Where to find German military records
Researcher
Tue Oct 28 2025
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< 5 minutes read
Locating your German ancestors' military records may offer a powerful insight into your family's past. Spanning boundary changes and centuries of history, German records can reveal the role your family played in major world conflicts and help you to understand their experiences in vivid detail.
Understanding German military history
Locating your German ancestors' military records may offer a powerful insight into your family's past. Spanning boundary changes and centuries of history, German records can reveal the role your family played in major world conflicts and help you to understand their experiences in vivid detail.
Understanding German military history
A faded military document, filled out in German. Key details - a regiment, a hometown and a rank - lie within; the key to fascinating new genealogy discoveries. Within a single military record, an important part of your family story may be revealed.
Many of our family histories aren't confined by national borders. Over generations, our lineage has been shaped by key factors like travel, migration and military service. If you've uncovered a German connection when tracing your family tree, the next logical step may be to research your ancestors' military service.
How Germany has changed over time
Before you start searching, it helps to understand how the German military organisation has evolved over time, in conjunction with changes in boundaries and governments.
- Before 1871, what we now call Germany was a collection of states - Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg and others - each with its own army and record-keeping systems.
- From 1871 to 1918, the German Empire was unified under Prussian leadership. Soldiers served in the Imperial German Army (Deutsches Heer).
- 1919–1935 saw the smaller Reichswehr, the post–First World War army limited by the Treaty of Versailles.
- 1935–1945 was the period of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.
- After 1955, the modern Bundeswehr was established in West Germany, with separate archives for contemporary service.
Each era produced distinct military and personnel records, which are now held in various repositories.
Where to find German military genealogy records
Several archives and online collections hold valuable material for tracing German soldiers:
Thanks to recent digitisation projects, more records than ever are available to search online. Findmypast holds international and prisoner of war records which contain German servicemen, particularly during the world wars.
German sources
- Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt). Now part of Berlin's Bundesarchiv, this office maintains detailed service files for soldiers of the Wehrmacht (1939–1945), including personnel cards, casualty reports, and next of kin details.
- Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv (Freiburg). The main German military archive, holding officer files, regimental histories, and personal documents from the Imperial German Army, Navy, and Air Force.
- State and regional archives (Landesarchive). For pre-1871 service, you'll need to consult archives in Prussia, Bavaria, or other former German states. Many hold militia rolls, officer lists and pension records.
What information can German military records reveal?
Depending on the time period, German military documents can be remarkably detailed. You may find:
- Full name, date and place of birth
- Regiment, rank and service dates
- Next of kin and home address
- Details of wounds, decorations or death in service
- Notes on religion, occupation and physical characteristics
As well as confirming the dates and details of military service, this information can help you connect family tree branches and understand the social history of the period.
How to find your ancestor's German documents
Start with what you know
A name, birthplace, or approximate birth year is enough to get started. If your ancestor emigrated, clues in naturalisation papers, passenger lists, or even tombstones may mention a regiment or conflict (for example, 'served in the Great War').
Consider language variations
Search online archives using German-language keywords - for instance, Militär, Heer, Krieg, Gefallen (killed), or Dienst (service). For common German surnames, filtering by birthplace or regiment can narrow your results.
Use other records to fill in the gaps
If you find only fragments of your ancestor's paper trail, don't be discouraged. German service records are often scattered due to war losses, but cross-referencing church records, civil registers and old newspapers can help piece the story together.
Delve deeper into your ancestor's service
German newspapers and regimental histories often commemorate local men who served or died in action. Even a short newspaper obituary - 'Gefreiter Karl Bauer, gefallen in Flandern' / Corporal Karl Bauer, killed in Flanders) - can unlock new leads.
By combining digitised archives, local sources, and global genealogy platforms, you can trace the footsteps of your German ancestors across battlefields and centuries. Each record brings you closer to understanding their world - and the sacrifices that shaped the generations that followed.