The search for World War Two’s fallen soldiers is still ongoing. The German War Graves Commission receives more than 35,000 enquiries every year. Often, it’s a chance find that puts researchers on the path to identifying a missing serviceman.
Edla C. never imagined receiving any more information about her brother. 10 years her senior, he was killed in battle in 1945 and became a legendary figure in the mind of his little sister. Now - at the age of 86 - she’s holding the cast of a seal he was thought to be holding when he died. Suddenly, the only photograph she possesses of her brother comes alive; the few moments they shared in their lives become tangible.
These are moments that make the efforts of Oliver Breithaupt and Kathrin Krabs worthwhile. The two work for the German War Graves Commission. The commission still receives 35,000 enquiries every year from people seeking information about missing family members. Often, the search is triggered by a small, seemingly insignificant item: a photo, a letter, a death notice, a dog tag. Sometimes the find can be human remains unearthed by chance on building sites. Commission employees ensure that the remains are carefully and respectfully removed from their resting place.
Oliver Breithaupt and his team never know where the research is going to take them. It can often take years to identify the dead. Only once that is done can there be a name on a gravestone, so that the family has a place of remembrance.
Oliver Breithaupt’s team takes care of war dead - regardless of which war they died in, regardless of their name or rank, regardless of any blame. By putting together the tiniest pieces of the puzzle, they try to give missing soldiers back their identities. And, by telling the stories of their fates, they hope to warn against future wars.
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