Chuck Yeager – Evader, March 1944

Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives in College Park, MD Noted aviator Charles E. (Chuck) Yeager died on December 7.  He is best remembered for piloting the Bell X-1 rocket plane in 1947 when it became the first human-controlled aircraft to break the sound barrier.  That … Continue reading Chuck Yeager – Evader, March 1944

So, what did the U.S. Army do with the Prussian Regimental Flags found at Bernterode?

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park During 2013 I published in Prologue an article about the disposition of the caskets of Field Marshal and Weimar President Paul von Hindenburg and of his wife, Frederick the Great, and Frederich Wilhelm I, that had been recovered … Continue reading So, what did the U.S. Army do with the Prussian Regimental Flags found at Bernterode?

The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate Part III

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the final part in a three part series. General Truscott announced on December 29 that Third U.S. Army intelligence officers, after a long search, had uncovered important documents signed by Hitler. In announcing the find, Truscott was … Continue reading The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate Part III

The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate, Part II

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the second post of a multi-part series. Hugh Trevor-Roper set out for the American Zone, probably on or about December 21, 1945.[1] On December 21, responding to a phone conversation between British and American counterintelligence officers, the … Continue reading The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate, Part II

The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate, Part I

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the first post of a multi-part series. Cover page to Adolf Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate (National Archives identifier 6883511) The three couriers Heinz Lorenz, Wilhelm Zander, and Willi Johannmeier, carrying copies of Adolf Hitler’s political testament, … Continue reading The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate, Part I

cover for the book The Last Days of Hitler by Hugh Trevor-Roper

Hunting Hitler Part VIII: The Search Ends, September-November 1945

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This concludes the 8-part series on Hunting Hitler. The person Brigadier Dick White, head of counter-intelligence in the British Zone, would turn to in September 1945 to sort out the details of Hitler’s death was Hugh Trevor-Roper.  Born January … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part VIII: The Search Ends, September-November 1945

A Polite Request for a Bicycle

Today's post is written by Megan Dwyre, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park “Hans Smit Duyzenkunst lent his bicycle for the evaders transport, but never got it back. He request you politely for an other bicycle.” Hans Smit Duyzenkunst Claim While working on a reference request, I came across this claim from the file … Continue reading A Polite Request for a Bicycle

Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate: From the Bunker in Berlin to National Archives in Washington, D.C. {Part IV: The Documents Travel Through Various Agencies and President Truman Before Arriving at the National Archives}

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and is the last post in a four-part series.  The National Archives and Records Administration will display Adolf Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate (National Archives Identifier 6883511) in the exhibit “Making Their Mark” beginning March 21, 2014. This series of blogs traces the aforementioned … Continue reading Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate: From the Bunker in Berlin to National Archives in Washington, D.C. {Part IV: The Documents Travel Through Various Agencies and President Truman Before Arriving at the National Archives}

That Cognac Can Get You Into Very, Very Bad Trouble!

  As Black History Month draws to a close, nothing illustrates the great progress of the civil rights movement more than a glimpse at a bleaker era. The work we do every day at the National Archives is for the express purpose of preserving historical context, even the disturbing parts, as exemplified in today’s post, written … Continue reading That Cognac Can Get You Into Very, Very Bad Trouble!

…And Germany in Ruins Surrendered Unconditionally

Today’s post is written by Lopez D. Matthews, Jr., an Archives Technician in the Holdings Management Division at Archives II. Occasionally, as we work with records we come across a document that completely catches our attention. This was the case as we began describing the documents held in Record Group 498, the records of the European … Continue reading …And Germany in Ruins Surrendered Unconditionally