Where are original documents that where microfilmed

[Mikael Olrog]

Hi,

Is there any way of locating the original documents that where microfilmed for NASM? There's some microfilmed documents with photos that I'm interested in locating the original documents to make good copies of the photos since the quality of the photos on the microfilm isn't very good.

Has anyone else here on TOCH experience in locating the original documents that has been microfilmed at NASM? Is there any way of tracing the microfilmed documents to the original document?

I know that some documents have been returned to Germany (Freiburg and also to Deutsches Museum where I saw some that I'd previously seen on NASM microfilms). Is it known which documents that where returned - and if so - can one locate a document in German archives from the known US designation it was given in US archival system?

I thought I'd ask here before contacting NASM themselves.
/Mikael

[ArtieBob]

IIRC, essentially all of the documents that were microfilmed as part of the Army Air Force and Navy technology evaluation were returned to Germany in the 1960s. A small quantity of original documents remain in the USA, but they are scattered and there is no easy methodto locate them. I do not think that NASM will be of much help, as they received the microfilm after the original material was returned and the BAMA indexing system has no relation to the AAF numbering system. There are no finding aids I am aware of that tie the NASM films to BAMA files. A part of the problem is that apparently, the USA microfilm is for only a fraction of the material brought to the USA and returned to Germany, possibly as little as 10 or 20%.

Best regards,

Artie Bob

[gawebster]

As to Blohm und Voss. Their documents were returned in the 60's. My friend in Germany who is researching the BV 141 told me they were all destroyed in a major flood and dumped. What a waste.

Other documents were returned to the original German company's (or company's formed from the remains of the original wartime compainies) and in many case these documents were not kept but thrown away.

War time documents were not really something present German compaines wanted laying about.

Gary

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, Mikael!

The Findbücher in Freiburg COULD contain crossreferences to the document id from NASM.

If the document was indeed returned to B & V it might be entirely lost, if it was returned to Bundesarchiv it might be in RL 3.

I can send You the file for the Findbuch, pls contact me off board

Regards,
Andreas

[Mikael Olrog]

Thanks for replies!