GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA. No. 34. Records of ...

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GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA.
No. 34. Records of German Army Areas
The National Archives
National Archives and Records Service
General Services Administration
Washington: 1962
This finding aid, prepared under the direction of the Committee for the Study
of War Documents of the American Historical Association, has been reproduced by the
National Archives as part of its program of facilitating the use of records in its
custody.
The microfilm described in this list has been deposited in the National Archives
by the American Historical Association and may be identified as Microcopy No. T-79.
It may be consulted at the National Archives. A price list appears on the last pages,
Those desiring to purchase microfilm should write to the Exhibits and Publications
Branch, National Archives, Washington 2£, D. C.
Some of the papers reproduced on the microfilm referred to in this and other
guides of the same series may have been of private origin. The fact of their seizure
is not believed to divest their original owners of any literary property rights in
them. Anyone, therefore, who publishes them in whole or in part without permission
of their authors may be held liable for infringement of such literary property rights,
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
COMMITTEE! FOR THE STUDY OP ¥AR DOCUMENTS
GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA.
No. 3^« Records of German Army Areas
(Wehrkxeise)

THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (AHA)
COMMITTEE FOR THE STUDY OP WAR DOCUMENTS
GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA.
This is part of a series of Guides prepared by the American Historical Association listing records microfilmed at Alexandria, Virginia,
"by the American Historical Association Microfilming Project.
An American Committee for the Study of War Documents was established in 1955 as a private group of scholars interested in documentary
research and especially in the microfilming of records of foreign origin kept in American depositories* In 1956» the American Committee "be-
came a committee of the American Historical Association. Its present chairman is Professor Oron J. Hale, University of Virginia, who was
preceded "by Dean Reginald H. Phelps, Harvard University, and Professor Lynn M. Case, The University of Pennsylvania. An initial Ford Founda-
tion grant and additional funds provided "by the Old Dominion Foundation, the Lilly Endowment and the Avalon Foundation enabled the Committee
to undertake the cataloguing and microfilming of declassified German records in the custody of the World War II Records Division of the
National Archives (previously TAGO, Departmental Records Branch), at Alexandria, Virginia.
The plans for screening and microfilming these materials were prepared "by a Subcommittee on Microfilming under the chairmanship to the
end of 1956 of Professor E. Malcolm Carroll, Duke University, and his successor, Dr. Fritz T, Epstein, The Library of Congress. The micro-
filming team in Alexandria, Virginia, was under the direction of Professor Gerhard L. Weinberg of the University of Michigan in 1956/57, of
Dr. Dagmar Horna Perman from 1957 to September 1959* of Mr. James G. McDowell from September 1959 to August 1960, and is now under the super-
vision of Dr. Willard Allen Fletcher of the University of Colorado.
The American Historical Association expresses its appreciation for the cooperation given to its Committee for the Study of War Documents
by the staff of the National Archives, especially its World War II Records Division, and by the U.S. Department of the Army.
Washington, D.C«, July 196! Dr. Boyd C. Shafer
Executive Secretary, AHA
III
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA.
1. T- 71, Records of the Reich Ministry of Economics (Reichswirtschaftsministerium). 1958. 75 P»
2. T- 7^-, Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germandom (Reichskommissar fflr die Festigung deutschen
Volkstums). 1958. 15 p.
3. T- 81, Records of the National Socialist German Labor Party (Nationalsozlalistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei). Part I. 1958* lUl p.
U. T- 76, Records of the Organisation Todt* 1958. 2 p*
5* T- 8U, Miscellaneous German Records Collection (Part I). 1958* 15 p.
6. T- 82, Records of Nazi Cultural and Research Institutions, and Records Pertaining to Axis Relations and Interests in the Far East. 19580 l6l p.
7. T- 77, Records of Headquarters, German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht/OKW) Part I. 1959* 222 p«
8. T- 8U, Miscellaneous German Records Collection (Part II). 1959. 203 p.
9* T-253, Records of Private German Individuals. 1959* 23 p.
10. T- 73, Records of the Reich Ministry for Armaments and Wan Production (Reichsministerium fittr Ritstung und Kriegsproduktion). I959o 109 P»
11. T-1J8, Fragmentary Records of Miscellaneous Reich Ministries and Offices. 1959* 19 P»
12. T- 78, Records of Headquarters of the German Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres/OKH) Part I. 1959* 19 P«
13. T-177, Records of the Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium). 1959* 3^ p.
lU. T-312, Records of German Field Commands, Armies (Part I). 1959* 6l p.
15. T-179, Records of Former German and Japanese Embassies and Consulates 1890~19^5« I960* 63 P»
16. T- 81, Records of the Deutsches Ausland-Institut, Stuttgart. Part I: Records on Resettlement. I960. 105 P*
17. 0?- 77, Records of Headquarters, German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht/OKW) Part III I960. 213 p,
18. T- 771 Records of Headquarters, German Armed Forces High Command (Oterkommando der Wehrmacht/OKW) Part III* I960. 118 p»
19. T~ 77, Records of Headquarters, German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht/OKW) Part IV. 1960. 76 p.
20. T~ 81, Records of the National Socialist German Labor Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) Part II. 1960* ^5 p»
21. T- 81, Records of the Deutsches Ausland-Institut, Stuttgart. Part II: The General Records. 1961. 180 p.
22. OS- 70, Records of the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. 1961. Ul p.
23* T~ 83, Records of Private Austrian, Dutch, and German Enterprises, 1917-19^6. 1961. 119 p*
2U. T-321, Records of Headquarters of the German Air Force High Command (Oberkommando der JSuftwaffe/OKL). 1961. 59 p.
25« 3M*05, German Air Force Records: Luftgaukommandos, Flak, Deutsche Luftwaffenmission in Rumfinien. 1961. Ul p.
26. T-U01, Records of Reich Office for Soil Exploration (Reichsamt filr Bodenforschung). 196!. 11 p.
27. $~35^t Miscellaneous SS Records: Einwandererzentralstelle, Waffen-SS, and SS-0"berabschnitte. 1961. 3^ P»
28. T-U5U, Records of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories (Reichsministerium fdr die besetzten Ostgebiete), 19^1-^5. 1961. 69 p.
29« 3?- 78, Records of Headquarters, German Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres/OKH) Part II. 1961. 15^ p«
30. T- 78, Records of Headquarters, German Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres/OKH) Part III. l§6l. 212 p»
31. OM*59, Records of the Office of the Reich Commissioner for the Baltic States (Reichskommissar filr das Ostland), 19^1-19^5, 1961. 19 p.
32. T-175, Records of the Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police (ReichsfiHhrer SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei) Part I« 1961. 165 p.
33. 2KL75, Records of the Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police (Reichsfflhrer SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei) Part II, 1961. 89 p.
IV
P R E F A CE
This Guide is one of a series of finding aids describing those declassified seized German records deposited at the World War II Records
Division, National Archives, which have been microfilmed "by the Microfilming Project of the Committee for the Study of War Documents of the
American Historical Association* The Guide contains the text of date sheets identifying records filmed, A copy of the data sheets has "been
filmed as a target sheet at the beginning of each roll of film.
This Guide covers 29? rolls of film of the records of sixteen of the seventeen Wehrkreise into which Germany was divided. These records
range from the pre-World War I period to April 19^5t with most of the material originating in the 1930!s and World War II*
Originally there had been only seven Wehrkreise, each occupied by one division bearing the same number as the Wehrkreis* During the
course of the Nazi era, however, the number was increased to 17« This increase was due to the division of existing Wehrkreise as well as to
Germany1s territorial expansion. Wehrkreis commanders were responsible for the execution of all governmental policies with respect to the
military establishment. Wehrersatzinspektionen, Wehrbezirkskommandos and Wehrmeldeflmter within each Wehrkreis were responsible for recruit-
ment and replacement matters (Ersatzwesen)*The complete designation of the Wehrkreiskommando was Generalkommando, I* Armeekorps (Wehrkreia-
kommando I) in peacetime, and Stellvertretenct.es Generalkommando, I, Armeekorps (Wehrkreiskommando I) in wartime. In wartime the primary
concern of the Wehrkreiskommando was the raising and training of personnel replacements for the field army*
While most of the material of this collection pertains to the 1930's and early 19^0's, most Hehrkreise, and VII in particular, contain
considerable amounts of material dating from the 1920's and even from the World War I and pre-World War I periods. The material of Wehrkreis
VII (Munich) constitutes historically the most interesting single group since it includes much information on all political and social events
of this period of national and international importance. It contains, for example, information on the Communist revolts of the post World War
I era, the Hitler putch of 1923 and later National Socialist agitation, etc. All Wehrkreis folders generally contain information on the follow-
ing topics: overt and covert induction and training, including para-military training outside the regular military establishment; measures to
be taken in the event of internal unrest, defense against espionage, sabotage and subversion (during the earlier period this included sub-
version from the right as well as from the left); mobilization planning; the overt and covert expansion of the armed forces in the early 1930's;
relations between the army and the NSD.SP, including ideological training within the army; Grenzschutz matters; preparations for war; mobiliza-
tion, demobilization and experiences gathered in connection with the operations against Austria and Czechoslovakia; wartime personnel and
supply matters; war diaries and other records of combat units deposited with the Wehrkreiskommando of the unit's origin; total war; and many
other topics.
The information available in this collection is exceedingly varied, touching upon all subjects of military concern as well as upon many
additional subjects of a political, ideological or social nature which one would not normally expect to find in military records* The indi-
vidual folders originated with Wehrkre i skommando s or its sections, with Wehrers at zflmtern, Wehrmeldeftntern, Grenzschutz organizations, tempo-
Continued V
rary commissions established for mobilization purposes, etc., with divisions, smaller independent units, etc. The individual reports,
directives, maps, charts, etc. were issued by offices and units of all levels from companies, Wehrmeldeamter, etc. to divisions, Wehrkreis-
kommandos, AOK's, the Reichskriegsministerium, OKH, OKW, etc. The material contained within the individual folders is quite frequently so
varied and covers such a long period, five years are not uncommon, that the descriptions, too, had to be composed in such a vague manner that
in many cases only a general idea of the content could be given. Furthermore, many folders were obviously not originally organized in the
manner in which they were deposited with the National Archives, and in some cases the material was apparently put into folders indiscrimi-
nately after it had come into Allied possession.
The following specific items may be of assistance to the researcher. Wehrkreis XIII/H50 (Roll 1J2) contains three detailed maps
showing the boundaries of the Wehrkreise as well as the location of "Stftbe und Einheiten" for the years 1936/37* 1937/38 and 193^/39»
Wehrkreis XIII/921 (Roll 2iy) contains a table of organization and an organizational chart of a Wehrkreiskommando identifying the various
sections of a Wehrkreis and defining their responsibilities. A directive in Wehrkreis XIII/1385 describes the functions and responsibili-
ties of Heeresdieng fcstelle 6 (Regenaburg) and of its subordinate Ausbildungslei ter. Heeresdienststelle 6 was one of the commands respon-
sible for the training and operation of the Grenzschutz. Reference to these documents will give the researcher a clear concept of matters
which are frequently referred to but rarely defined.
Filming was done quite selectively. Folders containing the following categories of material were eliminated either in whole or in
part: Duplicates, blank forms, low level personnel and disciplinary matters, purely technical data such as information and charts per-
taining to German communication and transportation facilities, some material with regard to the sequestration of motor vehicles, horses,
etc., maps containing no tactical or strategic information, some illegible, partially burnt material, routine inventories and office
correspondence, and others. In Wehrkreis XIII, for example, ca. U0$ of all available material was eliminated on this basis.
The terms "Serial" and "Roll" in this Guide refer to the sequence of the film. The "Item11 number is the identification symbol on
the original folder within the captured records collection. "Provenance " indicates, where ascertainable, the archival origin of the
documents whose description follows. The symbol "FT" means that the folder has been filmed throughout, the symbol "FS" denotes that the
folder has been filmed selectively. "1st frame" gives the frame number of the first page of the folder. Every exposure has been given
a frame number consecutively by roll in the filming operation. The "Notes" provide a general idea of the nature of the materials but
should not be taken as exhaustive descriptions. The researcher is urged to check the entire Guide.
The microfilms of these records are deposited in the National Archives, Washington 25, B.C., as microcopy T-79» and. should be re
quested by adding to "T-79" the roll numbers. The original documents have been returned to the German Federal Republic. The descrip-
tions were prepared by Mr. James G. McDowell, Mr. John E. Tashjean, and Mr. Frederick Dumin.
Frederick Dumin, 196!
VI
Wehi'kreis I Kflnigsberg Ostpreussen, Bialystok Rolls 1-2
Wehrkreis II Stettin Pommern, Mecklenburg 3
Wehrkreis III Berlin Brandenburg
Wehrkreis IV Dresden Sachs en, ThiHringen* 5-7
Wehrkreis V Stuttgart Elsass, Baden, Mrttemberg 7-8
Wehrkreis VI Mflnster Westfalen, Rheinland* 8
Wehrkreis VII Mflnchen Schwaben, Oberbayern, Niederbayern* 9-S3
Wehrkreis VIII Breslau Schlesien 83
Wehrkreis IX Kassel Hessen, Kurhessen, G?hi!iringen* S3
Wehrkreis X Hamburg Oldenburg, Schleswig-Holstein,
Hannover*
Wehrkreis XI Hannover Braunschweig, Anhalt, Hannover*
Wehrkreis XII Wiesbaden Pfalz, Lothringen, Rheinland*
Wehrkreis XIII Mrnberg Pranken, Oberpfalz 118-289
Wehrkreis XVII Wien Oberdonau, Mederdonau S5-11S
Wehrkreis XVIII Salzburg Salzburg, Vorarlberg, Tirol, KMrnten,
Oberkrain, Steierinark 290-293
y-^9y
Wehrkreis XX Danzig Westpreussen no rtcoi-aB
Wehrkreis XXI Posen Wartheland no records
Humbers XIV, XV, XVI, XIX were notused* Areas marked with an asterisk are not wholly enclosed v/ithin
the Wehrkreis under which they arelisted*
VII