How do I find possible relatives that were in the Wehrmacht?

[Panzer division]

I have many ancestors from the Hesse area of Germany. I do not know them personally. I did find a relative who was Waffen SS but that is another story. I want to know if there is anyway to research other relative who may have served Germany during WW2?

[German Born]

Hi there,you can gather research from Feldgrau as there are many members with a wealth of knowledge and are only too happy to share it.
Of course you will not find out everything you want as a lot of records and files were destroyed at the end of the war,but just keep looking you are on the right track.

[Alex Dekker]

Hello Panzer division,

First of all, gather the dates of birth and their place of birth. With that only, it's possible to contact the WASt Dienststelle in Berlin and ask if they got some information about your familymembers. As long as they were part of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS or another military branch, they will contact you. They can ask if you're willing to pay for the information. I did cost me €10 or so a few years ago, they send me copies of the POW-cards, the divisions in which my grandfather served, etc. Great information, great moment when I opened that letter.

There's only one thing: it takes them up to nine months to write you back. I was lucky, it took them the first time only three months, the second time I adressed them, they wrote me after six weeks already.

Another tip: look around on this forum, there a lot more people with the same 'problem'.

[Annelie]

I have many ancestors from the Hesse area of Germany. I do not know them personally

Have you tried posting an inquiry in an ancestry board?
You may find relatives or at least reconnect with some.