Post by Bonobo on Jan 25, 2009 10:43:12 GMT 1
www.tvn24.pl/12690,1581822,0,1,czyje-zwloki-kryje-mogila-w-malborku,wiadomosc.html
MALBORK MASSACRE
World War II Mass Grave Unearthed in Poland
Spiegel Online, Germany
1/8/09
The Polish city of Malbork has found a mass grave with the remains of some 1,800 people, thought to be former German residents of the town. They apparently died as the Red Army marched through Poland -- and some of them appear to have been executed.
The first skeletons were unearthed by construction workers last October. A pit dug for the foundation of a new hotel in the Polish city of Malbork revealed the remains of dozens of corpses, all heaped together in what was apparently a World War II-era mass grave. But plenty of questions remained, and investigators began taking a closer look.
The remains were found not far from the famous Malbork Castle.
This week, Piotr Szwedowski, a Malbork city official, revealed what they found. "Since then, we have exhumed around 1,800 corpses," he told the news agency AFP. "We are pretty sure that they were former residents of Malbork."
City officials are also pretty sure that they were victims of a massacre. Szwedowski said that one in 10 of the corpses had been shot in the head. All of them, furthermore, had been buried naked, "without shoes, without clothes, without personal items," he said. "The metal detectors used during the excavations found no metal, not even a false tooth."
Malbork is located in a region that only became part of Poland after World War II. Prior to that, the city was German and was called Marienburg. City officials presume that the remains are of former German citizens of the town, killed during the Russian advance in 1945. Szwedowski told AFP that some of the victims may have died in the cold winter weather that year or were killed by artillery. They were buried in a bomb crater.
Because some of the victims appear to have been murdered, Polish officials have launched an investigation, according to German tabloid Bild.
Malbork is home to Malbork Castle, one of Poland's most famous tourist attractions. The castle was founded in the 13th century by Teutonic Knights and is the world's largest fortress made of bricks. For most of its history, the town was part of German East Prussia, but became part of Poland when that country's borders were shifted westwards following the war. The Germans then living in the areas that became Poland were forced to leave.
In 1945, Malbork was the site of heavy fighting between the retreating Germans and the advancing Russians. Since the end of the war, 1,840 former residents of Marienburg were classified as missing.
Bodies of 1,800 found in WWII mass grave
By Monika Scislowska
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland - Construction workers in northern Poland have unearthed a World War II-era mass grave containing what are believed to be the bodies of 1,800 German men, women and children who disappeared during the Soviet army's march to Berlin.
Poles digging at the site of a planned luxury hotel in Malbork - which was called Marienburg and was part of Germany during the war - excavated a bomb crater at the foot of the city's famous 13th-century Teutonic Knights fortress, authorities said yesterday.
The workers found a small group of bodies in late October and halted digging to allow prosecutors to investigate. After resuming work weeks later, the workers turned up dozens, and then hundreds, more corpses. They believe more might be found.
It was not immediately clear how the bodies ended up in the crater, but initial examinations by Polish and German experts have concluded that they are likely the remains of German citizens still classified as "missing" more than 60 years after the end of the war, town official Piotr Szwedowski told the Associated Press.
Millions of civilians were killed or declared missing during World War II. Many of those who disappeared in the chaos of wartime Europe are still unaccounted for.
"Examination of the remains and the circumstances confirm that these are the missing German inhabitants of Malbork," Szwedowski said. "I have no doubt it is them."
As the Red Army was advancing in early 1945, the inhabitants of Malbork were ordered to evacuate. Some refused, while others were prevented from doing so by the general chaos of the nearing front.
The Soviets bombarded the city with heavy artillery in their assault. After the defeated German military retreated, the remaining civilians found themselves at the mercy of Red Army troops. There are no known living witnesses of what happened, Szwedowski said.
The bodies were buried naked without any possessions, he said.
"We found no trace of any clothes, shoes, belts, glasses - not even dentures or false teeth," he said.
At least 100 skulls - primarily of adults - have bullet holes in them, suggesting these people could have been executed, but it is still unclear how the others were killed, Szwedowski said.
"We don't know if these are direct or indirect victims of the artillery barrage, but the bullet holes suggest executions in some cases," he said.
More forensic tests will be carried out before the remains are laid to rest either in Malbork or a German military cemetery in Stary Czarnow.
"These people died in such an inhuman way, were dumped so inhumanely, that we need to bury them in dignity and respect," Szwedowski said.
MALBORK MASSACRE
World War II Mass Grave Unearthed in Poland
Spiegel Online, Germany
1/8/09
The Polish city of Malbork has found a mass grave with the remains of some 1,800 people, thought to be former German residents of the town. They apparently died as the Red Army marched through Poland -- and some of them appear to have been executed.
The first skeletons were unearthed by construction workers last October. A pit dug for the foundation of a new hotel in the Polish city of Malbork revealed the remains of dozens of corpses, all heaped together in what was apparently a World War II-era mass grave. But plenty of questions remained, and investigators began taking a closer look.
The remains were found not far from the famous Malbork Castle.
This week, Piotr Szwedowski, a Malbork city official, revealed what they found. "Since then, we have exhumed around 1,800 corpses," he told the news agency AFP. "We are pretty sure that they were former residents of Malbork."
City officials are also pretty sure that they were victims of a massacre. Szwedowski said that one in 10 of the corpses had been shot in the head. All of them, furthermore, had been buried naked, "without shoes, without clothes, without personal items," he said. "The metal detectors used during the excavations found no metal, not even a false tooth."
Malbork is located in a region that only became part of Poland after World War II. Prior to that, the city was German and was called Marienburg. City officials presume that the remains are of former German citizens of the town, killed during the Russian advance in 1945. Szwedowski told AFP that some of the victims may have died in the cold winter weather that year or were killed by artillery. They were buried in a bomb crater.
Because some of the victims appear to have been murdered, Polish officials have launched an investigation, according to German tabloid Bild.
Malbork is home to Malbork Castle, one of Poland's most famous tourist attractions. The castle was founded in the 13th century by Teutonic Knights and is the world's largest fortress made of bricks. For most of its history, the town was part of German East Prussia, but became part of Poland when that country's borders were shifted westwards following the war. The Germans then living in the areas that became Poland were forced to leave.
In 1945, Malbork was the site of heavy fighting between the retreating Germans and the advancing Russians. Since the end of the war, 1,840 former residents of Marienburg were classified as missing.
Bodies of 1,800 found in WWII mass grave
By Monika Scislowska
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland - Construction workers in northern Poland have unearthed a World War II-era mass grave containing what are believed to be the bodies of 1,800 German men, women and children who disappeared during the Soviet army's march to Berlin.
Poles digging at the site of a planned luxury hotel in Malbork - which was called Marienburg and was part of Germany during the war - excavated a bomb crater at the foot of the city's famous 13th-century Teutonic Knights fortress, authorities said yesterday.
The workers found a small group of bodies in late October and halted digging to allow prosecutors to investigate. After resuming work weeks later, the workers turned up dozens, and then hundreds, more corpses. They believe more might be found.
It was not immediately clear how the bodies ended up in the crater, but initial examinations by Polish and German experts have concluded that they are likely the remains of German citizens still classified as "missing" more than 60 years after the end of the war, town official Piotr Szwedowski told the Associated Press.
Millions of civilians were killed or declared missing during World War II. Many of those who disappeared in the chaos of wartime Europe are still unaccounted for.
"Examination of the remains and the circumstances confirm that these are the missing German inhabitants of Malbork," Szwedowski said. "I have no doubt it is them."
As the Red Army was advancing in early 1945, the inhabitants of Malbork were ordered to evacuate. Some refused, while others were prevented from doing so by the general chaos of the nearing front.
The Soviets bombarded the city with heavy artillery in their assault. After the defeated German military retreated, the remaining civilians found themselves at the mercy of Red Army troops. There are no known living witnesses of what happened, Szwedowski said.
The bodies were buried naked without any possessions, he said.
"We found no trace of any clothes, shoes, belts, glasses - not even dentures or false teeth," he said.
At least 100 skulls - primarily of adults - have bullet holes in them, suggesting these people could have been executed, but it is still unclear how the others were killed, Szwedowski said.
"We don't know if these are direct or indirect victims of the artillery barrage, but the bullet holes suggest executions in some cases," he said.
More forensic tests will be carried out before the remains are laid to rest either in Malbork or a German military cemetery in Stary Czarnow.
"These people died in such an inhuman way, were dumped so inhumanely, that we need to bury them in dignity and respect," Szwedowski said.
