Third Party Press

Digital research and resources - WWI/WWII

BerlinerLuebecker

Senior Member
Thought this might be an interesting idea for those who are interested in learning more about the context surrounding the hobby. I figure if we brainstorm/crowdsource the various resources we are already using and collect them in one place, this could be very useful to others looking for similar information. Best will be some kind of standardized format, like:

Title: [Name of the collection or database]
Link: [URL to main homepage]
Summary: [A couple of sentences on what kind of information can be obtained here.]

So to get the ball rolling...

Title: "Der Weltkrieg 1914 bis 1918"
Link: http://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/resolver?urn=urn:nbn:at:AT-OOeLB-1155545
Summary: High-quality digital scans of the famous and detailed official history of the First World War prepared by the Reichsarchiv Potsdam. Each chapter (or entire book) can be downloaded as a PDF by going through the "contents" link on each volume's page. 16 volumes.

Title: "Oesterreich-Ungarns Letzter Krieg 1914-1918"
Link: http://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/toc/AC01039112/0/LOG_0000/
Summary: Similar to the above post, high-quality digital scans of the famous history of Austria-Hungary's involvement in the First World War, written by Edmund Glaise von Horstenau. 15 volumes.

Title: "Bestand 500"
Link: http://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/de/nodes/1-bestand-500
Summary: A huge project of monumental importance. This is a cooperative effort between the German Historical Institute and the Russian government to digitize German document groups seized during WWII. This includes many collections from the First World War, as well as inter-war police and secret police files. For WWII, it includes files never before utilized by western researchers. For the most part, these documents exist only in Russia, and complement the incomplete records that can be found in Germany and the US National Archives. The digitization effort is ongoing, so new folders should be added regularly. Note: as far as I have been able to tell, these can only be downloaded/saved one page at a time, which is very time-consuming if trying to gain an entire file or set of files.

Title: Facing Stalingrad
Link: http://facingstalingrad.com/
Summary: A website to accompany the book by Dr. Jochen Hollbeck of the same name. This website hosts a number of interviews of German and Russian eyewitnesses to the battle of Stalingrad. Fascinating reading on a very well-constructed site.
 
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First, a million thanks for sharing these resources!

On a related note: As archivist for the German Gun Collectors Association, I can tell you that we have begun work on assembling a digital archive of period material/photos/documents on German guns and gun makers. The goal is to have the material available as downloadable files for research, study and education. As we are just beginning this process, some details are yet to be worked out. I promise to keep you advised here of progress with this project as it develops.

Steve
 
Love it. In fact, I've made is a sticky and can update it/add to it when I come across them. I've come across some great books, some in German but even still worthwhile for English speakers only such as myself.
 
First, a million thanks for sharing these resources!

On a related note: As archivist for the German Gun Collectors Association, I can tell you that we have begun work on assembling a digital archive of period material/photos/documents on German guns and gun makers. The goal is to have the material available as downloadable files for research, study and education. As we are just beginning this process, some details are yet to be worked out. I promise to keep you advised here of progress with this project as it develops.

Steve

Sounds like a great project! Looking forward to the updates. :thumbsup:

Incidentally, time allowing, I'm happy to help anyone who needs assistance deciphering the old Sütterlin/Kurrentschrift script.
 
...we have begun work on assembling a digital archive of period material/photos/documents on German guns and gun makers. The goal is to have the material available as downloadable files for research, study and education. As we are just beginning this process, some details are yet to be worked out. I promise to keep you advised here of progress with this project as it develops.

Steve

Fantastic! My family roots are far up the Ruhr valley and I'm actually as interested in the manufacturing and logistical aspects of the operations as the artifacts themselves. A fascinating endeavour!
 
Sounds like a great project! Looking forward to the updates. :thumbsup:

Incidentally, time allowing, I'm happy to help anyone who needs assistance deciphering the old Sütterlin/Kurrentschrift script.

How are you with handwritten Sütterlin? Would you care to take a look at a couple of "puzzles" I have? One in particular is a real prize to me. Out of many picture postcards of the Reichsschiessschüle in Obermassfeld I have collected, I finally got one written by an attendee to his friend in the Wehrmacht. I can make out 90% or so of his message, but would welcome a second opinion on his scribbling of the last line. Could send you a high resolution scan of it.

Steve

Obermassfeld card 1938.jpg
 
Got another one for the list you guys might enjoy. Everything is accessible in English.

Title: Facing Stalingrad
Link: http://facingstalingrad.com/
Summary: A website to accompany the book by Dr. Jochen Hollbeck of the same name. This website hosts a number of interviews of German and Russian eyewitnesses to the battle of Stalingrad. Fascinating reading on a very well-constructed site.
 

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