Assistance with research inquiries

Do you have an inquiry in the context of a school project or a student research project? Are you researching for a publication, e.g. in the form of a scientific essay or a monograph, or for the conception of an exhibition?

The GRC Tracing Service not only provides information to relatives, but also helps with research enquiries. Here you will find further information and our form for your application for use.

Are you a member of a community or a local history association and would like to compile a chronicle?

In these cases, we will provide information about the persons sought from the data available to us in tabular form. We would like to point out that sufficient information is in any case required in order for us to provide personal information. A search based only on place of birth or residence is not possible.

Do you carry out research in military history?

In particular, the missing persons’ photo collections and the returnee index provide important information on this subject. The latter contains the names of all registered returnees and is the only file in the holdings of the GRC Tracing Service that is sorted by military units. The Central Name Index (ZNK) does not allow to search by unit. However, you can of course also inquire about persons found in the missing persons’ photo collections under a field post number and receive further information, especially on the history of the search. For inquiries about the military career of individual soldiers, we usually refer you to the Federal Archives, since they are better suited to provide information on this subject.

Note: If your research enquiries cover a larger group of people, it may be advisable for time reasons for you or your assistants to search the databases yourselves. Please note that access to the databases of the GRC Tracing Service is only possible on our premises.