For more than eight decades, the remains of two German soldiers lay in the mud of the Danube. Only the exceptionally low water level of the Danube in Budapest has brought their story back to light.
Next to the bodies, fully intact German identity tags were found. That gives an unusually good chance of identifying the men more than 80 years on.
The discovery is closely linked to a remarkably well-preserved DKW NZ 350-1 motorcycle, which was found in early August on the Buda bank of the Danube.
Directly under or very close to the motorcycle, staff from Hungary's Institute and Museum of Military History came across the human remains. Volksbund staff member Gábor Kohlrusz recovered the bones of the two men from the exposed riverbed.
For many years Kohlrusz has worked in Hungary for the Volksbund as a reburial specialist. His tasks include searching for, recovering and documenting German war dead, and securing personal belongings and identity tags. Together with historians and local partners, he helps to establish the identities of the fallen and shed light on war fates that have long remained unresolved.
