Summary
A new German online search engine lets people check if their ancestors were members of the Nazi Party during Hitler’s rule. The tool uses millions of membership records and was created by the newspaper Die Zeit with archives in Germany and the US.
Key Facts
- The search engine allows people to look through Nazi Party membership cards called "NSDAP-Mitgliederkartei."
- Christian Rainer from Austria found his grandfather’s Nazi Party membership details within seconds.
- His grandfather joined just days after Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938.
- The database includes about 10.2 million people who joined the Nazi Party between 1925 and 1945.
- The membership cards were almost destroyed during World War Two but saved by a paper mill director and later given to US forces.
- The records were kept by the US for decades before being returned to German archives and now made searchable online.
- Since the tool launched in April, it has been accessed millions of times and shared widely.
- Many users have discovered surprising family histories related to Nazi Party membership through the search engine.
