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Henry Sternweiler protects war records
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Henry Sternweiler (born in 1918 or 1919 in Ulm, Germany, died 27 April 2010 in Fairview Park, Ohio) was a United States lieutenant during World War II who saved millions of military records in Germany.[1] [2] He risked being punished for disobeying a direct order to achieve this.
World War II
Sternweiler was drafted into the United States army in 1942 and participated in D-Day plus 1.[1]
Saving the records
Following the war, Sternweiler flew to Germany, leading a team that processed 18 million military records.[3][4] Daily, they sent out 12,000 notices to families seeking closure or information. A few weeks later, he was ordered by the United States to destroy the records - however, he helped stall the situation and eventually the French seized control of the records, saving them.[1]
For his efforts, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on 7 December 2009 by Germany, the nation's highest civilian honor.[1]
Miscellany
He was discharged from the military in 1956 as a major.[1]
See Also
Wikipedia:Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) WASt translates to Armed Forces Information Office for War Losses (Casualties?) and POWs
