicated with Division IIIb of the Deputy General Staff, which in turn was subordinated to Division IIIb in the Great Headquarters. The guidelines for patriotic education were issued by the department, as was the press service set up to steer public opinion. Political Department since Feb. 10, 1916 Military Political Department It was responsible for the military political affairs of all states, dealt with legal issues and passed on the information to the military attachés and the written authority on peace issues. 2. the Quartermaster General and his subordinates The Quartermaster General was responsible for all the duties relating directly to the relief of the Chief of the Quartermaster General. operations. This included the entire supply, stage and railway system, field post and administration of justice, field medical services and veterinary services. Generalquartiermeister Generalleutnant von Stein since 14 Sept. 1914 Generalleutnant Hahndorff since 16 Jan. 1916 Subordinate positions Generalintendant des Feldheeeres He was responsible for providing the army with food. In addition, he was the head of the field and troop directorships. With the transition to the positional war, the monitoring of the nutrition in the occupied territory was added. In particular the cultivation of the soil and the necessary procurement of the agricultural machine material and the utilization of the harvest surplus for the field army. Later the industrial use of the occupied territories was added. A new economic department was set up for the West with effect from 5 September 1916. With effect from January 1, 1917, the economic department was made independent and expanded and set up on behalf of the General Quartermaster for the Western Theatre of War (B.d.G. West). He was responsible for the administration, management and utilization of the occupied territories in the West. Besides, he was subordinated: - General Wechselamt - art expert for monument preservation - prisoners of war - and civilian worker battalions - electrotechnical workshop West - artillery and training equipment repair workshops - looting and collecting (until subordinated to a special commissioner) At the beginning, the following positions were also subordinated to the Generalquartiermeister: - Chief of field munitions - Chief of field telegraphy - Chief of field railways - Chief of field aviation - Inspector of balloon guns Chief of field medical services General staff physician of the army Prof. Dr. Schiernig headed the medical services in the entire war zone as the highest superior of the medical personnel. His responsibilities included: the medical service, the care and transport of the wounded, the distribution of hospital trains and ships, hospitals in the homeland. Field Chief Postmaster He supervised the postal system on all theatres of war. The Field Oberpost Inspections West and East were set up to relieve him. Second Commander of the Great Headquarters He was responsible for the security and supply of the headquarters and the control of the sub personnel. He commanded the Infantry and Cavalry Staff Guard, a Land Storm Battalion, a Field Gendarmerie Command, Military Police, a motor vehicle spark station and a telephone department, three balloon defence guns (later ducrh replaced two air defence batteries), a headlight train (later expanded into a headlight department), the field directorate of the Great Headquarters together with the field warfare fund, motor vehicle fleet, field post office, Central Postal Surveillance West with the post office monitoring centre of the Great Headquarters, marketing department and reading hall. Secret Field Police cooperated closely with Division III b. During the war, B.d.G.West also added a number of agencies to the Great Headquarters. The commander of the troops, newly created in 1915, was located in Luxembourg. The Chief of Field Service was established at the end of 1916 and placed under the authority of the Quartermaster General. It served to centralise the motor vehicle formations. After the approval of the Generalqaurtiermeister, he was authorized to give instructions to the motor troops of the army high commandos and the staff figures assigned to the army groups in the west. On 17 May 1918, the staff of the commander of the combat vehicle departments was subordinated to the head of the motor vehicle division. The B.d.G. Ost with its seat in Warsaw was responsible for the utilization of the land in the administrative area of the Supreme Commander East and the General Government of Warsaw. Valenciennes Military Mine Directorate It fell under the jurisdiction of the Quartermaster General in September 1917. The mining administrations of Mons and Valenciennes, which until then had been part of the Metz government, were united to form a military directorate. The German representation in occupied Italy Used in February 1918 in Udine with evacuation of the 14th army. It served to assert German interests in the war spoils acquired jointly with Austria. The commander of the 13th Cavalry Brigade and his staff were to regulate the demand for horses on the eastern and western fronts due to the increasing shortage of horses. He was assigned to the GQ on 31 December 1916. In February 1918 he became the Commissioner of the Quartermaster General in equestrian affairs. Commissioner of the General Quartermaster in Berlin In order to reestablish trade relations with the former Russian territories resulting from the treaties with the Allies, coordination between the central authorities and the General Staff was necessary. He also took over the supervision of the import and export points. Commissioner of the Master Quartermaster General for Prey and Collecting This was created with effect from 1 June 1918. It had already been settled in 1917. He was responsible for the administration of the spoils of war and the control of the services. General of the Ammunition Columns and Trains in the Great Headquarters The increase in the number of formations was accompanied by the technical contraction of weapons, which was created in July 1918. Her task was to use the units, to supervise the technical service in the war zone and at home, and to replace the clothing and field equipment. 3. foot artillery and pioneers were among the special weapons and their technical training was monitored by the inspections. The General of the Foot Artillery in the Great Headquarters He was adviser to the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army on technical matters and the deployment of heavy artillery. In addition, he shaped the training in his home country. He was subordinate to the later established "Inspector of Artillery Metrology" and the "Staff Officer for Heavy Flat Fire". At first he had no direct influence on the general of artillery. This did not change when the OHL introduced the unit staffs "Artillery Generals" instead of "Field Artillery Brigade Commanders" and Foot Artillery Generals to unify artillery. Thus his name was changed to "General von der Artillerie Nr. 1". A month later he became "Inspector General of Artillery Shooting Schools". He was in charge of the shooting training of the entire field and foot artillery in the field and at home. General Inspectors: General of the Artillery of Lauter (until 15 Oct. 1917) Lieutenant General Ziethen The General of the Engineering and Pioneer Corps in the Great Headquarters He was the supreme weapons superior during the war of increasing and specializing formations of the pioneers. He advised the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army and was responsible for the organizational and technical development of the pioneers. The special services of the pioneers, such as the stage-managers of the mine-throwing machine, in existence since the end of 1915, the inspector of the gas regiments created in 1916 and the stage-manager of the pioneer melee means of close combat established in May 1918. In August 1918 he received the designation General of the Pioneers from the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army. General der Pioniere: General der Infanterie von Claer bis bis zum 2. Juli 1916 Major General Marschall von Bieberstein seit 28. Aug. 1918 The Chief of the Field Ammunition Service This was initially subordinated to the Generalquartiermeister. His tasks included coordinating the ammunition provided by the War Ministry in conjunction with the Chief of Field Railways as well as the replacement of equipment on the basis of the reports from the Army High Commands and the Stage Inspection. In addition, he was responsible for planning the needs of the army commandos and the stage inspections and reporting them to the War Ministry. With effect from 10 May 1915, he was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army. This should ensure close coordination with the operations department. On 23 September 1916 the position of Chief of Field Ammunition was dissolved. His duties were performed by the Operations Department. The Chief of the Field Telegraphy The Chief of the Field Telegraphy was settled during the first three years of war at the General Quartermaster. He was in charge of the entire intelligence troops and intelligence media of the field army. During the war the news formations were strongly expanded, which caused the army leadership under Hindenburg to carry out a reorganization. A general of the telegraph troops for the western, eastern and southeastern theater of war was created to relieve the field telegraphy chief. These generals were subordinated to the chief of field telegraphy. A new restructuring of the intelligence system took place, with the head of the field telegraphy reporting to it. A new organizational change was made by the Chief of Field Telegraphy to "Chief of Intelligence" and reporting directly to the Chief of General Staff of the Field Army. He also became commanding general. He was now responsible for organisation, use, training, staffing, replacement, replenishment, technical requirements and all German spark telegraphy traffic. Chief: Major General Balck Colonel von Wolff since Dec. 7, 1914 Major General von Hesse since Apr. 9, 1917 The Chief of Field Railways He was initially subordinate to the Quartermaster General. It was not until his replacement in October 1916 that he was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff. His tasks included the complete railway system and the use of the waterways. At the commander-in-chief east he was represented by the field railway boss east. There were also railway officers at the stage commandos and the stage inspections, later there were authorized general staff officers at the allied states in Constantinople, Sofia, Vienna, and from mid-1916 also at the army groups. Further streamlining of the organization was achieved by the creation of independent railway transport departments based at the Great Headquarters in Kowno and Pleßhatten. Heads: Major General Groener until 31 Oct. 1916 Colonel Freiherr von Oldershausen Chief of War Surveying With the war of positions and the production of a wide variety of maps, war surveying became increasingly important. The head of war surveying was to steer this task. Therefore, the authority was created in July 1915. All surveying units were subject to this authority. Depending on requirements, staff figures for surveying were assigned to the army commandos in the west and the army groups in the west. Chief of the military aviation While one was superior to the army airships, one lay back with the planes behind France, with the captive balloons one was set up in something equal. In order to make the air forces more efficient, the chief of the air force was set up in 1915 with the general quartermaster. He ran the aviators, the airmen and the weather service. On 1 July 1915, an inspector of the balloon guns of the General Quartermaster was created for the air defence, which belonged to artillery. On 8 October 1916, Lieutenant General Hoppner was appointed Commanding General of the Air Force by Allerhöchste Kabinettsordrre and the former Chief of Field Aviation, Lieutenant Colonel Thomsen, became his Chief of Staff. All formations of the airmen, the airship, the air defence and the weather service in the field and in the homeland were subordinated to the Kogenluft. This was directly subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff in October 1915. The head censorship office was also integrated into this, which had previously been the organisational office of the deputy commanding generals. The tasks of the War Press Office were to improve cooperation between the home authorities and the Supreme Army Command in the field of the press, to provide information to the authorities and the press, and to ensure that the supervision of the press was uniform. She was also responsible for forwarding the censorship guidelines to the censorship offices. The press office had contact to all departments, the otherwise usual way of appeal did not exist. In October 1918, the War Press Office was subordinated to the War Ministry. Military post of the Federal Foreign Office The post was established on 1 July 1916 and was subordinated to the Supreme Army Command, but was organisationally subordinated to the Federal Foreign Office, Division IIIb of the Deputy General Staff, the War Press Office, the War Ministry, the Admiral Staff and the R e i c h s m a r i n e a m t . She was responsible for the defense against enemy propaganda and for German propaganda at home and abroad. On 30 January 1917, a "Picture and Photo Office" was set up, which in April 1917 was designated as the "Picture and Film Office". In December 1917, Universum Film AG was founded on the initiative of the Picture and Film Office and used for educational purposes. In January 1918, the Bild- und Filmamt was administratively subordinated to the War Ministry. However, the Military Office of the Federal Foreign Office continued to be empowered to issue directives. The organization of the Great General Staff from 1. February 1919 Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army (9) Central Department Chief of the Landesaufnahme General Staff Departments Department Foreign Army Department (F) Railway Department (E) War Economics Department (Kriweis) Economics Department (W) War History Department (K) War History Department (K 1) War History Department (K 2) War History Department (K 3) Description of the Collection: The maps from the former inventory KART 3 were transferred to the inventory PH 3-KART. Content characterization: The map inventory contains maps of various types (section maps, location maps, position maps, operation maps, photo maps, artillery maps, map sheets, map sketches, etc.) of the theatres of war of the First World War. The maps were produced by the cartographic department of the Deputy General Staff of the Field Army and by the surveying departments and map offices of the command authorities and associations. The majority of the maps refer to the western theater of war, especially Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Only a small part of the documents refers to the eastern theater of war, especially Russia. State of development: Invenio citation: BArch, PH 3-KART/...

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/...