The work of the VDK (German CWGC equivalent)

[JimSmithson]

At the GWF Dinner on Saturday evening I threw out a few vague figures about the work of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge that seemed to surprise some Forum members. Coincidentally the figures have just arrived through the post for 2009 and they make for sober contemplation.

The VDK exhumed a total of 42 720 remains in 2009, 23 325 in the Russian Federation alone. 212 were in Germany. 26 854 of these could be identified which means that since 1992 a total of 217 751 remains from both world wars have been identified.

Over 33 million Euros from a total income of just over 42 million was from a variety of fund raising means.

Over 18 700 young people took part during 2009 in the many camps organised by the VDK. Is this not a superb way of ensuring that the younger generations embrace the 'We will Remember' doctrine?

To give you some idea of the work this organisation still has to do it has a target of 48 000 exhumations for 2010!

Whilst accepting that the vast majority of their work is in the East and from the 2nd World War I believe a toast should be made to the work of this organisation, existing as it does, in the main form charitable donations and volunteer work. A also believe that the CWGC could take lessons from its information service.

Jim

[fritz]

Hi Jim,

I am astonished about the intensity of Volksbund activities. Did not know that. They mostly make their job without much publicity. Thanks for this information.

Best wishes

Fritz

[ulsterlad2]

That's tremendous.

[bruce]

My smack has rarely been more gobbed!

42,720 in a year!

That is an enormous number.

What an enormous amount of work, and mostly by volunteers. Why so little publicity?

Bruce

[27thBN]

:thumbsup: Wow that is a remarkable ongoing work in progress

MC

[egbert]

They spend my donations very well.

@Fritz: go to their website and you can also read all the VdK magazines online which are really worth it . Better is: go get your act together and become a member

[tjec]

A young chap at work is a member and often goes out "rattling a can" to raise money at various local fetes and celebrations (which the Germans have on many occasions and very good too).

He has looked up several things for me and is very helpful. I will show him this topic.

Regards,

Norman

[Heid the Ba]

I tried the website but my german isn't up to it.

These are presumably mostly known graves since the majority are identified individuals. What happens after they are exhumed? Are they consolidated in the country where they were exhumed or returned to Germany?

[egbert]

@ Norman: does he get money in the UK?

@Heid: the vast majority are forgotten grave sites and location totally unknown. You can read this in the VdK magazines. That's why they are so desperate in the East: the witnesses from the 1940 who still know the forgotten and overgrown grave sites are fading away and they try to get hold of every story that leads to possible gravesites. Most graves have benn robbed by ebay tag sellers but they still manage to identify a number of exhumed. So it is really a race against time before memories fade......They only could start exhuming bodies after the cold war and only since recently are bilateral agreements with most eastern countries in place that allow the official search for the missing

[tjec]

Hello Egbert,

No, Bavaria, just a little down the road from you

Regards,

Norman

[Heid the Ba]

Thanks Egbert, unless the magazines are in english I won't be able to read them.

Are the bodies repatriated or reburied in the countries they are found in?

[egbert]

Thanks Egbert, unless the magazines are in english I won't be able to read them.

Are the bodies repatriated or reburied in the countries they are found in?

well just look at the pictures; the latest edition online shows the new Kiew military cemetery where the forgotten around Kiew are and will be buried. All soldiers found in foreign soil remain in the country were they fell. Therefore it was so important to have bilateral agreements with eastern countries to protect the cemeteries legally

[Chris_Baker]

This is not only a reminder of the excellent work that the VdK does and has done for many years, but of the scale of loss on the Eastern Front in WW2. Whenever I am in Germany I always go poking about looking for war memorials and it always comes home to me how much greater the WW2 lists are than WW1, and how much of the loss was in the East. Completely opposite to the British experience. I often send a donation to VdK, after being really amazed some years ago when they began to send me mailings after I had only signed in the visitors book at (I think) Neuville St Vaast.

[JimSmithson]

The Volksbund are still working with the German government on reaching agreement with some Governments including Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegowina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic so there is much work yet to be done.

Jim

[River97]

I always knew they existed, and had visited the web site a couple of times, but 42 thousand in a year, that incredible.

All credit to them and lets hope they find a few more.

What a fantastic organisation.

Cheers Andy.

[fritz]

A man at his sad job exhuming bodies in a mass grave.

[depaor01]

Last September they completed a project "Blumen für Lommel" which involved fundraising for a bunch of white carnations to be placed on the grave of every unknown in Lommel cemetery.

Very touching and something that could be replicated in CWGC cemeteries.

[egbert]

See also cover page and article page 3 ff in VdK print media 1/2010 or in 4/2009 for La Cambe cemetery cover page and page 6 ff

[River97]

If only those magazines were in English, I would subscribe immediately.

I'll have to get them translated anyway and have a good read.

Cheers Andy.

[depaor01]

If only those magazines were in English, I would subscribe immediately.

Hi Andy:

Run the Volksbund.de website through Google Website Translate and you'll get the nearest thing to an English version.

Regards,

Dave