Researching German soldiers

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

We have discussed using the German Verlustlisten as a source of detail when researching German soldiers in the war. I believe that few people on this forum have actually seen one so I decided to piece a section together from the microfilm copies and place it here. The list is for Prussian troops, June 17, 1916. List No. 1016, pages 12,959 to 12,978. The casualties shown are from the period of late May 1916. I will attach a second photo shows a closer view of one section for the Garde Schützen Bataillon, in this case making corrections to earlier lists where missing men were listed as POW's, etc.

The number of men per list is simply staggering.

Ralph

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Section taken from the center of page 1.

[Broznitsky]

Gosh, Ralph, that's hard to read. Do they have a name for that font? It could almost be Cyrillic! Hope you have strong reading glasses

Peter

[Garde Grenadier]

Gosh, Ralph, that's hard to read.  Do they have a name for that font?  It could almost be Cyrillic!    Hope you have strong reading glasses 

Peter

Peter, it's certainly not like Cyrillic but quite the ordinary way of printing papers and books in those days (especially in Germany). I do like that old way of printing though many antiquarians nowadays are finding it increasingly difficult to find readers for old books with that kind of writing. I've got fonts on my PC which are similar: Germany, Frankenstein and Lincoln. Quite a nice change for Times Newroman or what have you. Difficult reading is sometimes due to the very similar letters "s" (long version) and "f" or capital "K" and "R" etc.

Ralph, you don't have by any chance the complete "Deutsche Verlustlisten"? That must be a whole library in itself! Are the "Preußische Verlustlisten" included in what you've got?

Have you got anything on the Königin-Elisabeth-Garde-Grenadier Regiment No.3?

Or on the dates May 25th 1915, July 24th 1917?

Thanks and best wishes

Daniel

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Hello Daniel, I am slowly obtaining all of the lists that are currently available, from 1914 through July 1917. I am not sure if the later ones are on microfim anywhere. Each reel holds about 2 months of lists. All are represented, Prussian, Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony. They also include the German marine, Schütztruppen, returned prisoners from France and Russia, lists of unknown dead and the personal effects found with them. etc.

The biggest part I do not like is the lack of dates. I can approximate them with known dates from regimental history casualty lists. As to the script, I have been reading it so long it has become much easier to read. I still have a few times where the letters are hard to read but with time you can get through it.

I do not have the dates you are looking at but will have the 1915 ones sometime shortly. I will post the details as I get them in because I will never remember the dates and unit. I have most of 1916 so far and the nuber of names is amazing. Is there any other unit, date, etc. you are looking at?

Ralph