Digitized German Records from the US Archives (NARA)

I have several DVDs with digitized WWII German Army records from the US Archives. Since I like fortifications, most of these DVDs contain documents concerning the Maginot Line and Westwall. For example, I have all eight Fortification Denkschrifts published by the Germany Army on a four DVD set. However, I also have DVDs with OKH daily reports and orders for the period from Normandy to the Bulge 44, Operation Sea Lion documents, Channel Port defenses, Army Group D records, and a three DVD set with map atlases from Army Group North on the Eastern Front from 1941-43. I also have a DVD with photographs from the Rommel collection held at the US archives.

Most of the DVDs are digitized copies of the microfilm rolls in the Captured German Records collection held at the archives and cost $125 ($135 International) if you buy them directly from NARA. I sell copies at much lower prices and then use the money to buy even more DVDs which I then use either for my own research purposes or to raise money for buying even more DVDs.

If you are interested, you can see some of my products on ebay under "digitalhistoryarchive," or if you prefer send me a PM for my product list.

Cheers, Marc

 

Hi Marc,

Are they translated into English ? If so I would be interested in any 1940 documents relating to the France Flanders campaign.

Regards
Andy

 

Marc - feel free to post a direct link to your eBay shop as I am sure there will be many interested.

 

Hi Andy - No, the documents have not been translated. The documents are from the captured German records collection that US Army took after WWII and then returned to the German Government in the 1970s. Before the records were returned, they were microfilmed. For that last few years it has been possible to buy DVDs with scanned images of the microfilmed records. As such, these are primary sources and are not in English. In some cases it does not matter much because the documents are maps or charts. In other instances, the documents are text.

My small, but growing, collection does not include any documents of the Flanders 1940 campaign. This is a gap that I would like to rectify as I find that part of the French campaign to be very interesting. But, at the moment, I do have anything.

Paul - At the moment I do not have an ebay shop. I have only been selling the DVDs and growing the collection for the last six months or so. Once the collection grows more (it is currently about 40 CDs and DVDs), I hope to establish a more permanent presence on ebay. In the meantime, I update and email my product list monthly.

Regards, Marc

 

Thanks for the reply Marc.

 

[FONT=&quot][/FONT] [FONT=&quot]A forum member pointed out that they could not find "digitalhistoryarchive" on ebay. Me too - sometimes ebay mystifies me. Anyway, if you search for this item number - [/FONT][FONT=&quot]280613455623 - you can find my listing for the DVD with the Sea Lion files, and furthermore see how the files on a NARA DVD look. Regards, Marc [/FONT]

 

Marc, when you refer to photographs from the Rommel collection, do you mean photos of documents or period photographs (including the 1940 campaign) ?

 

Hi Rich,

The DVD has period photographs. Here is the product description I use on ebay - CD with images of 854 photographs from the Rommel Photograph Collection located in the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The collection contains photographs depicting military activities in the French and North African campaigns. The photographs were taken by various German photographers and copies provided to General Rommel as a courtesy. There are photographs of equipment and troops in action, landscape scenes, as well as photographs of Rommel and a few other German leaders. Current ebay item number is – 280612387710

I hope that answers your question.

Regards, Marc

 

Hi Owen - Thanks for being so smart! Why didn't I think of that? (Sigh). Regards, Marc

 

Any stuff about Holland/Market Garden available?

 

Hello Philip,

I have several DVDs with records from Army Group D which later became OB West. Included on four of the DVDs are the war jounals, orders and reports for the Sep 44 period. I do not have anything an the lower level, say for example the German 15th Army or 1st Parachute Army. If you are interested, please email me at digitalhistoryarchive (at) verizon.net and I can send you more detailed information.

Regards, Marc

 

Hi Rich,

The DVD has period photographs. Here is the product description I use on ebay - CD with images of 854 photographs from the Rommel Photograph Collection located in the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The collection contains photographs depicting military activities in the French and North African campaigns. The photographs were taken by various German photographers and copies provided to General Rommel as a courtesy. There are photographs of equipment and troops in action, landscape scenes, as well as photographs of Rommel and a few other German leaders. Current ebay item number is – 280612387710

I hope that answers your question.

Regards, Marc



Now why didn't you say that

I've just ordered a disc. Let me know the total amount via ebay system and I'll pay you via paypal.

Cheers
A

 

Andy,

I know! Everyday on this forum I am learning to try and describe things as others would want to receive the information, vice how I want to say it. This is especially true with regards to the American and British ways of communicating.

I have started scanning the second half of the Rommel collection, which has the North Africa photos. I scan the photos at 600 dpi and when there are captions, I scan the reverse too (at a lower resolution). It is a time consuming process and there must be close to 1,000 photos of the North Africa campaign.

Regards,
Marc

 

Have order one of your disks today on the Blitzkrieg Bunkers. Will certainly order the North Africa stuff when you've done it.

 

Next time I visit the archives (I am lucky enough to live about 30 minutes away), I will dive into the files for Flanders/Dunkirk 1940, North Africa, and Market Garden material.

Cheers, Marc

 

email send

 

I just received four new DVDs with WWII files from NARA. Here is a description of the first one I have cataloged. If you are interested in this and other similar DVDs files, please PM me; I sell the DVDs at very reasonable prices. Cheers, Marc

[FONT=&quot]German Army Intelligence Studies 1940-43 [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]T-78 Roll 541: Two DVDs with 1201 images (600 dpi) of various German intelligence studies including a[/FONT][FONT=&quot]1918 report on underground shelters, quarries, caves, catacombs, and grottos in northern France;[/FONT][FONT=&quot]1940 report on British defensive tactics[/FONT][FONT=&quot]; a 1944 study of the Free French Army including organization, unit strengths, weaponry, order of-battle, and assessments of the combat value of the various types of troops; a 1943 handbook of British military practices and tactics; a 1940 handbook on Belgian artillery ammunition, including data on casings, explosives, and shell ballistics for artillery pieces ranging from 6 cm-10cm; a 1940 handbook on French Army combat doctrine and tactics; a 1939 handbook on the treatment of enemy prisoners of war, based on experiences in WWI, a 1939 study of the fortifications of the city of Namur, Belgium, including information on physical characteristics, armaments, and garrison strengths of individual forts (including WWI data); a 1939 study of the Belgian Army including organization, frontier fortifications, deployment and operational plans, combat assessments, and weaponry; a 1940 study of British fortifications and field obstacles in England with aerial photographs and diagrams of bunkers, gun emplacements, trenches, anti-tank ditches, roadblocks, and barbed wire obstacles, a 1940 study of the fortifications of Antwerp, Belgium, including a brief history of the fortress, its fortifications in 1914, and changes made by Germans during WWI, detailed descriptions of the fortifications in 1940, an aerial photograph map of Antwerp showing the location of forts, and blueprints for several individual forts, a 1942 report on the Vichy French Army and the organization, combat doctrine, and tactics of its "Forces Mobiles" and "Groupes Mobiles."[/FONT]

 

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Hi Stolpi,

I have not seen any photos of British soldiers in the Ardennes, although I have seen such photos for Normandy and nearby areas. I will take a look the next time I work with Signal Corps photo collection.

Regards,
Marc