Inquiries

The Military History Research Institute (MGFA) prepares studies and expert reports in the field of military history both for the Federal Ministry of Defense and – as an administrative assistance service – for other national and international agencies. Specialized historians provide advisory opinions for courts, public prosecutors and pension offices. MGFA supports Bundeswehr agencies in the preparation of historical staff rides and examples from the history of war.
The Military History Research Institute does what it can to answer inquiries from members of the public and the media regarding German and international history. The inquiries cover a wide range of issues, e.g. the verification of areas of operations of units and of air raids on the civilian population, support of research and training projects within and outside the Bundeswehr as well as inquiries in the field of army science, including uniformology. Each year, MGFA answers more than 2,000 inquiries.
Certain inquiries cannot be answered with the material available to MGFA. The right column contains a list of topics on which inquiries should be sent to another agency from the outset.

Badisches Armeekorps (Baden Army Corps):
Badisches Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe (Baden General Land Archive), Nördliche Hildapromenade 2, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Phone: +49-721-926-2206, glakarlsruhe@la-bw.de

Bayerische Armee (Bavarian Army):
Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Bavarian Main State Archive), Abt. IV - Kriegsarchiv, Leonrodstraße 57, D-80636 München, Phone: +49-89-1895-1680, kriegsarchiv@bayhsta.bayern.de

Preußische Armee (Prussian Army):
Due to the American air raid on Potsdam of April 1945, the holdings of the Preußisches Heeresarchiv (Prussian Army Archive) were almost completely destroyed. This is particularly true for officer lists, soldier muster rolls and personnel files. Information can only be provided through indirect channels, e. g. Krankenbuchlager (Sick Book Store) (military hospital documents until 1919), Wattstraße 11-13, D-13355 Berlin: http://www.berlin.de/sengessozv/lageso/kbl.html or the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Secret State Archive of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) (e. g. military church registers and muster rolls until at least 1867), Archivstraße 12-14, D-14195 Berlin, http://www.gsta.spk-berlin.de
Exception: Officer data are complete from 1850, mostly it is possible to study printed active lists in libraries.

Sächsische Armee (Saxon Army):
Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden (Main State Archive), Archivstraße 14, D-01097 Dresden, Phone: +49-351-8006-0, Fax: +49-351-802 1274 hstadd@archive.smi.sachsen.de

Württembergisches Armeekorps (Wurttemberg Army Corps):
Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (Land Archive of Baden-Wurttemberg), Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, Konrad-Adenauer-Str 4, D-70173 Stuttgart, Phone: +49-711-212-4311,, hstastuttgart@la-bw.de

Points of contact for Reichswehr members, 1919-1939: :
Records like ”Prussian Army” were destroyed, information might be available at the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv (Federal Military Archive) (BA-MA), Wiesentalstraße 10, D-79115 Freiburg, Phone: +49-761-47817-0, Fax: +49-761-47817-900, http://www.bundesarchiv.de

Members of the former German Wehrmacht:
Deutsche Dienststelle (Wehrmacht Information Office) (WASt), Eichborndamm 179, D-13403 Berlin, Phone: +49-30-41904-0, Fax: +49-30-41904-100, (http://www.dd-wast.de) and ”Reichswehr”, above.

Members of the SS, SA and members of the NSDAP as well as of its subsidiary organisations:
Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive) (BA), Finckensteinallee 63, D-12205 Berlin (http://www.bundesarchiv.de)

Members of SS, Organisation Todt, Reich Labour Service, military jurisdiction as well as medals and decorations of the Third Reich:
Deutsche Dienststelle (Wehrmacht Information Office) (WASt), Eichborndamm 179, D-13403 Berlin, Phone: +49-30-41904-0, Fax: +49-30-41904-100, (http://www.dd-wast.de)

Members of the German Navy (1935 to 1945) and files on POWs in Germany and German POWs:
Deutsche Dienststelle (Wehrmacht Information Office) (as ”Wehrmacht”, p. 2)

List of graves (war cemeteries):
Deutsche Dienststelle (Wehrmacht Information Office) (as ”Wehrmacht”, p. 2) and Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (German War Graves Agency, Werner-Hilpert-Straße 2, D-34112 Kassel, http://www.volksbund.de

Files on military operations:
”Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv” (Federal Military Archive) (as ”Reichswehr”, p. 2)

Publications of the MGFA:
A complete list of publications is provided at our website http://www.mgfa.de
You may download the four current issues of our journal ”Militärgeschichte. Zeitschrift für historische Bildung” (Military History. Journal for historical education) as PDF file. Bundeswehr military personnel is granted a discount for private orders via the MGFA.

Wishes for publication:
The MGFA is only in exceptional cases able to publish book manuscripts of authors who are not members of the MGFA. However, manuscripts of essays can be sent to the editorial staff of the journals "Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift" (”Military historical journal” which is intended for scientific research) and "Militärgeschichte. Zeitschrift für historische Bildung" (Military History. Journal for historical education which addresses a broad public). You are requested to contact the editorial staff of the respective journal directly.
mgzredaktion@bundeswehr.org (Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift)
MGFAPresseEingang@bundeswehr.org (Militärgeschichte)

Offers of files and military items:
The MGFA is not an archive and therefore not in a position to buy relevant documents. Please contact ”Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv” (Federal Military Archive ) (as “Reichswehr”, p. 2)

Uniform parts, weapons, equipment items:
The Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden, (Bundeswehr Military History Museum) Olbrichtplatz 3, D-01099 Dresden, Phone: +49-351-823-0, Fax: +49-351-823-2805 which is subordinate to the MGFA, buys limited amounts of military items. We would like to ask you to submit respective offers to this museum.

If you wish to contact personnel of the most important military museums, please apply to the following addresses: ”Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden” (Bundeswehr Military History Museum Dresden), see above Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, (Bundeswehr Air Force Museum) General-Steinhoff-Kaserne, Kladower Damm 182-188, D-14089 Berlin, Phone: +49-30-3687 2600, Fax: +49-30-3687 2610, http://www.luftwaffenmuseum.de
Deutsches Marinemuseum, (German Navy Museum) Südstrand 125, D-26382 Wilhelmshaven, Phone: +49-4421-41061, Fax: +49-4421-41063, info@marinemuseum.de, http://www.marinemuseum.de