The Federal Archives have digitalised more than 700,000 pages of records relating to the First World War for a new internet portal – as well as photos, films and audio recordings. This range of materials will be extended and supplemented on an ongoing basis.
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Everyone seeking sources from the period of the First World War has a good chance of finding what they are looking for here: the internet portal embraces a wide spectrum of material and information. Private photos and records can be found alongside the files of military and civilian authorities, and records left by important politicians and military officers.
The Federal Archives are thus making available a service that is attractive not only for research scientists. If, for instance, you would like to find out where your great-grandfather served in the First World War, this is the website for you – it will at least help you in your search.
Reports on fighting, letters written by and to soldiers serving, and diary entries give an authentic impression of the situation at the front – and the documents can of course be downloaded free of charge.
The digital photo archive also contains many thousand photos, aerial photos and posters, not to mention more than 150 films, including historic movies and documentaries, but also propaganda films and weekly newsreels. You can watch these easily via the Internet.
Alongside the photos and films, original audio recording are available via the portal, including the recording of a speech in which Kaiser Wilhelm II addresses "the German people" at the start of the war.