Archaeologists find the bodies of 21 World War One German soldiers in perfectly preserved trenches where they were buried alive by an Allied shell

UK Daily Mail   "The bodies of 21 German soldiers entombed in a perfectly preserved World War One shelter have been discovered 94 years after they were killed.
"The men were part of a larger group of 34 who were buried alive when a huge Allied shell exploded above the tunnel in 1918, causing it to cave in.
"Thirteen bodies were recovered from the underground shelter, but the remaining men had to be left under a mountain of mud as it was too dangerous to retrieve them.

 

"Nearly a century later, French archaeologists stumbled upon the mass grave on the former Western Front in eastern France during excavation work for a road building project."
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"Archaeologists also uncovered the wooden sides, floors and stairways of the shelter.
"The dead soldiers were part of the 6th Company, 94th Reserve Infantry Regiment.
"Their names are all known - they include Musketeer Martin Heidrich, 20, Private Harry Bierkamp, 22, and Lieutenant August Hutten, 37, whose names are inscribed on a memorial in the nearby German war cemetery of Illfurth."   Full article here.


WWI Grave Find Tells Story Germans Want To Forget


More images here.  WW1 roster of German regiments, Links

Archaeologists find First World War soldiers in preserved trenches
"With very little light, water or even air penetrating the site, many items were extremely well-preserved. Boots, helmets, weapons, wine bottles, spectacles, wallets, pocket books and even the skeleton of a goat were found – this last assumed to have been present for the purpose of providing fresh milk for the men. Archaeologists also uncovered the wooden sides, floors and stairways of the shelter, big enough to shelter 500 men and occupied by the 6th Company, 94th Reserve Infantry Regiment."