How to find information about those who participated in the Great Patriotic War

The Coordination Council of the Russian community in the United States (CSRI) described how to learn more about those who went through the 1941-1945 war, which lasted 1418 days and nights and affected almost every Soviet family.

In the open access you can find many archival documents of wartime.

What do you need to know?

• At least the name and surname of the warrior. Some resources require a patronymic, year and place of birth, the date of the call and title for a more accurate search. It is also recommended to check all possible spellings of the last name, first name and patronymic, as often the data could be distorted by the people who wrote them.

Where to look?

• Generalized Memorial Data Bank, created at the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It contains about 17 million sheets of archival documents and more than 45 thousand passports of military graves. On the website you can find information about the rank of the deceased, the part in which he served, the date and cause of death (killed, died from wounds, went missing), as well as the place of burial.
• Informational resource "Memory of the People" suggests 3 type of search: by personnel (section “Heroes of War”), by participation in a specific combat operation and by places of military burial grounds. In most cases, the data is illustrated with interactive maps that allow you to track the route of specific military units, as well as the location of the graves of Soviet soldiers.
• Electronic document bank "People's feat". Contains detailed information about the awards.
• Archives, replenished by participants of the All-Russian shares "Immortal regiment". Contain information about the workers of the rear.
• Documentation Center Database for Association "Saxon Memorials". It contains information about Soviet prisoners of war who were in camps or working battalions on the territory of the Reich.

What to do if the search through the Internet did not bring results?

• Check the same databases in six months: on average, they are updated with this frequency.
• Independently make a written request to the archive, for example, to the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (TsAMO) or the Central Naval Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (TSVMA). More information about the procedure and possible directions of the search can be found at website of the Federal Archival Agency (Rosarkhiv).
• Ask for help to the participants of large search movements (for example, to Search Engine of Russia).

Read also on ForumDaily:

Svetlana Alliluyeva: the difficult fate of Stalin's daughter in the USA

105-year-old secretary Goebbels talked about the work of Nazi propaganda

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.