A new German online search engine is helping people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi Party. Christian Rainer, from Austria, shared his experience of finding the name of his grandfather 'within a few seconds.'
Rainer learned that his grandfather became a member of the Nazi Party on April 21, 1938, shortly after the Anschluss, when Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Germany. This online tool allows users to sift through millions of Nazi Party membership cards, identified as the 'NSDAP-Mitgliederkartei.' Rainer noted that his grandfather applied to join the NSDAP just five days after membership became legal in Austria.
Launched by the German newspaper, Die Zeit, in collaboration with archives in Germany and the United States, the search tool recorded overwhelming responses shortly after its launch in early April. Judith Busch from Die Zeit remarked that it had been accessed millions of times. One user reported unearthing two close relatives' ties to the Nazi Party, which shattered the belief that their family had no involvement.
'I was happy I didn't find anyone else from my family, especially not my father. I had never suspected him of being a Nazi,' Rainer reflected, highlighting the emotional impact of these revelations.
The Nazi membership records, saved from being destroyed after World War II, have become essential in documenting the past. Between 1925 and 1945, around 10.2 million Germans were documented as members of the NSDAP, making this search engine a crucial tool for those exploring their family histories and confronting uncomfortable truths about their lineage.
