Der Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge als Akteur in der deutschen Kriegsgräberpflege in Russland in den Grenzen der Sowjetunion und als Russische Föderation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Der Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge als Akteur in der deutschen Kriegsgräberpflege in Russland in den Grenzen der Sowjetunion und als Russische Föderation

AU - Janz, Nina

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - This article examines the German war grave care in Russia and the role of the Volks- bund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. (VDK). Established in 1919 as a grave care associa- tion, the VDK assumed the state task of maintaining resting places for German war dead abroad. With the German Russian War Graves Agreement of 1992, the VDK officially began its activi- ties in the Russian Federation. Both, the German and Russian authorities faced the challenge of addressing the handling of foreign war dead for the first time since the end of the war. The discussion surrounding the German deceased, their exhumation, and the establishment of new cemeteries reawakened old wounds in the Russian population and evoked memories of the Ger- man invasion, occupation, and war crimes committed. The negotiations between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany illustrate the post-war diplomatic dynamics at the local level, involving victors and vanquished, decision-makers and supplicants, marked by goodwill and rejection, mistrust and understanding. This engagement addresses the traces of war, the clarification of fates, and the treatment of the deceased and their remembrance. The deceased are not random dead but fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht on Soviet or Russian ter- ritory, who invaded the country and thus bear responsibility for brutal violence and the loss of millions of lives. This subject can be examined exemplarily through the graves within the con- text of historical politics. The article provides insights into this complex issue, highlighting the efforts and contradictions on the German side in assuming historical responsibility and seeking an appropriate commemorative culture for the fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

AB - This article examines the German war grave care in Russia and the role of the Volks- bund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. (VDK). Established in 1919 as a grave care associa- tion, the VDK assumed the state task of maintaining resting places for German war dead abroad. With the German Russian War Graves Agreement of 1992, the VDK officially began its activi- ties in the Russian Federation. Both, the German and Russian authorities faced the challenge of addressing the handling of foreign war dead for the first time since the end of the war. The discussion surrounding the German deceased, their exhumation, and the establishment of new cemeteries reawakened old wounds in the Russian population and evoked memories of the Ger- man invasion, occupation, and war crimes committed. The negotiations between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany illustrate the post-war diplomatic dynamics at the local level, involving victors and vanquished, decision-makers and supplicants, marked by goodwill and rejection, mistrust and understanding. This engagement addresses the traces of war, the clarification of fates, and the treatment of the deceased and their remembrance. The deceased are not random dead but fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht on Soviet or Russian ter- ritory, who invaded the country and thus bear responsibility for brutal violence and the loss of millions of lives. This subject can be examined exemplarily through the graves within the con- text of historical politics. The article provides insights into this complex issue, highlighting the efforts and contradictions on the German side in assuming historical responsibility and seeking an appropriate commemorative culture for the fallen soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

M3 - Artikel

SN - 0029-1595

VL - 32

SP - 83

EP - 100

JO - Nordost-Archiv: Zeitschrift für Regionalgeschichte

JF - Nordost-Archiv: Zeitschrift für Regionalgeschichte

ER -