Background
Ruling through a totalitarian dictatorship, from 1933 until 1945 Germany was governed by the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, more commonly known as the Nazi Party. Pulling the German economy out of the depths of the Great Depression through a heavy focus on military production, the Nazi regime became extremely popular in Germany and began implementing its agenda of racism within the Third Reich and territorial expansion outside of it, eventually leading to two of the largest catastrophes of the twentieth century: World War II and the Holocaust. The military, the Nazi Party, and the government became blurred together over the reign of the Nazis until they were almost indistinguishable.
Beginning with the invasion of Poland in 1939, the Nazis quickly conquered most of Europe by the end of 1940. However, the tides of the war shifted after the failed invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, as well as the entry of the United States on the side of the Allies after the events at Pearl Harbor. The Nazi regime crumbled at the end of World War II as the Allies closed in on Berlin and Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. The German Military Personnel Papers are a large collection of photographs from this time period documenting various actors of the regime in government and military capacities.
Scope of collection
The German Military Personnel Papers contain helpful visual resources for researchers interested in Nazi Germany and World War II. Numerous photographs of government leaders, such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, are available to researchers, as well as a sheaf of pictures of government ministers, bureaucrats, and regional Nazi Party leaders. Some large gatherings of Nazi officials and personnel, such as rallies and parades, are documented.
Also represented are various personnel members across all branches of the German military, including non-traditional paramilitary organizations like the SS (Schutzstaffel) and SA (Sturmabteilung). Smaller collections of Germans unaffiliated with the Nazi regime, such as Weimar Republic officials, German Communist refugees in the Soviet Union, and proceedings from the Nuremberg Trials, are included as well.
Inventory
Air Force (Luftwaffe)
undated
Box 1: 1
Army (Wehrmacht): A-K
undated
Box 1: 2
Army (Wehrmacht): L-Z
1930, undated
Box 1: 3
Army (Wehrmacht): Unidentified
1941 Nov, undated
Box 1: 4
Combat Film Stills
1944-1948, undated
Box 1: 5
Crowds / Large Events
1931-1932, undated
Box 1: 6
Foreign Office (AA): A-R
undated
Box 1: 7
Foreign Office (AA): S-Z
1944, undated
Box 1: 8
German Labour Front (DAF)
undated
Box 1: 9
Hitler, Adolf
1936 Aug-1940 Jun, undated
Box 1: 10
Hitler, Adolf
undated
Box 1: 11
Ministers and Bureaucrats (A-L)
undated
Box 1: 12
Ministers and Bureaucrats (M-Z)
undated
Box 1: 13
Mussolini, Benito
1943 Sep, undated
Box 1: 14
National Committee for a Free Germany
1943 Aug
Box 1: 15
Navy (Kriegsmarine)
1927-1940, undated
Box 1: 16
Nazi Party (NSDAP) Leaders and Members: A-G
undated
Box 1: 17
Nazi Party (NSDAP) Leaders and Members: H-K
undated
Box 1: 18
Nazi Party (NSDAP) Leaders and Members: L-R
undated
Box 1: 19
Nazi Party (NSDAP) Leaders and Members: S
undated
Box 1: 20
Nazi Party (NSDAP) Leaders and Members: T-Z
undated
Box 1: 21
News Clippings: English
1970 May, undated
Box 1: 22
News Clippings: German
1942 May-1945, undated
Box 1: 23
Nuremberg Trials
1945 Nov-1946 Oct
Box 1: 24
Officials: Unknown Position
undated
Box 1: 25
Private Citizens
undated
Box 1: 26
Professors and Educators
undated
Box 1: 27
SA (Sturmabteilung)
undated
Box 1: 28
SS (Schutzstaffel)
undated
Box 1: 29
Unidentified
1943 Nov, undated
Box 1: 30
Unidentified
undated
Box 1: 31
Weimar Republic Officials
1924 May-1935 Jun, undated
Box 1: 32
Administrative information
Search terms
Subjects
- Germany
- Nazis
- World War, 1939-1945
Genres and formats
- Black-and-white photographs