Missing persons from the Second World War: The opportunity to clarify their fate extended until 2028
The German Red Cross (GRC) welcomes the fact that the financial resources for the task of “Clarifying the fate of missing persons from the Second World War” are still included in the Federal Government’s 2025 draft bill until the end of the Federal Government’s financial planning (2028). This means that the humanitarian mandate of the GRC Tracing Service will continue unchanged beyond 2025. “This is a very positive decision for many people in Germany. Even today, many are still preoccupied with the pressing question of what became of their family members who went missing in the war,” says GRC President Gerda Hasselfeldt.
This is also evident from a glance at the current figures: in 2023, 7,806 relatives contacted the German Red Cross Tracing Service in connection with missing persons from the Second World War, and in the first half of 2024, the figure was 3,987. In 43% of cases, the German Red Cross Tracing Service was able to provide information about the fate of the people being sought.
"Finally receiving certainty about what happened to them is very important for those searching. By providing this reappraisal of the consequences of the Second World War, the German Red Cross is making an important contribution to society," says Gerda Hasselfeldt.
Thanks to this decision, the German Red Cross will, in the coming years, be able to uncover what happened to many of those missing in the context of the Second World War. "We are pleased to be able to continue to provide this important service for the families affected – something which we are only too willing to do beyond 2028," says the German Red Cross President. In this context, the German Red Cross is also requesting that access to the files and documents of the Tracing Service be guaranteed in the long term in order to provide relatives with a permanent point of contact.
The German Red Cross Tracing Service has been supported as an institution by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community since 1953 - for over 70 years now. The German Red Cross is very grateful to the Federal Government for being able to help, for decades, people looking for their family members who went missing during the war.
In addition to clarifying the fate of people who went missing during the Second World War, the German Red Cross Tracing Service is also part of the international search to help track down relatives who are missing due to current emergencies and armed conflicts and to bring family members back into contact with each other. The tracing services of the 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies work closely together in this regard. Last year, 2,629 missing relatives were newly registered with the German Red Cross (first half of 2024: 1,395). Often, asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and Somalia in particular, have lost contact with their relatives while fleeing. The German Red Cross Tracing Service supports separated relatives with issues regarding family reunification, with 18,875 advice sessions held nationwide in 2023.
The press office is happy to arrange interviews with the GRC President and the GRC Tracing Service.
More information and online forms for tracing inquiries can be found at www.drk-suchdienst.de