Exhumation of 25 German soldiers from a forgotten field cemetery on the eastern front. Most of the soldiers still had their identification tags. Several bodies displayed signs of medical treatment, such as the presence of splints or of tourniquets on fractured limbs. 14 of the 25 bodies had been buried in coffins. One amputated leg was also found with the bodies. Also found were one half body, one severely mangled body, a wedding ring, a campaign ring, a death head ring, shrapnel fragments, condoms, coins and buttons. The exact location of the cemetery was found thanks to an elderly period witness.
The point of the excavation was to recover these bodies buried in unmarked graves, to identify them, to rebury them in an official German war cemetery, and to inform the relatives of the soldiers of the location of the bodies.

A more in depth analysis of the signs of first aid and surgery visible on some of the bodies can be seen in this follow up video:    • Sawbones 1945  Archeological evidenc...  

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Participating in this exhumation brought to mind the words of Siegfried Sasoon:
"You smug faced crowds with kindling eye
who cheer when soldier lads march by
crawl home and pray you'll never know
the hell where youth and laughter go"

Exhumation de 25 corps de soldats allemands enterrés, semble t'il, après être décédés dans un hopital de campagne. Nous notons la présence de matériel médical, dont des attelles et des tourniquets.

Ausbettung von 25 gefallene Soldaten, die sicher in ein Feldlazarett gestorben sind.

A Crocodile Tear Productions battlefield archaeology documentary

Wehrmacht metal detecting battlefield archaeology Volksbund 1939 1945 1944 Red Army war surgery forensic medicine ballistics trauma surgery helmets militaria totenkopf ring identification tags erkennungsmarke détection plaque d'identité missing in action killed in action WWII casualties HVPl Hauptverbandplatz metal detecting metal detector anthropology meatgrinder cannon fodder sawbones