German Armed Forces Military History Research Office The German Armed Forces Military History Research Office ( Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt or MGFA ) is located at Potsdam , the capital of Brandenburg , Germany . Mission . The Military History Research Institute is the central federal institution in Germany for all questions about German military history . The basis for coping with future challenges is empirical , archive - based research in accordance with the accepted rules and standards of general historiography . The MGFA sees itself as a part of the research community of historians . It is a member of the network of historical research institutions of the Federal Republic of Germany outside universities . The institute fosters the cooperation with a large number of research institutes in Germany and abroad and contributes to topical debates among experts in military history . It is firmly anchored in original research , which is of decisive importance to the successful performance of its new tasks . As an organisation , the entire Bundeswehr is undergoing a process of transformation through which the armed forces will be adapted to changed geopolitical circumstances and new missions . In this situation , the tasks of the Military History Research Institute ( Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt , MGFA ) are becoming ever more important . On the basis of a wide spectrum of empirical research in military history , our activities , as presented on this site , make an important contribution to historical education within the Bundeswehr . In addition , we make available our expertise to the political and military leadership as well as to the scientific community and to the general public in Germany and abroad . The MGFA which is a part of the Joint Support Service ( Streitkräftebasis ) is thus helping to grant the Bundeswehr its place in state and society and will continue to be strongly committed to the education of the soldiers . The Library . The library holds extensive collections on national and international military history and other related research areas , social , legal and economic history , as well as political and military science . Research literature is one of its focal areas . Secondary literature on the military history of modern times , in particular the 20th Century , has continuously been acquired in the past decades . The new publications in this research area continue to be our main focus in acquisition today . Although the library is comparatively young ( 40 years ) , it nevertheless comprises a considerable number of more ancient books . In the past years , antiquarian purchases , donations and bequests could be added to the current specialized literature . In many cases our libraries at Freiburg and Potsdam received books from the dissolved stocks of older libraries , as has been the case with the Officers Library of the Royal Bavarian 1st Heavy Cavalry Regiment , the War Historical Department of the University of Heidelberg , the Kiel Naval Academy , the Society for Reading and Relaxation in Bonn , the Austrian State ' s Archive in Vienna and the Stockholm Royal Military Service School . These collections date mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries . A great number of works from the 16th and 17th centuries have been compiled in a separate rare books section . The private libraries bequested from the estate of the uniformologist Herbert Knötel Jr . ( 1893 to 1963 ) and of the expert in science and history of the ground forces Hans Bleckwenn ( 1912 to 1990 ) are special valuables of the library . The latter is probably the most complete private library on the history of the Prussia n Army of the 18th Century . Its main focus lies on army organization , development of uniforms and the science and history of weapons of the time of Frederick the Great . The collection also contains very rare uniform manuscripts as well as an extensive image collection on European military affairs . The library also holds approximately 1600 unit histories of the ancient army up to 1918 and older ranking lists of the German and the Austrian armed forces from 1788 on . It further possesses an extensive collection of military regulations from the German Imperial Army up to the National People ' s Army . In the past years the library has succeeded in further enlarging its biographical collection . Thus , the users of the library have more than 8000 memoirs and literary portraits of persons of importance in military history from the 18th to 20th centuries at their disposal . Finally , the library subscribes to numerous international magazines and can further make available a large number of historical periodicals of the 18th and 19th centuries , some of which are available as a complete series only in our library . Museums . Three military history museums are under the administrative and technical command of the MGFA . These are the " Militärhistorische Museum der Bundeswehr " in Dresden which is in command of the " Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr " at the former RAF Gatow in Berlin , and the Königstein Fortress . Historical Overview . 1956 Directive to establish the Military History Research Agency on 1 January 1957 . 1957 The Military History Research Agency is established in Langenau near Ulm . Colonel Dr . Hans Meier - Welcker , the head of the Military Research Branch in the Federal Ministry of Defense , is also appointed Director of the Research Agency . 1958 The History Research Agency is renamed ' Military History Research Institute ' ( MGFA ) . Colonel Dr . Hans Meier - Welcker is appointed Director of the MGFA . The institute is relocated to Freiburg im Breisgau 1964 Colonel Dr . Wolfgang von Groote is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1976 The first issues of the periodical " Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen " ( MGM ) are published . 1968 Professor Andreas Hillgruber is appointed the first Chief Historian of the MGFA . 1969 The Historic Museum in Rastatt is renamed ' Wehrgeschichtliches Museum der Bundeswehr ' and comes under the control of the MGFA . Colonel Dr . Herbert Schottelius is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1970 Dr . Rainer Wohlfeil is appointed Chief Historian of the MGFA . In the same year he is succeeded by Dr . Manfred Messerschmidt . 1972 Navy Captain Dr . Friedrich Forstmeier is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1975 " Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen " is for the first time supplemented by the international bibliography " War and Society Newsletter " . 1976 Colonel Dr . Othmar Hackl is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1978 Establishment of the new division " Training , Information , Specialized Studies " ( AIF Division ) 1979 The first volume of the series " Germany and the Second World War " is published in German under the heading Reasons and Preconditions of German War Politics . This is the 150th publication of the Institute . 1984 Opening of the traveling exhibition ' Rebellion of Conscience ' in the Federal Diet . 1985 Colonel Dr . Günter Roth is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1989 Dr . Wilhelm Deist is appointed Chief Historian of the MGFA . 1990 Visit of the director of the Soviet Military History Institute , Senior General Professor Dimitrij Wolkogonov . Visit of the former Commander - in - Chief of the Warsaw Pact Forces , Marshal of the Soviet Union , Victor Kulikov . The former Military History Institute ( MGI ) and the former Army Museum of the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ) are integrated into the technical chain of command of the MGFA , and the latter becomes the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr . 1991 The periodical " Militärgeschichtliche Beihefte " is for the first time published under the new name Militärgeschichte ( Military History ) . First official visit of an MGFA delegation to the Military History Institute of the Polish Armed Forces in Warsaw . 1992 The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Bundeswehr , General Klaus Naumann , visits the MGFA and announces the relocation of the institute to Potsdam . 1994 Prof . Hans - Erich Volkmann succeeds Dr Deist and is appointed Director of Research . The Federal Minister of Defense , Dr Volker Rühe , introduces and presents the MGFA in ´Potsdam . The official residence of the MGFA is the ' Villa Ingenheim ' in Zeppelinstrasse . 1995 The MGFA library is opened to the public . Navy Captain Dr . Werner Rahn is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1996 The Federal Minister of Defense , Dr . Volker Rühe , and the Vice - President of the Potsdam University , Professor Bärbel Kirsch , establish a chair for military history . Appointed to this chair is Professor Bernhard R . Kroener . Professor Daniel Proektor presents the Russian edition of the book World War II . Analyses , Characteristic Features , Research Results in the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moscow . Start of a comprehensive restoration project of all MGFA buildings the completion of which takes several years . 1997 Visit of the MGFA director , Navy Captain Dr . Werner Rahn , and of Dr . Bruno Thoss in Beijing . Colonel Friedhelm Klein is appointed Director of the MGFA . 1998 Opening of the exhibition ' Rebellion of Conscience ' in St . Paul ' s Cathedral in Frankfurt am Main . Handover of the keys of the restored Villa Ingenheim . Working visit of the MGFA director , Colonel Friedhelm Klein , in Beijing , China . 1999 Dr . Klaus von Dohnanyi presents the conference paper compilation under the heading ' The Wehrmacht . Myth and Reality ' . Working visit of the head of the Research Division , Professor Hans - Erich Volkmann , in the German Historic Institute ( DHI ) in Warsaw , Poland . 2001 Navy Captain Dr . Jörg Duppler , is appointed Director of the MGFA . 2003 Prof . Beatrice Heuser , formerly Professor of International and Strategic Studies at the Department of War Studies , King ' s College London , is appointed Director of Research . 2004 Oberst Hans Ehlert is appointed Director of the MGFA External links . Official website in German : Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt