Clarification of Dates listed in the Verlustlisten - WWI German Casualties Lists 1918 I've encountered conflicting explanations of the dates listed in the German WWI Casuality lists - Verlustlisten. My information is from Vol. 1918_XVI, List #2145, List Date: 9 Oct 1918. The soldier I'm researching is Philipp Brase, born 23 Sep 1891. The numbers listed are "23 9" and the town he was from, Celle is also included. Some of my sources say this the day the soldier went missing. My interpretation is that this represents his birth month and date and is used to help identify the individual. Which is correct? Did the information included in these lists change over time?

You are refering to this Verlustlisten entry and your interpretation is correct: 23. 9. is the birthday and Celle the town of origin. The soldier is “vermißt” (missed) and your online clue is that he went missing before the list was published (October 9, 1918). The information in these lists changed over time, please see the overview (in German). Between August 1917 and the end of 1918 was the period with the sparest information.