Every 11 November, we remember the soldiers of the Great War. Many families with roots in Moselle have a great-grandfather who fought between 1914 and 1918… but they do not always know where, or in which uniform. In Moselle, the story of the First World War is different from the rest of France. Here is how to trace your soldier ancestor, and the traps to avoid.
Why your Moselle ancestor probably wore a German uniform
From 1871 to 1918, Moselle was part of the German Empire. Young men did their military service in the German army, and in 1914 they were mobilised like all soldiers of the Empire. Most men from Moselle of that generation therefore fought on the German side.
Others served in the French army: families who had left Moselle after 1871, young men who had moved to France before the war, or volunteers. Depending on the case, the records are completely different. So the first step is to find out where your ancestor lived in 1914.
This is also why many war memorials in Moselle read « À nos morts » (to our dead) rather than « Morts pour la France » (died for France).
Records for a soldier of the German army
German casualty lists (Verlustlisten)
During the war, the German army published lists of its soldiers killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. Volunteers of the German genealogy society CompGen have indexed these Verlustlisten: about 8.5 million entries, free to search on genealogy.net. They usually give the name, often the place of birth, and the unit. Note that the village is written in its German form.
German war graves
If your ancestor was killed in action, the Volksbund’s Gräbersuche Online database can often tell you where he is buried. It is free and covers both world wars.
Reconstructed military registers
After 1918, the French administration rebuilt military registers for the men of Alsace and Moselle who became French again. For Moselle, they cover the classes of 1893 to 1921 and are being indexed collaboratively on Geneanet. They mostly concern men who came back from the war and are less detailed than standard French service records.
Prisoners of war
If your ancestor was taken prisoner, the International Committee of the Red Cross archives on 1914–1918 prisoners can be searched online for free. They may give the place and date of capture and the camp.
Family papers
A military pass (Militärpass), photos in uniform, postcards from the front, letters: documents kept by families are often the most valuable. A regiment number seen on a photo or a stamp can be enough to rebuild a soldier’s path.
What has been lost
The individual files of soldiers of the Prussian army, to which most men from Moselle belonged, were destroyed in 1945 when the military archives in Potsdam were bombed. Only the Bavarian army records survived: they help if your ancestor served in a Bavarian unit. This is why several sources must be combined, rather than looking for a single file.
Records for a soldier of the French army
If your ancestor lived in France in 1914, look for his service record in the archives of the department where he was registered, and search the « Morts pour la France » database on Mémoire des hommes if he died during the war.
Tips to avoid mistakes
- Start with the village war memorial: the MémorialGenWeb website lets you browse transcriptions online.
- Search with the German name of the village: on German lists, Thionville becomes Diedenhofen, Boulay becomes Bolchen… My lookup table of Moselle village names in French and German will help.
- Beware of namesakes: the same name can belong to several soldiers. The date and place of birth tell them apart.
- Always cross-check an entry with civil records before attributing it to your ancestor.
I can trace his path for you
Tracing a Moselle soldier of 1914–1918 means knowing both German and French sources, and what to do when the records are gone. I can carry out this research for you, with a report in English on request: a sourced report that clearly separates what is confirmed from what remains a hypothesis. Read more in German-era records in Moselle or see my custom investigation service.
Frequently asked questions
My ancestor fought in the German army. Is he recorded as “died for France”?
As a rule, no: this status applies to soldiers of the French army. This is why Moselle memorials often read « À nos morts », honouring all the men of the village.
I know neither his regiment nor his date of death. Where do I start?
With what you do know: his name, date and place of birth. With these three details, a search of the casualty lists and civil records often brings out the essentials.
The records are in German. Is that a problem?
Less than you might think: casualty lists follow repetitive formats that are easy to recognise. The hardest part is often identifying the right village, which is why its German form matters.