Last week, the Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe (VBGO) searched for mortal remains from the Second World War in some old trenches located in a camp in Klessin, in the east of the federal state of Brandenburg, near the border between Germany and Poland. Excavations in the Oderbruch area, where the Germans and Soviets fought violently before the Battle of Berlin, have brought to light the remains of eight Soviet and two German soldiers.
The skeletons of the fallen still kept their steel helmets and even their shoes; bombs, grenades and other dangerous military waste are still buried in the Oderbruch area. The remains of the soldiers, excavated by a team of volunteers from Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, the Netherlands and Italy, will be reburied. The Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe seeks “the anonymous victims who lie in the mass graves of the war without memorials” and intends to “give them back the name they lost decades ago”, regardless of the side to which they belonged.
A team from the Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe (VBGO) excavates some old trenches from the Second World War in a field in Klessin, near the border between Germany and Poland.
Werner Schulz of the Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe excavates the mortal remains of a Soviet soldier in an old trench in Klessin, Germany. The photograph is from October 4, 2017.
Excavation of the mortal remains of a Soviet soldier.
Soviet soldier’s shoes and a mug.
A shell lodged in the skull of a Soviet soldier.
Excavation of some old trenches from the Second World War in a field in Klessin, Germany.
Two skulls with their respective steel helmets found during the excavations in Klessin, in Germany.
Lara Indra, a student volunteer from Switzerland, cleans up human remains found in an old WWII trench in Klessin. The photograph is from October 4, 2017.
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