The remains of 618 German soldiers who died during Nazi Germany's World War II retreat through Poland and were buried in mass graves were laid to rest Friday, a memorial organisation said.
Tomasz Czabanski, of Polish foundation Pomost (Bridge), said the troops were reburied during a religious ceremony at a German military graveyard in Poznan, western Poland.
The troops died in the region in January and February 1945, as Soviet forces rolled back the occupying Germans, and were uncovered at various sites earlier this year.
Some 14,000 German soldiers already lie in Poznan's Milostowo cemetery.
Czabanski said 200 dog-tags had been found in the mass graves, enabling researchers to put names to some remains.
"The others will remain unknown," he said.
Funded by Germany, Pomost seeks out battlefield burials across Poland and exhumes the remains for reburial in military graveyards.
The exhumation programme is governed by an accord signed by Warsaw and Berlin in 1991.
Since then, some 150,000 German soldiers have been reburied.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.4274462d8bc1dc67622b983a5b20b6da.e1&show_article=1
Tomasz Czabanski, of Polish foundation Pomost (Bridge), said the troops were reburied during a religious ceremony at a German military graveyard in Poznan, western Poland.
The troops died in the region in January and February 1945, as Soviet forces rolled back the occupying Germans, and were uncovered at various sites earlier this year.
Some 14,000 German soldiers already lie in Poznan's Milostowo cemetery.
Czabanski said 200 dog-tags had been found in the mass graves, enabling researchers to put names to some remains.
"The others will remain unknown," he said.
Funded by Germany, Pomost seeks out battlefield burials across Poland and exhumes the remains for reburial in military graveyards.
The exhumation programme is governed by an accord signed by Warsaw and Berlin in 1991.
Since then, some 150,000 German soldiers have been reburied.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.4274462d8bc1dc67622b983a5b20b6da.e1&show_article=1
