WWII German Mass Grave discovery at Villeneuve-Loubet - Exhumation, identification, causes of death 

There's another thing this research does that is very important to me and the work I do. WWII was so large in scale that it's hard to fully grasp. We talk about millions dead here, millions dead there, and, like Stalin said, we get lost in a soup of numbers. When we find these soldiers, we see their bones: they become real. We see the wounds on their bones and it's a story cemented in place. We see the helmets with holes in them lining up with the holes in some of the skulls and it really packs a punch. I work hard to make WWI and WWII personal so we know who these people were as people not statistics. We see the soldiers in pictures and then in the ground and the full impact of war (as best we can) is brought home. "I am this man, I had family, I died here." The day we stop crying for all the men/women/children who died, were maimed, were displaced, is the day we lose the most precious piece of our humanity. God bless you for making this. God bless all of you who share your stories!

Thank you for going the extra miles to make sure those you exhume are indentified.

Your content I believe is what something like RU-vid should’ve been intended for. This work you do will outlast any of us… you’re creating records of history that likely didn’t exist before.. I hope you take great pride in this.. you deserve it.

It's so tragic seeing the face of a 17 year old that died a day before turning 18. The other pictures showing how much a boy gets turned into an old man by 'seeing the elephant' is breathtaking. It reminds me of photos of American Civil War soldiers 'before' and 'after' in which you can see a marked difference of someone that lost their innocence by seeing things that would haunt them for the remainder of their days. As usual, great video and detective work.

The same can be said of WWI soldiers. My paternal great grandfather was listed missing in action at Ypres in October 1914 when his position was overrun by the Germans and his name appears as such on the Menin Gate. My parents attended the Centenary Memorial of the battle and while there had a professional researcher go through records and he was found through German records in a German mass grave along with 2 others of his unit and 18 German soldiers uncovered in 1956 while rehabilitating fields for farming. The German and Belgian authorities overseeing the exhumation had his body and that of the two other men of his unit reburied in a Commonwealth graveyard. One was identified by his rank insignia while he and his companion were buried as unknown soldiers. It is known that he is one of the unknown soldiers due to the excellent records in German archives on the original burial for that particular battle and the further detailed recording carried out on the later exhumation. His British service records had been destroyed during bombing in WWII. It is thanks to people like you that families like mine can have closure after so long.

Thank you for doing this. Soldiers that died in combat have to be handled with respect regardless of the army to which they belonged. A boy who dies at 17yo was truly not to blame for the conflict, but was a victim.

You’re doing fantastic work. It’s heartbreaking to see these young boys used in war.

I respect you for your thorough research to have these brave soldiers identified and treated with dignity! Rest in peace!!

As a U.S.Army Soldier myself and being overseas in these areas and seeing mass Graves in many places . All Soldiers deserve to be buried in a place of Honor and to be known where they rest for the family....or to also to be brought home to a family Cemetery...I commend and Salute you and the others who help bring these Soldiers home ....

Amazing research and video. I did not know there were so many unmarked burials. In hindsight, that is a little naive of me. Your research and exhumations give recognition to these men, even if unidentified. It’s like saying « We see you. You were here. You are human »

So many young men never got to grow old and experience life… so sad.

It feels good that those people are found and not forgotten after all those years

Thank you for your detective work bringing back loved ones and giving closure to relatives. My grandfather was from Annaberg Silesia and fought in that war but somehow survived. This could easily have been him in one of these graves but we got to keep him until his 94th birthday.

Wasn't till I started to watch your videos that I realized how deadly shrapnel really was in war and actually seeing the trauma it caused really drives it home

This is just a wonderful study of an unknown soldier's burial - families have received information about their dead relatives.

Fantastic work mate, as a ex soldier myself, the very least every service man or woman deserves is to be identified and give a proper burial no mater their nationality..well done again dude...keep up the excellent work!

You’re a saint sir for locating these missing soldiers and bringing them home. Your videos and research put into them is amazing. God bless you.

What a marvellous job you did the whole team… bringing those soldiers out and identify them giving them a proper burial but most of it… informing the loved ones that they fallen relative have been found… ahhh I watched this video with such a satisfaction and happiness within myself that no matter where they come from we must never ever forget them… CONGRATULATIONS to each and everyone who worked hard to put this together…🙏

But for having had rheumatic fever as a teenager, any one of these men could have been my father, And I would not have been born, luckily for me, in a great country, Canada. How absolutely tragic that they lost their Ives and, for some of them, even their identities, all for the ‘glory’ of war. Thank you for all the videos you make, you give form to something that is passing out of living memory, something that many of us alive now have no idea how horrible and brutal the experience of war is. May even the unidentified be remembered for their sacrifice, albeit in a false cause. War is hell, something we should never forget. You help us remember, and I hope you never lose your passion for showing the world what war is really like. Many thanks to you for your time and energy spent bringing these men home after so many decades. ❤️

The futility of war so many young lives taken, i thank you for the time and research that you did, you brought these young men back to life, thank you.

An investigation for an unmarked WW2 German grave has no business being THIS detailed and painstakingly good!! Hats off to you sir for bringing this piece of history back to life. Keep it up.

Thank you very much for bringing closure to the families and burying the soldiers with honor.

You are a man of honor, along with those who assist you in bringing PEOPLE home to there families. Clearing up facts and resolving fiction. Being the grand child of ww2 dutch soldier, my Opa served in the 113 infantry. I dont have any stores of his service. Although he and my Oma part of the dutch underground . And lived through it, till bringing my father and his siblings to the US in 1957. I hope many people watch and learn the value of what do, shair, guide and teach. Blessings to you and families whom you assist in answering what Happened.

Outstanding work, especially for the families of those killed.

you are a truly wonderful person . Incredibly interesting and makes them live again . I was a soldier in 1970 in VN. I still think about it all the time .

Fantastic job! This is true history...I have to say what you are doing for these souls is unmeasurable and top notch research!

This goes back to your first video? The dedication is laudable and incredible. You have done great work!

Nothing short of fantastic work, I salute you.

After watching one of your other recent uploads it saddens me to think just how many of these poor souls have not been identified or even misidentified.

Sir, you are an excellent historical researcher, and humanitarian. Thank for producing & sharing these video of your work.

such a sad labour...you're gracious to undertake it...mille mercis, copain

Thank you for your hard work and persistence in recovering and identifying these men!

Thank you for your outstanding work and dedication to the humanity of the dead. Being an American artilleryman it was of great interest to me that this grave contained mostly those killed by shrapnel. Artillery the world over is known as the King of Battle due to the fact that most casualties in recent warfare (in the last 275 years or so) have been from artillery.

My Grandfather's unit was here Thank you for posting this. Interesting to see where he was at yet at the same time sad to see what War does to people

RIP to all soldiers who died in WW2 🙏

I’ve watched a few of your videos now and it makes me so sad when I see the smaller skeletons/ skulls as it’s so evident how some of the soldiers were just children. Thank you for taking so much care returning them home

Sir , what you are doing is extremely interesting , important and honorable work and I commend you for it ! It's amazing how you take every effort to identify these soldiers ! Thank you !

You my friend are a great person, appreciate all your hard work and going the extra mile! Always enjoy your videos..

Very interesting historical information showing how violent war is and how so many young men died fighting this war. It has to be rewarding to be able to give families closure after all of these years. Thanks for sharing the results of your work.

This was incredibly humbling. The effort you put in to identify and reunite these men with their families is extremely commendable.

I just wanted to say thank you!!! Because you were listening, you’ve given many loved ones closer! And answers! hopefully the dead some peace!

You are to be commended for your incredible dedication to finding all these young soldiers identity's !

My uncle was lost over Anzio never to be seen again, all these years later I can still see the tears

Fascinating and moving documentary! Good work!

Silesians feel themselves as Silesians, not Poles. (similarly Basques or Catalans are not Spaniards and Bretons do not feel French). The Silesians live at home, that is in Silesia. They've always lived here. The fact that Silesia is now in Poland does not automatically make them Poles, but only citizens of the Polish state. In Silesia, every family knows who is a Pole, a German or a Jew (although most feel simply Silesian). They have long been fighting for official recognition of their ethnic identity and autonomy (this was promised to them after the First World War in exchange for joining the Polish state). It was only after 2004 (after joining the European Union) that Poland had to agree to install in Silesia bilingual nameplates of towns (in Polish and German), but it has problem with such nameplates at Silesian railway stations. Silesians are also allowed to commemorate only those Silesians who opted for Poland (despite the fact that outstanding artists, engineers, poets, composers, all associated with the history of Germany, lived and worked here for half of millennium). The current government often accuses the Silesians of being so-called "V column" and "hidden German option" (i.e. potential traitors to Poland). The Poles cannot forgive them not only for the fact that the ancestors of the Silesians served in the Wehrmacht or the SS, but also that they previously fought alongside the Prussians (especially Frederick the Great) and that in the Middle Ages they fought on the side of the HRE Emperor and the Teutonic Order. This justifies the refusal to recognize their autonomy. Recently, government subsidies for Silesian schools have been suspended, so that the German language is not taught there (other minorities, Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Jews, and even Gypsies have no problem with such subsidies and can freely teach their own languages and dialects). Also the local Silesian dialect (similar to Polish and Czech with German elements) is not welcomed and ridiculed. According to the current government, there is no such thing as Silesians, there are only Poles. As far as surnames are concerned, they do not indicate national affiliation. It should be remembered that in the Middle Ages there were no surnames, these began to appear only in the eighteenth century and originated from occupations, local geographical places, nicknames , etc. In a multicultural and multilingual area (located on the border of Poland, Germany, Czechia and Galicia) the surnames were specific and reflected the complex history of this region. So, there are ethnic Poles with purely German surnames and vice versa. In Silesia, the larges group of surnames come from the local Silesian dialect. Tacitus wrote that in the first century Silesia was inhabited by a multi-ethnic league dominated by the Germanic tribe Lugii, and Vandals and also the Silingi- hence the Indo-European prefix "SIL" appearing in the name of Silesia) Later some Slavic tribes came, hence the separateness of Silesia and its slowly Slavization.(Historically, Silesia was separate from Poland). The current language of eastern (Upper) Silesia is a mixture of Polish and Czech with German elements. The language of central (Opole) and western (Lower) Silesia was a collection of entirely German dialects with Slavic elements (after World War II, all these dialects died out, over 98% of the population was forced to move to Germany, only Upper Silesians remained, because after WWI they agreed to join their territories to Poland). The issue of serving in Hitler's army was a cause for shame and discrimination against Silesians (for obvious reasons - the great crimes of the Nazis during the war) - especially in the communist era. So many Silesians hid it or cut themselves off from this "German" past. (In Poland until today there is a proverb "Slazacy nie Polacy" - "Silesians are not Poles"). Admitting that someone feels German required more courage than admitting (in a strongly Catholic country like Poland) that someone feels gay. Nevertheless, it is in Silesia that the largest group of Poles who admit to German origin live, the overwhelming majority of the rest consider themselves as Silesians (data from the last census) - although they fully recognize Polish statehood and do not seek to separate Silesia from Poland. (It's just about the autonomy they were promised). Besides, the Nazis started recruiting true Polish volunteers only in the second half of 1944, out of desperation. They knew that the Poles feared the Soviets and were ready to offer them anything in exchange for slowing down the Soviet offensive. They only managed to recruit less than 10,000 (but only to fight on Polish soil), which did not change anything. Most of them deserted anyway. During the war, Poles collaborating with the German army were sentenced to death by the Polish resistance movement. So-called Volksdeutsche were considered traitors and socially excluded. In Silesia, the situation was different.

Thank you very much for your research. Those killed in the war were not forgotten but as you have shown they were brothers and fathers not nameless entities. Most interesting video!

Thank you for your humanity and diligence.

I just came across your channel and I am so saddened yet intrigued. Thank you for finding these men and for educating us. I wish someone would have discovered them and done what you’re doing now, sooner, so that maybe some of their loved ones could have known what happened to them.

Knowing the whereabouts of a lost family member can be enormously important for some people. The work you do could have tremendous value socially and historically. I know of people who are personally affected, and knowing what happened is a huge life event.

Thank you for your very interesting videos. You have done a wonderful job, so professional, to help the surviving families.

Superb work and investigation. Respect sent to all involved and especially to you for your leadership, interest, knowledge and organization.

Absolutely fascinating and very moving. Your research and efforts to remember all these young men is ve3ry commendable. 'Lest we Forget'.

Super recherchiert ! Unglaublich ! Absolut Top-Arbeit ! Danke !

Excellent work, very thorough, and fulfilling, glad to see you didn't give up, when running into adversity, Thank you for your work!!

Absolutely incredible, thank you for the work that you do!

Excellent presentation. Thank you fir the sharing of information

Thank you for doing this. It was very interesting and so sad as well. Glad that some families could get some closure.

What a tremendously interesting video! You do a great job as a combination historian/researcher, detective/investigator, and coroner/medical examiner.

I love your videos because people need to remember how horrible these wars were. These bodies were mostly young men also. 17 to 30 maybe. Mostly 17- early 20s. There's so many dead that were literally just lost

Your effort, I’m sure, is very greatly appreciated by families. So awful that so many young men passed away far too early.

Such amazing research! Body 1 & 4 are so haunting, smiling carefree photographs with the fascinating backstory juxtaposed with the tragic remains left in an otherwise unmarked pit grave. I wonder about the survivors did they ever think of returning to collect their comrades, seek them out or mark their resting place

Very interesting! I cannot imagine how those young boys deaths affected their families. My son's are those ages. Unimaginable! This discovery speaks volumes. What brave men.

Excellent work on iding these Soldiers . Well put together and I commend you on your efforts to bring closure to these Families....

Fascinating. Thanks for you diligent research and interesting information. War is hell!

My grandpa was in the Korean war and sometimes late at night he would sneak into the living room where us grandkids were watching MTV, underneath covers on the couch and we'd have to yell for grandma "GRAMMA! GRAMPA IS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LIKE HES HUNTING US WITH A RIFLE!!" she came running yelling at him "Go back to bed, the wars over". It was frightening and a strange memory but just imagine how he felt. RIP Bertrum St. Elmo Smith of Muskegon Michigan. Unfortunately he became a drunk and eventually was hit by 2 cars as he walked back from the liquor store.

Most interesting thing I've watched for a while, great work I can't believe they were able to figure exactly who they were and how they died and puttin that jigsaw skull puzzle back together at all blows my mind!!!

You did an amazing job identifying those soldiers....

Congratulations on your determination and thoroughness. A remarkable saga involving the dead and their living relatives.

You sir are a remarkable man..I'm an American that served in the US Army during The Gulf War era..This is important work you do..Thank you

Fantastic detective work and really interesting video. I'm pleased for the families who've been reunited with their loved one's. They were just boys. RIP.

Very informative. Researching must have been exhausting. Closure is important, so I can only imagine how grateful these deceased soldiers' relatives were.

What you do is so important! I hope you do well with this. It’s a great deal of work! God Bless You!

Thank you. Very informative and interesting. History is something..great work.

I really appreciate the work it must have taken to get these results. I believe anything we learn about those who came before us is worth the time. Thank you-

Top notch sir! Thank you for sharing this. Very intriguing stuff.👍

Merci pour cette passionnante vidéo et pour le travail réalisé 🙏🏻

Many years after WWII I discovered how much detail exists to document that war within USA archives. Frankly, I had no idea how much they saved. As organized as the Germans were I would be surprised if they didn’t have records, as well. This is a tremendous amount of work, but you should have great satisfaction that you have provided closure for several families. Thank you for your work.

Thanks for your outstanding and incredible work. Salute to you. It’s so important for all generations to not forget what war is causing. All soldiers deserve coming home even after such a long time. R.I.P.

Great work and research… keep on doing this good work.

Thank you for this. A well detailed investigation

Fine work you did here sir. I'm sure the families of the soldiers were grateful.

❤️❤️❤️ thank you for not forgetting all this man's... I was born on 1975..I been had a dreams about the war...since I had 5... interesting about where's all the body..see a few documentary,then movies and now videos...the are lot job but beautiful to know then people like you try to find them ❤️🙏🏻

Truly enjoyed your video! Fantastic and very interesting information. Thank you.

Really excellent work as always. Thank you.

Vă felicit pentru toată munca ce o depuneți, sunteți adevărați oameni 🙏🙏🙏 !!!!

Great vid mate,I love it that people like you're self are trying to and are finding lost soldiers,its a great thing as there ancestors finally know what happened to them

Great job mate 👍. Giving closure to many families.

Very good work brings back the sad history of this poor young man...

As a war history enthusiast, this channel has broadened my horizons to better understand World War 2 and the events during that period. Thank you for this video sir!

Excellent vid. Your work is very important. Thank you.

Always fascinating, thank you for the video

Very nice and extensive research, congrats my friend!

When you look at the description, almost all the soldiers buried here are from the eastern areas of Germany which are now part of Poland, or from the Sudetenland in what is now the Czech Republic. That's crazy and sad. RIP Helden.

Unbelievably well researched and you are absolutely amazing for bringing closure to the families. My father was very lucky to have his father survive the war and return home (WWII - Europe - 202nd Combat Engineers). I can only imagine the questions someone would have for ever if they lost a loved one and the circumstances were obscured by the fog of war. Where and when did they fall? Where were they buried? etc. You helped answer those questions for the families of the boys in that grave that you were able to identify. Wow... just wow! Speechless.

Great work! I appreciate your efforts and sharing this information.

You sir, are a good man for the work you do. Thank you!

You do a awesome job on this research… thanks for everything you do… thanks buddy…

Awesome job. So interesting. And so important. I hope these young soldiers and their families are at peace. Thank you for doing this.

Absolutely fascinating. It just shows how easy it was to misidenttify bodies , especially in the chaos of battle.

Valuable work you do. Both human and historical. Thanks. Greetings from Germany.