Office of the Military Government for Germany (United States); Restituion Claims
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of case file claims that in originated in several European nations for restitution of property that was looted, stolen or destroyed under German occupation during World War II. Case files in this collection contain international correspondence from military missions, correspondence among OMGUS divisions, and statements from civilians, local businesses and corporations. Restitution claims were sought by private citizens, small businesses, corporations and national governments for a many types of property: architectural equipment, art objects, factory machinery, foodstuffs, heavy equipment, household objects and furnishings, livestock, masonry materials, raw materials, shares and stocks, textiles and clothing, tools, and vehicles.
Restitution claims found in this collection were sought for property from Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. Case files consist of documents from respective military missions that establish the initial claim for property, inventories and descriptions of property, and testimonies from claimants, witnesses, assigned custodians, and inspectors. Case files may also contain correspondence from parties in possession of claimed property at the time of investigation. Correspondence among OMGUS divisions and branches concerns the investigation of claims, the location of property, resolution of cases, property storage and transport.
Throughout this collection, there exists correspondence from parties in possession of claimed property at the time of investigation. Several corporations appear with frequency: Askania-Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen Gesellschaft MBH, Deutscher Verlag, Fritz Werner Maschinen Gesellschaft MBH. An index of correspondence from all possessors, witnesses, assigned custodians and inspectors supplements the collection.
Dates
- 1946 - 1950
- Majority of material found in 1948
Creator
- Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955 : U.S. Zone). Office of Military Government (Organization)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English, German, French, Russian, Italian, Danish and Dutch.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Digital material is only accessible on-site.
Access Information
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.
Collection is digitized with access restrictions. Links in the Container List can be accessed by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History.
Historical Note
The Office of the Military Government for Germany (United States) (OMGUS) functioned as part of the United States arm of the Allied Control Authority and administered the United States occupation zone and the U.S. Berlin sector of occupied Germany after World War II. OMGUS was established by order of United States Forces, European Theater of Operations (USFET) in 1945. With the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, OMGUS was formally abolished by order of US European Command, and the Restitution and Reparations Branch was dissolved. As OMGUS was being abolished gradually, some of its functions were transferred to organs of the United States High Commissioner for Germany.
The Restitution and Reparations Branch of OMGUS created policies and procedures, located and returned property to the countries from which claimed property had been looted during World War II. Restitution claims routinely came from the Military Mission that represented the country from which property was looted, and those claims were forwarded to OMGUS Economics Division. Claims were administered by the Restitution Control Branch which oversaw the identification, storage and transport of claimed property. OMGUS officials investigated claims, traced the property, and either resolved or dropped cases. In some cases, property was located and returned to claimants. Some cases were dropped if OMGUS determined that property was destroyed or if OMGUS traced property to other Allied Sectors where the United States had no authority to retrieve property.
Sources:
National Archives, "Records of U.S. Occupation Headquarters, World War II."
National Archives and Records Administration. 2005. “Records of the Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section of the Reparations and Restitution Branch, OMGUS, 1945-1951”.
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection consists of restitution claims submitted to OMGUS, the Office of the Military Government for Germany (United States), which administered the United States occupation zone and the U.S. Berlin sector during the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II. Restitution claims routinely originated with the Military Mission that represented the county from which property was looted, stolen or destroyed under German occupation during World War II. These cases were forwarded to OMGUS for investigation and resolution.
Arrangement
This collection consists of twelve series, arranged alphabetically. Each series pertains to the county of origin of the restitution claim. Within each series, cases are arranged alphabetically by name of claimant.
- Series I: Denmark, 1948
- Series II: France, undated, 1946 - 1950
- Series III: Greece, 1946 - 1947
- Series IV: Hungary, 1946 - 1950
- Series V: Italy, 1946 - 1950
- Series VI: Luxembourg, 1946 - 1947
- Series VII: Netherlands, 1946 - 1949
- Series VIII: Norway, 1948
- Series IX: Poland, 1946 - 1950
- Series X: Romania, Socialist Republic of, 1948
- Series XI: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1947 - 1950
- Series XII: Yugoslavia, Federal People's Republic of, 1946 - 1950
Custodial History
This collection was transferred from the National Archives and Records Administration to the Leo Baeck Institute in 1981.
- Correspondence
- Denmark
- France
- Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955 : U.S. Zone). Office of Military Government. Economics Division
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Military missions
- Military occupation damages
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Records (documents)
- Romania
- Soviet Union
- United States. Army (General subdivision: History. Chronological subdivision: World War, 1939-1945.)
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Claims
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Reparations
- Yugoslavia
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of the Office of the Military Government; Restitution Claims 1946 - 1950 bulk 1948 AR 6304
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Angela Lawrence
- Date
- © 2011
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Described and encoded as part of the CJH Holocaust Resource Initiative, made possible by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany.
Revision Statements
- July 2012: Links to digital objects added in Container List. Content is only accessible on-site at the Center for Jewish History.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository