Remnants of Wehrmacht Soldiers: Burial and Commemoration Practices of German Soldiers of the Second World War in Russia and Europe, 1941–2023.

"Remnants of Wehrmacht Soldiers" examines the treatment of German military graves during the Third Reich and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, focusing on burials on the Eastern Front. The book is structured into three sections: the first discusses the cultural and political context of military deaths in Germany, highlighting the role of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (VDK, German War Graves Commission) in commemorating fallen soldiers. The second section details the Wehrmacht's burial practices and the ideological motivations behind them, emphasizing individual burials for the Volksgemeinschaft while victims of Nazi violence were often buried anonymously. The final section shifts to the post-Soviet era, documenting the VDK's efforts to establish war cemeteries in Russia under the motto "reconciliation over the graves," which faced significant challenges due to historical tensions. The book provides insights into the complexities of commemorating a group of war dead associated with war crimes and nationalistic glorification. [Extracted from the article]