Documentation of various Concentration Camps, e.g. Buchenwald, Dachau, Mauthausen, Natzweiler, Flossenbürg; documentation of prisons; Displaced Persons documentation; Hadamar sanatorium; reports and witness reports.

Scope and content

Documentation on War Crimes and Atrocities in Concentration Camps, Prisons and Asylums; Documentation on Displaced Persons:
On the one hand the microfilms contain a variety of papers documenting war crimes, e.g. in Oradour-sur-Glane, and atrocities of detainees in Germany and the occupied territories. Among them are lists of deceased or notes from various concentration camps, POW-camps, prisons and asylums certifying the death of detainees. The War Crimes Branch collected other material as well, e.g. proposals for decoration of SS-personnel and index cards of detainees who served certain functions in camps. Additionally, the War Crimes Branch of the U.S. Army recorded many witness reports on atrocities and murders of detainees as well as those atrocities and murders on civilians and allied soldiers that were committed even before the latter had been brought to a camp. Last but not least, the microfilms contain summaries of interrogations and documents of the trials. On the other hand the microfilms contain documentation about citizens of allied nations, who were interned as civilians by the German Reich or its allies. A large part consists of the correspondence between American consulates, embassies, the American Government and American organizations and relatives who tried to facilitate the return of the internees and for certain other people to be granted a visa. Additionally, the microfilms contain documentation on Displaced Persons and their emigration from Europe after the war as well.

Existence and location of originals

The original paper records produced in Germany were returned to German authorities in the 1960's after they were filmed. Original microflims belong to NARA, USA.