research Ancestry - 2.4m WW2 German 'Gefallen' Files Added

hucks216 · May 8, 2020

I am sure some will of seen this announced on other forums but for those that don't know Ancestry in Germany have now added 2.4 million cards for those soldiers killed between 1939-1948 and although I am led to believe that those cards relating to late 1944 don't exist there may well be some for that period and 1945. So far the latest date I have been able to find a card file for is July 1944 but I have been told that there are some for later in 1944 and 1945.

So far I have found card files for members in all 3 branches of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS (including Concentration Camp guards) and Polizei. Some have just one side of a card while others might have 2 or 3 double sided cards of information.

If you have a Wehrpass or Soldbuch to a man killed in action then the chances are that the card files will tell you little new except that in a lot of examples the card files tell you how he died (gun shot to lungs, head injury etc) and where he was originally buried. But if all you have is a memorial card or a grave photo then you will be able to gain a lot of information such as his basic training unit, his last unit, dogtag details and so on. See below for a couple of examples. It would seem that people are having an approx 75-80% success rate in finding who they are looking for.

This is already shaping up to be an incredible resource and I have already been told by one German collector that he has been able to find his Grandfather's card and despite the Red Cross, Volksbund & WASt not telling him about any burial details in the past there on the back of the card was his original grave details showing that he had received a proper burial from his comrades, something that has brought peace of mind to his remaining son & daughter 76 years later.

But as with all things Ancestry, after your trial period ends you will need to subscribe to the site to obtain access.