Description of the holdings: The head of the army archives was the head of archives for the Wehrmacht part of the army with its official seat in Potsdam. The chief of the army archives was in charge of the army archives in Potsdam, Vienna, Munich, Dresden and Stuttgart, the army archives branches in Prague and Gdansk, as well as the representatives in the occupied territories and the Wehrmacht sighting station for prey files. The Chief of the Army Archives was responsible for the recording of files of the High Command of the Wehrmacht, of the High Command of the Army with subordinate offices, of the command authorities, troops, administrative authorities and other institutions of the army (cf. HDv. 30 Correspondence and Business Transactions of the Wehrmacht, Appendix 2). The User Regulations regulated the lending and use of the Army Archives (cf. BArch RH 18/437). After three years of negotiations, the Reich and Prussian Minister of the Interior and the Reich War Minister agreed in September 1936 that the military files should be taken over by the High Command of the Army. On April 1, 1937, the chief of the army archives and the army archives under his command took over the military archives, which since 1919 had been administered by the Reichsarchiv, its branches in Dresden and Stuttgart, and the war archives in Munich. The Chief of the Army Archives was subordinate to the Chief Quartermaster V in the General Staff of the Army until 1942. With the reorientation of the writing of war history, Hitler subordinated the Chief of the Army Archives to the Commissioner of the Führer for Military History, Colonel Scherff, with effect from 1 July 1942. From 1937 to 1942 Friedrich von Rabenau was the chief of the army archives, from 1942 until the end of the war Karl Ruppert, who had been in charge of the Potsdam army archives since 1937. The management of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam and the office of Chief of Army Archives were merged in 1943. Heeresarchiv Potsdam The Heeresarchiv Potsdam was divided into three departments. Department A administered the Brandenburg-Prussian Army Archives, the archives of which ran from the 17th century until the dissolution of the Prussian army in 1920. Department B kept the files of the volunteer formations formed after World War I and of the Reichswehr. Section C was intended for the recording of Wehrmacht files, i.e. from 1935 with the re-establishment of military sovereignty. The departments of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam were divided into subject areas. Other organisational units included the collections, estates, maps and the picture collection. In 1935, the Berlin Department of the Reichsarchiv (especially the Prussian War Ministry after 1867) and the Central Office of Records for War Losses and War Graves were also subordinated to the Heeresarchiv Potsdam. The Heeresarchiv Potsdam continuously took over the war diaries of all command authorities and troops as well as the court files of the field and war courts in the court file collection centre. The file collection centre West in Berlin-Wannsee mainly recorded loot files from various military offices in France. The organisational structure of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam was not uniform and changed several times until 1945. In territorial matters, the Heeresarchiv Potsdam was bound by the instructions of the commander in Wehrkreis III (Berlin). A British air raid on Potsdam on 14 April 1945 hit the service and magazine building of the chief of the army archives and the army archive Potsdam hard. The holdings of the Brandenburg-Prussian Army Archives were almost destroyed. This concerned, among other things, the files of the Prussian military cabinet, the files of the Prussian Ministry of War, the war files of the unification wars and the most important war diaries with attachments from the First World War. The personal records of the Prussian army and the Reichswehr are considered almost completely destroyed. In 1943 the Heeresarchiv Potsdam outsourced the department for the recording of war diaries to Liegnitz in Silesia. At the end of 1944 this branch was moved back to Potsdam. Later, the Heeresarchiv Potsdam outsourced large quantities of its archives. Shortly before the enclosure of Berlin, the war diaries of the Second World War and a few particularly valuable older files were transferred to Blankenburg in the Harz Mountains and to Bad Reichenhall or Kufstein in "two transports of 4-6 railway wagons each" (Poll). The archives in Blankenburg were confiscated by the Western Allies. These were the war diaries of the Army High Commands, the General Commands, the divisions and other army departments as well as parts of older files. The war diaries of top army authorities were burned in Reichenhall and Kufstein on the orders of Scherff, the Führer's representative for military historiography. The destruction of older files, estates and collections in Reichenhall could be prevented by the responsible official. Heeresarchiv Wien The Chief of the Army Archives took over the War Archive Vienna after the integration of Austria in 1938. It was the central military archive of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy until 1918 and of the Republic of Austria until 1938. After the beginning of World War II, the Army Archives Vienna was assigned the Southeast Files Collection Point for the collection of loot files from the Southeast region. In territorial matters the Army Archives Vienna was bound to the instructions of the commander in the military district XVII (Vienna). Today the War Archives are under the control of the Austrian State Archives. Heeresarchiv München After the foundation of the Reichsarchiv in 1919, the Kriegsarchiv München was able to maintain its status as an independent Bavarian archive and was not subordinated to the Reichsarchiv as a branch of the Reichsarchiv, as were the archives in Dresden and Stuttgart. In 1937, the head of the Heeresarchiv took over the Kriegsarchiv München as the Heeresarchiv München. The Army Archives Munich covered the entire Bavarian military tradition from about 1650 to 1920. After the beginning of World War II, the Army Archives Munich was assigned the file collection point South, in particular for the recording of Italian booty files. In territorial matters, the Heeresarchiv München was bound by the instructions of the commander in Wehrkreis VII (Munich). After the Second World War, the Kriegsarchiv München was subordinated to the Bavarian Hauptstaatsarchiv. Despite losses during the war, the majority of the holdings have been preserved and enable source research into military history before 1919 as a replacement for the lost archive of the Potsdam Army Archives. Army Archives Dresden In 1937, the head of the army archives took over the Dresden branch of the Reichsarchiv from the Reichsarchiv as the Dresden Army Archives. This service was responsible for the stocks of the Saxon Army (XII. (I. Royal Saxon) Army Corps and XIX. (II. Royal Saxon Army Corps). The holdings of the Army Archives Dresden covered a period from 1830 - 1919 without a clear demarcation between the holdings and the Main State Archives Dresden. In territorial matters the Army Archives Dresden was bound to the instructions of the commander in the Military District IV (Dresden). During the Anglo-American air raid on Dresden on 13 February 1945, the personal documents of the Saxon army suffered losses. Despite losses during the war, the majority of the holdings have been preserved and enable source research for military history before 1919 as a replacement for the lost archive of the Potsdam Army Archives. The government of the USSR returned the preserved holdings of the Dresden Army Archives to the government of the GDR after the war. Until reunification they were administered in the military archives of the GDR in Potsdam. The Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv transferred the holdings to the Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden in 1991. Heeresarchiv Stuttgart The head of the army archives took over the Reichsarchiv branch Stuttgart from the Reichsarchiv in 1937 as Heeresarchiv Stuttgart. This office was responsible for the holdings of the Württemberg Army Corps (XIII (Royal Württemberg Army Corps) and the XIV (Grand Ducal Baden Army Corps). In territorial matters the Heeresarchiv Stuttgart was bound to the instructions of the commander in the Wehrkreis V (Stuttgart). The Heeresarchiv Stuttgart has been preserved without war losses and, as a replacement for the lost records of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam, enables source research for military history before 1919. Today the Heeresarchiv Stuttgart is subordinated to the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart. The archives of the XIV (Grand Ducal Baden) Army Corps are stored in the General State Archive in Karlsruhe, although the Grand Duchy of Baden from 1871-1919, in contrast to Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg, did not have a military reserve right. Army Archives Prague Branch The Army Archives Prague branch administered the former Czech army archives and recorded archival material of the Austro-Hungarian army in Bohemia and Moravia. It was in charge of supplementing the official archival material with collections, making the holdings available for use by Wehrmacht offices, and providing information. In territorial matters, the Army Archives Prague branch was bound to the instructions of the Wehrmacht Plenipotentiary at the Reich Protector in Bohemia and Moravia (Wehrkreisbefehlshaber in Böhmen und Mähren). The Gdansk Army Archives Branch The Gdansk Army Archives Branch captured the military archives captured during the Eastern campaigns, in particular the Polish Army Archives. It had to record this material, make it usable and provide information from the files. In territorial matters, the Gdansk Army Archives Branch was bound by the instructions of the Commander of Military District XX (Gdansk). The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Military Commander in France The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Military Commander in France in Paris had to supervise and evaluate the French army archives. He was to inventory sources on German history, copy documents and collect contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives at the Military Commander in Belgium and Northern France The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives at the Military Commander in Belgium and Northern France in Brussels was to evaluate the Belgian Army Archives, enable their use by German agencies, inventorise sources on German history, copy documents and collect material on contemporary history. The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives in Alsace-Lorraine The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives in Alsace-Lorraine in Metz was concerned with the re-registration of German army files, the sighting of French prey files, in particular the Maginot Line, and the provision of files for Wehrmacht offices. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in the Netherlands The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in the Netherlands, based in The Hague, was responsible for overseeing and evaluating the Dutch army archives. He was to inventory sources on German history, copy documents and collect contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commander of the German Forces in Denmark The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commander of the German Forces in Denmark, based in Copenhagen, was to evaluate the Danish Army Archives and collect material on contemporary history. The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Norway The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Norway in Oslo took over the management of the Norwegian Army Archives, gave information to German offices and collected contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives in Italy The Commissioner of the Chief of the Army Archives in Italy was commissioned, after the fall of Italy and the invasion of the Wehrmacht in Italy in 1943, to secure the files of the Italian army for the writing of war history and for evaluation by Wehrmacht offices. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in Athens After the occupation of Greece, the Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in Athens was responsible for the inspection and safeguarding of the Greek Army records as well as an archival-military inventory. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in Belgrade The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives in Belgrade evaluated the Yugoslavian Army files, provided military replacement services, pension offices and information on resettlement issues. Furthermore, he should collect contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Ostland The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Ostland in Riga administered and evaluated the military archives and holdings in Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius. He provided information for the military replacement services and recorded German and Polish army files. Furthermore, he should collect contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Ukraine The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Wehrmacht Commander Ukraine in Kiev had to evaluate the military archives in Kiev and Kharkov and to record Austrian and Polish military files. He was involved with the collection of contemporary historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commanding General of the Security Forces and Commander in the Army Area North The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commanding General of the Security Forces and Commander in the Army Area North had to evaluate the seized military archives and collect historical material. The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commander of the Rear Army Area Center The Commissioner of the Chief of Army Archives at the Commander of the Rear Army Area Center had to evaluate the seized military archives and collect historical material. Wehrmacht-Sichtungsstelle für Beuteakten The Wehrmacht-Sichtungsstelle für Beuteakten checked the loot files arriving from the front for their salary and forwarded them to Wehrmacht offices, as far as the files seemed important to them for further warfare. In territorial matters, the Wehrmacht sighting post for loot files was bound to the instructions of the commander in Wehrkreis III (Berlin). Preprovenience: Reichsarchiv Content characterization: The files of the RH 18 holdings Chief of Army Archives contain personal and material files of the "Chief of Army Archives" and almost all offices subordinated to him. In addition, the inventory contains regulations and announcements of the respective territorially competent command authority, e.g. of the military commander in France or of the commander in Wehrkreis VII (Munich). The records of the holdings of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam are assigned to the holdings. This includes finding aids of the registries, delivery directories and finding aids of the army archives. These records provide an overview of the numbers and contents of the former holdings and supplement the lost holdings of the Prussian army with organisational documents. The lists of estates contain biographical information. A special feature of the RH 18 collection are its personnel files, which, in contrast to most other personal documents of the Wehrmacht, have not been removed from the collection. The personnel files were classified by the respective services. The permanent exhibition of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam is virtually reconstructed in the online find book for RH 18, arranged according to display cases or themes. War diaries, orders, military conventions, correspondence between well-known generals and contemporary collection material from 1679 until after the end of the First World War were included in the Archivalienschau by the staff of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam. The documents have been filed thematically in display cases. On the reverse side of the documents the responsible subject area of the Heeresarchiv Potsdam, the holdings and the serial number are indicated. The Federal Archives and Military Archives do not present these archival records in their original form, but in microfiches. A large part of the documents was in stock MSg 101, which was completely re-signed to RH 18. State of development: Online-Findbuch Scope, Explanation: 2482 AE Citation method: BArch, RH 18/...
History of the inventor: On 14 November 1897, the German Reich occupied the Chinese port of Tsingtau and, in a contract with the Chinese Empire dated 6 March 1898, leased an area of 550 km² with Tsingtau as its centre for 99 years - the Kiautschou protectorate. The province of Schantung, to which the leased area actually belonged, was declared a German area of interest and a neutral zone. In this area the empire received concessions for the construction and maintenance of railway lines and mines. However, as early as 30 October 1895, the German Reich had the right to establish branches in the international contracted ports of Tientsin and Hankou, which had existed since 1859/60. And of course the empire, like the other great powers and other states involved in China trade, also maintained a legation in Beijing. German missions were also active in the interior of China, as were German merchants, especially in Shanghai. The German Reich was therefore indeed heavily involved in China and saw itself as such. Against this background, the xenophobic riots in China in Germany that began at the end of 1899 and quickly became more serious were perceived as a threat. The regent, Empress Cixi, remained ambiguous at first in her measures against the "fist fighters united in righteousness", referred to by the colonial powers as "boxers" for short, units of the imperial Chinese army partly allied themselves with them. The uprising continued to increase from January 1900 onwards, with excessive acts of violence against Chinese Christians and foreigners. From May 1900 the foreign landscapes in Beijing were threatened by insurgents, the railway lines from Beijing to the coast were attacked. The Gesandschaften therefore requested military support. In May 1900, the German Reich sent a contingent of the III Sea Battalion stationed in Tsingtau to Beijing, two further companies were ordered to Tientsin, and the cruiser squadron moved to the roadstead before the Taku forts at the mouth of the river Peiho. Meanwhile, the situation in Beijing continued to deteriorate and further troops were needed. In June 1900, the troops of the colonial powers in China formed an expeditionary corps led by the British admiral Seymour (2066 men). However, this was stopped in mid-June by Chinese troops (boxers and regular army) and had to turn back. The foreigners and Chinese Christians in Beijing had meanwhile barricaded themselves in the Gesandschaftsviertel and were cut off from the outside world. The allied colonial powers (USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Japan) stormed the Taku-Forts on June 17, the Chinese government ultimatively called on all foreigners to leave China on June 19. On 20 June the German envoy, Baron Clemens von Ketteler, was murdered in Beijing. By edict of 21 June, China effectively declared war on the Allies, but this was not reciprocated by them. The Allied troops withdrew to Tientsin at the end of June 1900. In Germany, on 25 June, a naval expedition corps of 2528 men (under Major General von Höpfner) was formed from the members of the naval infantry. In addition, on 3 July the order was given to set up an expedition corps of volunteers from the army (under Lieutenant General von Lessel). The Allies had agreed to form an international expeditionary corps, with Germany as commander-in-chief. On 12 August 1900, the former chief of the Great General Staff, Field Marshal Alfred Graf von Waldersee, was appointed commander-in-chief of the international armed force, which finally comprised 64,000 troops. Waldersee used the "Army Command East Asia" as a staff. The East Asian Expeditionary Corps set sail with its first parts on 27 July in Bremerhaven, when Emperor Wilhelm II gave the famous "Hun speech" at their farewell. With the 19,093 men of its East Asian Expeditionary Corps under Lieutenant General von Lessel, the German Reich provided almost a third of the international armed forces. Structure of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps: 3 infantry brigades to 2 infantry regiments with 9 companies each 1 fighter company 1 cavalry regiment to 4 escadrons 1 field artillery regiment to 3 divisions with a total of 8 batteries 2 light ammunition columns 1 battalion heavy field howitzers with 2 batteries 1 pioneer regiment with 9 companies each 1 hunter company 1 cavalry regiment to 4 escadrons 1 field artillery regiment to 3 divisions with a total of 8 batteries 2 light ammunition columns 1 battalion heavy field howitzers with 2 batteries 1 pioneerBattalion of 3 Companies 1 Railway Battalion of 3 Companies 1 Corps Telegraph Department 1 Medical Company 1 Munitions Column Department with 7 Munitions Columns 1 Train Command with 3 Supply Columns, 1 field bakery company, 6 field hospitals 1 stage command with 1 horse depot, 1 military hospital depot, 1 stage ammunition column, personnel for 3 war hospitals and one hospital ship, several supply stations Already on the 4th day of operations, the first day of operations was at the hospital. On August 1, the Allied troops (about 20,000 men) gathered in Tientsin had once again set out and this time were able to fight their way through to Beijing. On August 14, Beijing was taken and then plundered for three days. The Chinese government fled to the south. When the international troops under Waldersee arrived in China, the situation was essentially settled, Beijing and Tientsin were horrified. Numerous "punitive expeditions" for the final destruction of the Boxers followed, in which the East Asian Expeditionary Corps was also intensively involved. The Allied approach was characterized by excessive brutality and numerous riots against the civilian population. On January 10, 1901, the Regent accepted the conditions of the Allies as laid down in the "Boxer Protocol" signed on September 7, 1901. The East Asian Expeditionary Corps was disbanded on 17 May 1901 and transformed into the East Asian Occupation Brigade stationed at Beijing, Tientsin, Langfang, Yangtsun, Tangku and Shanghaikwan. Structure of the East Asian Occupation Brigade: 1 command staff with administrative authorities 2 infantry regiments with 6 companies each, of which 1 company mounted 1 escadron hunter on horseback 1 field battery 1 pioneer company with telegraph detachment 1 field hospital The East Asian Occupation Brigade was further reduced in size and restructured on 1 May and 11 December 1902. On 6 March 1906, the East Asian Occupation Brigade was also dissolved and replaced by a battalion-strength detachment. This was replaced on 5 April 1909 by a naval infantry unit, which was wound up in 1910. The East Asian Department in the Prussian Ministry of War (inventory PH 2) was organizationally responsible. Processing note: The holdings initially comprised only three AE, which together with the few files of the Schutztruppen formed the holdings of RW 51 Kaiserliche Schutztruppen and other armed forces overseas. In 2008, nine further AE of different origins were added and a separate portfolio RW 61 was now formed. The inventory was developed in February 2010. Description of the holdings: The holdings contain the documents of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps and the East Asian Occupation Brigade, as far as they are available in the military archives. Characterization of content: The inventory contains hardly any real material files. It consists mainly of several German-Chinese place name glossaries. Worth mentioning is a publication about the locations Langfang, Yangtsun, Tangku and Schanghaikwan with numerous illustrations. State of development: The inventory initially comprised only three AE, which together with the few files of the Schutztruppen formed the inventory RW 51 Kaiserliche Schutztruppen and other armed forces overseas. In 2008, nine further AE of different origins were added and a separate portfolio RW 61 was now formed. The inventory was developed in February 2010. Pre-archival order: The documents of the East Asian Expeditionary Corps and the East Asian Occupation Brigade must essentially be regarded as lost in the fire of the Army Archives in 1945. Only pieces that have survived by chance have been preserved. These were supplemented by documents from the environment of the two associations, the branches in Tientsin, Hankou and Beijing. Citation style: BArch, RW 61/...