How to use the German War Graves database
by Roland Fogt
The website for the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund der Deutschekriegsgraberfursorge) has recently undergone some changes. For those searching its database (which is in German only) follow these instructions:
- Go to http://www.volksbund.de/
- Click on "Grabersuche online" at the top of the page
- Click on "zur Onlinesuche >" in the middle of the page
- You will be given 5 boxes to fill in. They are:
Nachname=Last name
Vorname=First name
Geburstdatum=Date of birth
Todesdatum=Date of death
Geburtsort=Place of birth
Fill in as much as possible. Remember to enter dates as dd.mm.yyyy (so July 4th, 2001 would read as 04.07.2001) - The new search procedures require that a questionnaire be filled out prior to receiving your search results. As a minimum, the items marked with an asterisk must be completed. They are:
Vorname (First name)
Nachname (Last name)
Straße / Nr.*: (Street Address)
Land / PLZ / Ort*: (Country/zip code/city)
(If you are interested in completing the entire questionnaire, the translated version is at the end of these instructions)
Scroll down to the end of the questionnaire and click on "Zur Ergebnisseite" - You will be taken to a page that includes the address for the Commission and a short note thanking you for your support. Click on "Suchanfrage ausfuhren"
- You will then be given the results. The term "Die Recherche war lieder erfolglos" indicates that no results were found based on the information provided. Possible matches will be listed by last names that are linked to further information. Keep in mind that the database may occasionally be down for maintenance and updating (Wartungsarbeit).
- Once you have clicked on a possible match you will be taken to that
individuals information page which lists:
Zum Gedenken (In memory of)
Nachname (Last name)
Vorname (First name)
Dienstgrad (Rank)
Geburstdatum (Date of birth)
Geburtsort (Place of birth)
Todesdatum (Date of death)
Todesort (Place of death)
This is followed a short paragraph which describes where the individual is buried, if known. Copy the information and paste it on one of the many online translation services (such as www.freetranslation.com/). The results
may not be 100% grammatically correct, but it will give you the gist of what you are looking for.
Ttanslated Questionnaire
Anrede: (Form of address) Herr Frau
Vorname*: (First name)
Nachname*: (Last name)
Titel: (Title)
Straße / Nr.*: (Street #)
Land / PLZ / Ort*:
Postfach: (P.O. Box)
Geburtsdatum: (Birthdate)
Vorwahl: (Area code)
Tel. Nr.:
Fax. Nr.:
E-mail:
Mitgliedschafts-
interesse: (Interested in Membership?)
*(bitte auf jeden Fall ausfüllen) *Must be completed
Indicate your interest in using the database:
(Grund meines Interesses an der "Gräbersuche online")
Searching for graves of family members
(Suche nach Kriegsgräbern von Familienangehörigen)
Family history research
(Ich bin Familienforscher)
Searching for graves of friends and acquaintances
(Suche nach Kriegsgräbern von Freunden/Bekannten)
Searching for graves of fellow veterans
(Suche nach Kriegsgräbern von Kriegskameraden)
Historical interest
(Geschichtliches Interesse)
School or research project
(Schulprojekt/sonstiges Bildungsprojekt)
Searching at the request of another person
(Ich suche auf Bitten/im Auftrag einer anderen Person)
Weitere Gründe
(Other reason(s) specify)
Ihre Meinung zur "Gräbersuche online"
(Your comments on the online database)
Vielen Dank für Ihre Unterstützung!
Wir hoffen, dass wir auch Ihnen helfen können
(Thank you very much for your support!)
(We hope that we were able to help you)
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Last update: 14 Feb 2004
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