3 Replies Latest reply on Dec 28, 2020 1:59 PM by Markus Malo

    Seeking records of my grandfather while in US

    Markus Malo Newbie
    Markus Malo Dec 21, 2020 2:14 PM

      I am doing some family research. From 1948 to 1949 my grandfather, a former SS-Officer (Obersturmführer) at  SS-Standarte "Kurt Eggers" (propaganda unit) 'worked' in the US. I own the travel papers (he arrived at Washington National Airport), a photograph from New York's Sammy's Bowery Follies and that's it. He returned to Germany in August 1949 for his wife with tuberculosis. The original idea was to bring his wife and three children into the States. It must have been an official job (Administration, Army?) linked with his education as a geodesy engineer or his employment at the Berliner Rundfunk and later at "Kurt Eggers" as a kind of broadcasting technician. My father knows about this year in the US but he doesn't know anything else.  Any ideas what this job could have been or where i can find information why German officers with a technology background were brought to the US (he was not a pow because the Military government in Heidelberg issued a travel document for him) shortly after WWII? Thanks in advance,  best regards and stay safe.

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        • Re: Seeking records of my grandfather while in US
          Jennifer Pasuit Newbie
          Jennifer Pasuit Dec 24, 2020 2:36 PM (in response to Markus Malo)

          Markus, I first googled “SS officers in US after WWII” and found a great deal of information about Operation Paperclip, the US program to bring Nazi scientists to the US.  The Wikipedia article on Operation Paperclip is excellent and has leads to a lot of information.  One piece of information with leads is, “Between 1945-1952 the Air Force sponsored 260 scientists of whom 36 returned to Germany.”  The article even lists many names of the men and has references to other similar operations.  Also google the name of his SS unit.  By following that google and especially Operation Paperclip I hope you get the info you want.

           

          Best wishes,

          Jan

            • Re: Seeking records of my grandfather while in US
              Markus Malo Newbie
              Markus Malo Dec 28, 2020 1:59 PM (in response to Jennifer Pasuit)

              Hi Jan,

               

              Thank you very much for your answer. Unfortunately i only got general Information about the project paperclip/overcast and no evidence that my grandfather was involved in it (we are talking about this guy here: http://soldaten.balsi.de/index.php?action=show&id=25360 ).

               

              He was a kind of communication engineer and maybe therefore the US was interested in him. But what for exactly?

               

              On the Souvenir foto from Sammy's Bowery follies there are also autographs from the participating persons. There are American and German names and also ranks - at least one - from the US Army. I think one autograph ist from a Major Sergeant Kennelly, Maybe with the notion of his Military unit - but I am not familiar with that. Maybe through this person's data i can get more Information about the project my grandfather was involved. Unfortunately I cannot read the names completely. Can anybody help? - Thank you very much.

               

            • Re: Seeking records of my grandfather while in US
              Holly Rivet Tracker
              Holly Rivet Expert Dec 28, 2020 7:26 AM (in response to Markus Malo)

              Dear Mr. Malo,

               

              Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

               

              We searched the National Archives Catalog and located 1 series, 4 file units, & 1 item in various record groups that pertain to “Kurt Eggers” during the 1940s. Some of these are digitized. For the non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

               

              He may have participated in the Foreign Military Studies (FMS) Program. This program produced manuscripts under the Foreign Military Studies Program of the Historical Division, United States Army, Europe, and of predecessor commands since 1945. Most of these manuscripts were prepared by former high-ranking officers of the German Armed Forces, writing under the sponsorship of their former adversaries. We located 46 series in various record groups that pertain to Foreign Military Studies. Please contact RDT2 for more information.

               

              You may also review this National Archives presentation on Captured German Records.  These are the records and documents seized from the Nazi regime after the war.  There is also more to read on this topic on our Captured German and Related Records on Microfilm information page.  For more detailed reference information concerning the records, please write to: Modern Military Records (RD-DC), Room 2400, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Phone: (301) 837-3497, FAX: 301-837-1752, or via

              electronic mail to: archives2reference@nara.gov

               

              Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

               

              We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!

               

              Sincerely,

              Holly Rivet

               

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