Missing, not Forgotten. The German Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe (VBGO e.V.)

Lara Indra; Katharina Straub; Werner Schulz; Robert Balsam; Wolfgang Ockert; Stefan Nowack; Albrecht Laue

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110473

Missing, not Forgotten. The German Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe (VBGO e.V.)

Forensic Sci Int. 2020 Nov:316:110473. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110473. Epub 2020 Aug 25.

Authors

Lara Indra¹, Katharina Straub², Werner Schulz², Robert Balsam², Wolfgang Ockert², Stefan Nowack², Albrecht Laue³

Affiliations

¹ Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Defense Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, SN6 8LA, United Kingdom; V.B.G.O. e.V., Geschaeftsstelle Hamburg, Postfach 500325, DE-22703 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
² V.B.G.O. e.V., Geschaeftsstelle Hamburg, Postfach 500325, DE-22703 Hamburg, Germany.
³ V.B.G.O. e.V., Geschaeftsstelle Hamburg, Postfach 500325, DE-22703 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 32882640
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110473

Abstract

For almost three decades, the Association for the Recovery of the Fallen in Eastern Europe (Verein zur Bergung Gefallener in Osteuropa e.V., VBGO) has committed itself to the location, recovery, documentation, and identification of the missing victims of World War II. Through the tireless efforts of the VBGO volunteers, over 7.000 fallen soldiers have been recovered and given a proper burial, many of them having been identified. The VBGO's work contributes to the ongoing process of coming to terms with one of the darkest chapters in European history. Countless dead are still missing, but they are not forgotten. The aim of this text is to present the VBGO, its goals and work, and the battlefield of Klessin as the main focus of the VBGO.

Keywords: Germany; VBGO; World War II; battlefield archaeology; excavation; war casualties.

Publication types

Historical Article

MeSH terms

Body Remains*
Burial
Europe, Eastern
Exhumation*
Forensic Anthropology / organization & administration*
History, 20th Century
Humans
Military Personnel*
Public Relations
Volunteers
World War II