WWII Motorcycle and Remains of Two Soldiers Discovered in Danube River
A World War II motorcycle and the unidentified remains of two German soldiers have been recovered from the Danube River in Budapest, over 80 years after the war's end.
Remnants of World War II have surfaced in the Danube River, with the discovery of a German motorcycle and the remains of two soldiers, the German War Graves Commission announced in August. The artifacts were found in central Budapest during the summer.
The recovered item is a DKW NZ 350-1 motorcycle, a model known for its robustness during the war. Officials noted that the vehicle, heavily corroded and caked in mud, was remarkably well-preserved due to the harbor mud mixed with gas oil. Alongside the motorcycle, the remains of two German soldiers were found, along with two identification tags.
Normally, one half of a soldier's identification tag would remain with the body, while the other was sent to the Wehrmacht Information Office to notify the family. However, the presence of the intact tags with the remains suggests these soldiers may not have been officially recovered or accounted for after their deaths.
Diane Tempel-Bornett, a spokesperson for the German War Graves Commission, stated that the identities of the soldiers remain unknown and that deciphering the tags is an ongoing process. She cautioned that while the tags were found with the remains, it is not guaranteed they belonged to those individuals, though it is possible.
Identifying the soldiers is described as a lengthy and meticulous undertaking. Investigators examine the remains for clues such as height, age, and origin, and search for personal belongings like wedding rings, glasses, jewelry, or papers that could aid in identification. These findings are then cross-referenced with military records and historical archives.
"Only when everything fits together is the person’s fate considered to have been clarified," Tempel-Bornett explained. The final step involves attempting to contact any relatives. If relatives are actively searching, it simplifies the process; otherwise, the commission works with registration authorities to locate family members.
Currently, the circumstances surrounding how the soldiers and the motorcycle ended up in the Danube remain a mystery. Speculation exists regarding their cause of death, ranging from attempting to cross the frozen river to being shot or drowning, but definitive answers await further investigation into their fates.