The mass graves of the Great Patriotic War today remind us of the fierce opposition of the Soviet people to fascism.
How do mass graves appear?
Mass graves occur when people die or are killed in large numbers. This may primarily be the result of fierce battles. It was then that the bodies of the dead soldiers were buried in the same pit. Such burials are called mass graves because all those buried here gave their lives as brothers for one common cause. But this is not the only way to form a mass grave of people. The reason is also epidemics, when so many people die that there is simply no one to bury them one by one. These could be those killed innocently in concentration camps or those who died from wounds and illnesses in a hospital. The first appearance of group graves dates back to antiquity. Back then they were called poor people.
The main reason for the occurrence
During the Great Patriotic War, the territory of the Soviet Union was captured by the enemy many kilometers from the border. The Great Patriotic War formed on the occupied lands. A huge number of such burials appeared for the same reasons. The first of them is that in the first months of the clash with the enemy, the Soviet army was forced to retreat. There was no strength or time to bury all those who died on the battlefield. If there was even the slightest opportunity to honorably bury the killed soldiers and officers, they certainly tried to take advantage of it. There was no time to build a personal burial for each warrior. We had to bury everyone in a common grave. Initially, at least some kind of board was installed indicating the date of burial and the names of the buried. Such inscriptions were often made on available materials. It became a tree that is easily destroyed under the influence of natural factors. It rots quickly and can burn out in a fire. Such pedestals could simply be used by other soldiers to keep warm or cook food for themselves.
Another reason for the appearance
There are several other reasons why mass graves arose because times bring challenges to people’s lives that are unusual for everyday life. Overcoming hunger and disease becomes the most important task of every person. Both a soldier in the trenches and a civilian who, by the will of fate, finds himself in the territory of direct military action. Hospitals could not help every needy person. The sick, wounded, and exhausted died. Group burials appeared near each new location of the mobile hospital. Keeping records was not always possible. And in the case when such a patient was delivered unconscious and without documents, it was not even possible to find out his name. Therefore, group burials were often carried out only with the date of creation and the number of buried corpses indicated. Hospitals moved with their troops. Along their route, new mass burial sites appeared.
The worst reason
And, finally, the most terrible reason why mass graves of the Great Patriotic War appeared on earth. These are the rules in force in the occupied territory that were established by the fascist authorities. The plan adopted by Hitler before the start of the war clearly gave an idea of the so-called new life. There was no room for freedom, for prosperity in such a regime. For any disobedience to the authorities, everyone who showed this disobedience was sentenced to a single punishment - execution. Underground fighters and partisans, and any person suspected of having connections with them, were massacred. There are known cases of extermination of all members of individual families or residents of entire settlements. The burning of all the people in the village of Khatyn became a symbol of such barbarity.
An even greater contribution to the formation of group burials was made by the concentration camps that existed during the war. Here the cost of human life was reduced to a minimum. Murders were carried out daily and in large numbers. The bodies were thrown into dug trenches or ravines and covered with earth.
Restore every soldier's name
The war continues until the name of every soldier who gave his life for his homeland is restored. This is the installation of numerous search teams that have taken responsibility and are turning their plan into reality. After the end of the war, many small burials were moved to one larger one. This was done as part of a project to enlarge mass graves.
As a result of the work carried out, numerous mass graves of the Great Patriotic War were formed. The list of those buried in each specific case requires compilation and clarification. Search engines are doing everything possible to ensure that each body is identified. Found personal items play a huge role in this matter. It could be a mug or spoon with initials, a Red Army book or party card, letters from home or, conversely, home. Paper storage media can rarely overcome the influence of time and maintain their integrity. Soldiers' medallions would cope with this task, and then the identification of the remains would be more effective. But it was impossible to provide every warrior with such an attribute. It was believed that duplicating data about a person on a medallion was not necessary.
Smolensk region - the true price of victory
The fascist invaders ruled the Smolensk land for more than two years (26 and a half months). During this long period, the Nazis destroyed Soviet citizens indiscriminately of age and gender. One hundred and thirty-five thousand people were tortured and executed - this is the result of their atrocities. In Smolensk alone, 87 graves containing the bodies of the dead were discovered. It was decided to transfer their remains to the mass graves of the Great Patriotic War.
It was the site of the formation of the one hundred and twenty-sixth concentration camp. There is evidence of human losses in this death factory: up to three hundred dead every day. The corpses were thrown into the grave and covered with earth. The memory of such atrocities is preserved for the sole purpose of preventing such events from happening again. On the site of this camp lie the bodies of 45 thousand soldiers and 15 thousand on the site of a branch, the so-called small camp under the same number 126. Monuments and obelisks do not allow us to lose contact with the past war. Their rise above the surrounding landscape, a silent cry, reminds of the feat of the fallen soldiers.
Defending the approaches to the capital
The Kaluga region is located on the last tens of kilometers to the center of our country - Moscow. During the seven hundred and sixteen days that the Nazis were in this territory, more than 240 thousand defenders of Soviet land died. Since those memorable years, mass graves of the Great Patriotic War in the Kaluga region have been preserved at the battle sites. Their total number exceeds five hundred. Soldiers and officers, privates and generals found their last refuge on this land. Abundantly watered with the blood of its defenders, the Kaluga land preserves the memory of their valiant feat. Numerous obelisks, memorials and monuments remain places of mass worship of descendants of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. The memory of the heart does not leave a young youth and an inveterate hard worker indifferent.
Everyone bows their head in gratitude. There is confusion in the lists of burials. Much of the information about the soldiers was mixed up or initially inaccurate. Therefore, descendants have yet to restore the names of those who did not spare their lives for the freedom of Kaluga land.
Kursk - returned names for the anniversary of the Victory
The city of Kursk is one of the sites of battles that went down in history as during the Second World War. The remains of soldiers are still being found in the settlement itself and in the surrounding areas. A group burial of executed Kursk residents was discovered in the city center. Here are the bones of women and children, which speaks of the atrocities of the Nazis. The search work allowed us to discover several soldier medallions. The remains of all the victims were reburied. Larger mass graves of the Great Patriotic War in Kursk were formed from numerous small burials.
By the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, more than a thousand names have been restored. One thousand one hundred names of fallen heroes are officially carved on granite slabs. The soldiers and officers who paid for the road to victory with their lives received an examination and identification of their remains. Most of the work to revive the memory of nameless heroes has been carried out.
Last refuge on a foreign land
Having restored the borders of the Soviet Union, the USSR troops continued their path to the lair of fascism. It was not easy to walk along this road. It took several more long months to liberate European countries from the occupiers. People died in every country. They died from enemy bullets, died on the roadsides, drowned in rivers and swamps. The places where mass graves of the Great Patriotic War are located in Poland are sites of fierce battles or mass executions of local residents.
Along with the already familiar finds, when graves with thousands of corpses are discovered, something out of the ordinary is encountered. A burial with the bodies of beheaded soldiers was found in the city of Kostrzyn. As it turned out later, in the mid-fifties it was decided to rebury the remains of soldiers in order to enlarge the mass graves. The city utility service was entrusted with such a difficult task. Regulatory documents of that time indicate that the transfer of remains was carried out “over the heads.” Therefore, only the heads and sometimes the upper torso were transferred. All other parts of the skeleton remained in the same place. Such a blasphemous attitude cannot but cause discontent. Therefore, a decision was made to continue the exhumation and complete the transfer of all the remains of the fallen defenders of the city.
Photos of monuments
Each burial of soldiers and officers has an individual appearance. Giving uniqueness to the site of mass burial began during the war years. You can view photos of mass graves from the Great Patriotic War on the websites of municipalities. This could be a traditional stele, a bare head of a soldier, or a list of names on a granite slab. There are very unusual specimens. For example, a gravesite made from a tank. Modern designers offer other options for imprinting the names of the dead in stone. The more difficult it is to destroy the monument, the longer the memory of the valor of the Soviet soldier will live.
Not all names have been restored yet; there are mass graves of the Great Patriotic War with unknown heroes. The families of such soldiers still consider their great-grandfathers missing. Finding them and finding out their final resting place is the duty of every representative of a great nation.
Great Patriotic War (22.6.1941-9.5.1945)
List of graves of soldiers of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) and the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), partisans, underground fighters and victims of Nazi terror who died on the territory of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Republic (LSSR).
On the territory of modern Latvia there are more than 350 mass graves and cemeteries of Soviet soldiers. Unfortunately, the list provided is not complete and may contain inaccuracies. We sincerely apologize for this! The list is constantly updated and corrected with the help of caring fellow tribesmen. Likewise, articles about each mass grave and lists of buried soldiers are constantly being added and corrected.
Some articles on mass graves are illustrated with photographs. However, they are small in size. Larger photographs can be found on the website “Remember us! " Or order them by writing a request to ROvL.
In name lists from brotherly cemeteries and graves, we indicate information according to how they are indicated on memorial plaques or in archival data. Even if they contain typos or errors. As for archived data, we simply do not have the right to change it. And in the case of memorial slabs, information about errors is collected in this way, which will then be summarized and transferred to organizations and institutions responsible for repair work, so that over time the incorrect inscriptions will be corrected. At the same time, given the volume of materials, it is possible that typos may appear while working on our pages. In this case, we will be glad if readers tell us about them!
In addition, for reference, the list shows institutions, enterprises and schools that were chiefs during Soviet times. But many of them no longer exist. The attitude of the current authorities is known: despite some positive examples of support from some officials, Russophobes are doing everything possible to erase the memory of our fallen soldiers from the history of the Baltic states. However, while we are alive, we will fight this to the best of our ability.
Eternal memory to the fallen Russian soldiers!
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First, a little information for those who are looking for burial places of dead relatives. Nowadays there are many possibilities for searching using the Internet. Firstly, this is the Generalized Data Bank (GDB) "Memorial", which presents in electronic form an array of documents from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense (TsAMO) and other archives of Russia related to the irretrievable losses of the Red Army during the war (lists from cemeteries, reports about losses, cards for prisoners of war, etc.). When searching, however, it should be taken into account that in the spelling of names, patronymics, surnames, toponyms and dates there may be both errors made by clerks at the time of drawing up documents, and typos made during scanning and processing of documents. Therefore, when searching, it is better to try different spellings of names, etc., as well as use the advanced search capabilities (all this is described in detail on the OBD website). Of course, this creates certain inconveniences, but you should understand that errors and typos are inevitable when working with so many documents. This also includes the page of the Documentation Center - a research institution at the Association of Saxon Memorials in Memory of Victims of Political Terror, which contains unique information about Soviet prisoners of war. Secondly, these are electronic books in memory of different regions of Russia and other countries. The website of the Information Retrieval Center (IRC) “Fatherland” contains more than thirty different books of memory, and their list is constantly expanding. When searching there, you should also take into account that there may be errors and typos made both by those who prepared the documents used to compile the memory books and by those who compiled the memory books or converted them into electronic form. In addition, there are many separate pages on the Internet that present different memory books. Here are some of them: Thirdly, it is possible to ask for advice or help at the Search Engines Forum, which is the center of communication for search engines not only in Russia, but also in other countries. Great help in the search can also be obtained on the forum of the sites “Forgotten Regiment” and Soldat.ru. In addition, a lot of attention is paid to the search for relatives, including those who died in the Great Patriotic War, as well as military memorials on the forum of the All-Russian Family Tree website. In Latvia, communication between search engines takes place on the military-historical forum “ANTIK-WAR”. You can also contact the Latvian search teams “Order” and “Patriot” for help. For those who are looking for the burial place of relatives on the territory of Latvia, it is important to remember the following. After the war, military single and mass graves were enlarged. Therefore, in most cases there is no need to look for some inconspicuous farm (and even with a distorted name for the simple reason that the clerk did not speak Latvian and wrote down data by ear, not to mention the cases when Latvia was confused with Lithuania) or the edge of a forest 200 meters north of a long-defunct railway line, which were indicated, for example, in a document from TsAMO as the place of the initial burial of a warrior, it is better to check the presence in the area of a fraternal cemetery at the level of the volost, district or city and the presence on memorial plates at This cemetery is named after a warrior whose burial place is being sought. If the name is missing, then the following basic options are possible: ◈ the name was distorted either by the clerk, or by those who put names on memorial plaques, or the people who buried the fighter had damaged documents in their possession, in which it was impossible to accurately make out his name; ◈ the name of the warrior was not indicated on the temporary wooden memorial sign, according to the design standard adopted in some units of the Red Army; ◈ a temporary wooden memorial sign with the name of a warrior decayed before the reburial or transfer of names to stone or metal memorial plaques was carried out, and during the reburial or creation of new memorial plaques, no one checked the documents; ◈ the name disappeared during the restoration or repair of memorial plaques; ◈ a memorial sign or memorial plate with the name of a warrior ended up on another memorial by mistake; ◈ the warrior’s body was reburied by relatives in another place, which was reflected in the documentation of those who installed the memorial stones, but information about this did not reach other relatives and/or was not reflected in other documents that guided the latter; ◈ the warrior was not reburied, and his grave was forgotten. In these cases, it is really necessary to establish as accurately as possible the original burial site in order to determine whether the name was for some reason simply not indicated on the memorial tablet (while, say, the names of his fellow soldiers who died with him on the same day and were buried in one place, indicated), or the fighter was not reburied, and his grave turned out to be forgotten and needs to be found. Therefore, on the pages dedicated to mass graves, after the lists of names from the memorial plaques, we also indicate information about the fighters who, according to documents, were or could have been buried or reburied there, but for some reason their names are not on the memorial plaques. You can also find out about the problems with perpetuating the names of the fallen in the report “On the problems of perpetuating the names of the fallen in Latvia. Every second one is forgotten, every sixth one is confused” (2010). And lastly: given the large amount of work, unfortunately, there may be errors and typos on our pages. Please report them, we will definitely fix them! P.S. For those planning a trip to Latvia to visit the graves of relatives, we recommend the following maps (they all complement each other well): (Google map, many thanks to Andrey Yukhimenko!) Dobeles region Village Berze(Bērze), Bērzes parish. Military mass graves on the territory of the Zvaņu kapi cemetery. 964 soldiers were buried, all are known. City Dobele(Dobele), Brivibas street (Brīvības). Military brotherly cemetery. 8163 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Khutor Hourly(Počas), Jaunbērzes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 1041 soldiers were buried, all are known. Khutor Tilaishi(Tīlaiši), Auru parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 529 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Village Shkibe(Šķibe), Bērzes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 830 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Dundagas region Village Dundaga(Dundaga), Dundagas parish. The grave of an unknown Soviet soldier on the territory of a civil cemetery. Chiefs: Dundaga Secondary School. Durbes region City Durbe(Durbe), Aizputes street. Military mass grave on the territory of the Priedienas cemetery (Priedienas kapi). 32 soldiers were buried, 3 are known. Jēkabpils city Lubānas region City Lubana(Lubāna), Stacijas street. Military brotherly cemetery. 442 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Ludzas region Village Brigs(Brigi), Brigu parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 85 warriors were buried, 83 are known. Village Vecslabada(Vecslabada), Istras parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 106 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Village Garbars(Garbari), Cirmas parish. Common Cemetery for Victims of Nazi Terror. The number and names of those buried are unknown. City Ludza(Ludza), Kryšjāņa Barona street. Military mass graves on the territory of the Catholic Cemetery (Katoļu kapi). 58 soldiers were buried, 39 are known. City Ludza(Ludza), Latgales street. Partisan brotherly cemetery. 7 partisans were buried, all known. City Ludza(Ludza), Stacijas street. Military mass grave. 9 soldiers were buried, all are known. Village Nirza(Nirza), Nirzas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 117 soldiers were buried, all known, designated 115. Village Pilda(Pilda), Pildas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 194 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Village Rundens(Rundēni), Rundēnu parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 418 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Madonas region Village Barkava(Barkava), Barkavas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 677 soldiers were buried, 671 are known. Village Laudon(Ļaudona), Liaudonas parish (Ļaudonas). Military brotherly cemetery. 897 soldiers were buried, 884 are known. City Madona(Madona), Pumpuru street. Military brotherly cemetery. 4186 soldiers were buried, 4150 are known. City Madona(Madona), Skolas street, 10. Grave of Major General Nikolai Petrovich Yakunin (1902-30.9.1944). Village Marcien(Mārciena), Mārcienas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 343 soldiers were buried, 335 are known. Village Metriene(Mētriena), Metrienas parish (Mētrienas). Military brotherly cemetery. 232 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Village Sarkani(Sarkaņi), Sarkaņu parish. Military mass graves on the territory of the Sarkaņu kapi cemetery. 509 soldiers were buried, 507 are known. Village Jaunkalsnava(Jaunkalsnava), Kalsnavas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 377 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Mazsalacas region A park Skanjakalna(Skaņākalna parks), Mazsalacas parish. Single military grave. 1 partisan was buried, his name is known. Malpils region Village Malpils(Mālpils), Strēlnieku street. Military brotherly cemetery. 452 soldiers were buried, 363 are known. Marupes region Village Tiraine(Tīraine), region of Marupes. Military brotherly cemetery. 42 warriors were buried, 40 are known. Neretas region Khutor Billes Billes, Zalves parish. Military mass graves on the territory of the Zalves parish cemetery (Zalves pagasta kapi). 12 warriors were buried, 8 are known. Khutor Vigants(Vīganti), Neretas parish. Mass grave of soldiers and victims of Nazi terror on the territory of the Smiltaines kapi cemetery. 174 soldiers were buried, all unknown. Village Nereta(Nereta), Neretas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 187 soldiers were buried, 177 are known. Khutor Skolynya(Skoliņa), Mazzalves parish. Mass grave of Nazi victims at the Memeles cemetery (Mēmeles kapi). 14 people were buried, all of them are known. region of Ogres Village Vatrane(Vatrāne), Keipenes parish (Ķeipenes). Military brotherly cemetery. 241 soldiers were buried, 218 are known. Village Kiedelceplis(Ķieğeļceplis), Suntažu parish. Mass grave of Nazi victims at Kastrānes kapi cemetery. 24 children were buried, 6 are known. Village Krapesmuiža(Krapesmuiža), Krapes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 34 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Village Madliena(Madliena), Madlienas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 489 soldiers were buried, 479 are known. City Ogre(Ogre), Turkalnes street. Military mass graves on the territory of the Ogres cemetery (Ogres kapi). 484 soldiers were buried, 419 are known. Khutor Silini(Siliņi), Mengeles parish (Meņğeles). Military brotherly cemetery. 228 soldiers were buried, 217 are known. Village Suntaži(Suntaži), Suntažu parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 1498 soldiers were buried, 1349 are known. Ozolnieku region Khutor Amatniki(Amatnieki), Sidrabenes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 3 warriors were buried, no one is known. Khutor Salgales skola(Salgales skola), Sidrabenes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 492 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Olaines region Village Berzpils(Bērzpils), Olaines parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 600 soldiers were buried, 105 are known. Village Peternieki(Pēternieki), Olaines parish. Military mass graves on the territory of the Peternieku cemetery (Pēternieku kapi). 93 soldiers were buried, 62 are known. Khutor Smiltnieki(Smiltnieki), Olaines parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 150 soldiers were buried, 144 are known. Pargaujas region Village Stalbe(Stalbe), Stalbes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 240 soldiers were buried, 113 are known. Pļaviņu region Village Klintyne(Klintaine), Klintaines parish. Military mass grave on the territory of the Brivkapi cemetery. 16 soldiers were buried, none are known. Village Krievciems(Krievciems), Aiviekstes parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 191 soldiers were buried, 187 are known. Khutor Leyaskrogs(Lejaskrogs), Vietalvas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 499 soldiers were buried, 484 are known. City Plavinas(Pļaviņas), Kalna street. Military mass graves on the territory of the Baru kalna cemetery (Bāru kalna kapi). 92 soldiers were buried, 84 are known. Preiļu region City Preili(Preiļi), Liepu street. Military brotherly cemetery. 142 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Priekules region City Priekule(Priekule), Uzvaras street. Military brotherly cemetery. More than 23,000 warriors are buried, 22,916 are known. Priekuļu region Village Priekuli(Priekuļi), Priekuļu parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 271 soldiers were buried, 108 are known. Village Strautmali(Strautmaļi), Priekuļu parish. Mass grave of Nazi victims. Raunas region Village Rauna(Rauna), Miera street. Military brotherly cemetery. 221 soldiers were buried, 211 are known. town of Rezekne Village Ergli(Ērgļi), Erglu parish (Ērgļu). Military brotherly cemetery. 8077 soldiers were buried, 7892 are known. city of Jurmala Station Bulduri(Bulduri), Kryšjāņa Barona street. Military brotherly cemetery. 96 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Station Ķemeri(Ķemeri). Military brotherly cemetery on the territory of Kemeru Park (Ķemeru). 112 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Station Ķemeri(Ķemeri). Military mass graves on the territory of the Kemeru cemetery (Ķemeru). 75 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Station Priedaine(Priedaine), Upmalas street. Military brotherly cemetery. 44 soldiers were buried, 36 are known. Station Sloka(Sloka), Varoņu street. Mass grave of victims of Nazi terror on the territory of the Orthodox cemetery Slokas (Slokas pareizticīgo kapi). 19 people were buried, 17 are known. Station Sloka(Sloka), Mežmalas street. Military brotherly cemetery next to the Slokas cemetery (Slokas kapi). 38 warriors were buried, 20 are known. Station Yaundubulti(Jaundubulti), Kapsētas street. Military mass graves on the territory of the Jaundubultu cemetery. 15 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Jaunjelgavas region Khutor Liepjani(Liepjāņi), Serene parish (Sērenes). Military brotherly cemetery. 82 soldiers were buried, 54 are known. Village Setse(Sece), Seces parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 198 soldiers were buried, 196 are known. Khutor Tsaunes(Caunes), Daudzeses parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 104 soldiers were buried, 99 are known. City Jaunelgava(Jaunjelgava), Jelgavas street. Military brotherly cemetery. 13 soldiers were buried, all of them are known. Jaunpiebalgas region Village Jaunpiebalga(Jaunpiebalga), Jaunpiebalgas parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 522 soldiers were buried, 496 are known. Village Jaunpiebalga(Jaunpiebalga), Jaunpiebalgas parish. Military mass grave on the territory of the Jaunpiebalgas kapi cemetery. 8 warriors are buried, 1 is known. Jaunpils region Khutor Kalnavezes(Kalnavēzes, some directories indicate the farm Rozkalni, Rožkalni), Viesātu parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 552 soldiers were buried, 416 are known. Khutor Priednieki(Priednieki), Jaunpils parish. Military mass graves on the territory of the Forest Cemetery (Meža kapi). 823 soldiers were buried, 819 are known. Khutor Stures(Stūri, previously the reference point was the farm Pelnai, Pelnaji), Jaunpils parish. Military brotherly cemetery. 213 soldiers were buried, 172 are known. |
Throughout human history, the figure of the warrior has been given special significance. The elites of society were often formed around the military caste and it was this caste that received many privileges. However, warriors also had a special responsibility - to be ready to fight and give their lives for their people, tribe, city or country. Therefore, military funerals have always been given special attention, and military graves have a special status.
What is a military burial?
A military burial is essentially any burial place for military personnel, regardless of whether it was done in wartime or in peacetime. Military burials are divided into mass (mass grave) and single. Those made in wartime are divided into three main types:
Planned - burial in pre-prepared areas and taking into account the dead. In the case of planned burials, the location of the graves was recorded, and information about the dead was transmitted to the rear.
Combat - made in combat conditions, often without any accounting. They were made by fellow soldiers of the dead, and the graves were rarely marked in any way. This also includes natural graves, where lost and forgotten remains were buried under a small layer of earth.
Sanitary – made for sanitary purposes. As a rule, these are mass graves made by the local population without any registration in order to prevent epidemics. All remains and fragments of bodies were often dumped into sanitary graves.
Separately, specialized military cemeteries and military plots in city-wide cemeteries should be highlighted. In peacetime, they are the main method of burial.
History of military graves
The burial of soldiers during war has always been a complex issue. Battles rarely took place in the areas where the combatants were from, and transporting bodies home was fraught with difficulties. Although they always tried to bury military leaders and heroes with honors in their native lands, even this was not always possible. A striking example is the Battle of Thermopylae, in which the army of the Spartans and their Theban allies under the command of King Leonidas defended Greece from the Persian army. Although the battle went down in history and legend, and its participants were revered as heroes by their compatriots, the Hellenes did not have the opportunity to return the fallen to their native lands - they were all buried at the site of the battle. The king himself was buried in Sparta only 40 years after his death.
For most of history, the common practice was to bury those killed in battle locally, and send home only military leaders and heroes. For example, it is known that most of those killed in the Battle of Kulikovo were buried right on the field, while the bodies of warrior-monks Alexander Peresvet and Rodion Oslyabi were taken to the church of Simonova Sloboda. There are often cases when, during a multi-day battle, the parties concluded a truce in order to bury the fallen. Often, the side behind which the battlefield remained made a military burial for the dead enemy soldiers.
Nevertheless, the practice of returning the fallen home is quite ancient. Even the ancient Greeks made attempts to bury their soldiers on their native soil. The Spartans and Athenians who fought in the Peloponnesian War cremated their dead after battle but returned the ashes home. They tried to embalm medieval kings who died on campaign and return them to their native lands.
Modern military graves
The world owes the modern practice of reburying the dead and returning them home to the United States. After the Civil War, Americans made great efforts to return the dead to their hometowns and provide them with a dignified burial. After World War I, the US military began an unprecedented campaign to return soldiers killed in Europe and rebury them in military cemeteries.
This precedent gave rise to the reburial of soldiers in many countries around the world. In Russia, groups of volunteers are still searching for lost military graves so that the heroes of the Great Patriotic War can be buried with full honors. After World War II, many countries introduced the practice of immediately transporting the remains of those killed to their homeland. It was this practice that led to the appearance in the Russian funeral sphere of the term “cargo 200” - this is the name given to the coffins with the bodies of the dead returning from Afghanistan.
Military cemeteries in Russia
According to Russian legislation, a number of persons have the right to be buried in a military cemetery:
conscripts and those called up for military training
war participants, combat veterans (including the Great Patriotic War);
citizens with at least 20 years of military service;
employees of internal affairs bodies, criminal executive bodies, fire service;
There are military plots in many cemeteries in Russia, and there are also many memorials placed on mass graves. There are memorials to fallen soldiers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Smolensk, Volgograd and many other cities. To this day, search work is underway to discover unaccounted for mass graves of the Great Patriotic War. Citizens of Russia can always find out where the remains of their relatives who participated in the Great Patriotic War are located - the Memorial website operates for this purpose.
Some military graves of our country have a special status. It is impossible not to note the necropolis of the Kremlin wall, on which lie the remains of many heroes of the Soviet Union, marshals and generals who led the Red Army to victory over Nazi Germany. It is there that Marshals G.K. are buried. Zhukov, K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Budyonny, S.K. Timoshenko, K.K. Rokossovsky, I.S. Konev and such heroes as G.P. Kravchenko, M.M. Raskova, V.S. Seryogin. Cosmonauts N.N. were awarded a place in the Kremlin wall. Komarov, Yu.A. Gagarin, V.N. Volkov and G.T. Dobrovolsky.
Federal War Memorial Cemetery
Also in Russia there is a Federal Military Memorial Cemetery - a military burial ground intended to become the resting place for Russian military personnel from all over the country.
The idea of creating such a pantheon arose back in the 1950s, but the project was implemented only in June 2013. The necropolis is located in the urban district of Mytishchi, Moscow region, opposite the Volkovsky cemetery. The Federal Military Cemetery is richly decorated with steles symbolizing the branches of the Great Patriotic War, a sculptural ensemble tracing the history of the Russian armed forces, and memorial structures. This unique military burial ground provides everything needed for a dignified funeral. Soviet tank ace V.P. Bryukhov, test pilots A.S. were buried here. Bezhevits, V.Ch. Mezokh and V.G. Gordienko, designers M.T. Kalashnikov and S.P. Invincible, cosmonauts V.V. Gorbatko and A.A. Gubarev. 
CJSC Ritual-Service (website) is authorized to organize the burial of deceased citizens with meritorious service to the country at the Federal War Memorial Cemetery. At the end of 2017, the city ritual service site received a letter of gratitude from the management of the Federal War Memorial Cemetery (FWMC) for its quality work.
Military cemeteries around the world
There are military cemeteries not only in Russia.
Wars raged in many parts of the world, and two world wars swept through the countries of Europe. There are many memorials in France, where to this day lie soldiers who died during the Normandy landings and on the western front of World War II.
The First World War also left its mark. The necropolis of Fort Douaumont, where the remains of more than 300,000 people who died at Verdun lie, the Tower of the Iser, the Mother Bulgaria monument, the Menin Gate, the Tannenberg Memorial, the Vim Memorial are just a few of the memorials dedicated to the war, which claimed the lives of 22 million people.
The United States also has large military cemeteries, and the most famous of them is Arlington National Cemetery, located near Washington. More than 300,000 people are buried here, most of them American military personnel, government officials and astronauts. This memorial is also a landmark visited by both tourists and Americans who want to honor their country's heroes.
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Comment from Lazebrait
Alliance Side Only.Minimum Level Requirement: 28
There is no pre-requisite you just have to go find the Grave.
The co-ords are (17.29).
Once you find the grave you will go to speak with Sirra Von"Indi.
Sirra is located at Darkshire in the Town Hall.
Comment from wowisash
The grave is indeed at . You can see Morbent Fel's House/Forlorn Rowe a little ways up the hill.Comment from amnty
This quest is no longer requires lvl28 to get as i got it at lvl25.Comment from Camaron
The requirement is 25 for this first quest of the chain, but to be able to do the last part you must be 28.Comment from cuffz
I couldn't get it on 27, so I guess it again requires 28 in WotLK.Comment from Tjj19
Me and a lvl 27 Warlock grouped, and he got the quest just fine.Comment from Discohorror
This quest starts a chain including having to kill a level 30 elite which roams the Raven Hill Cemetery. It"s usually fairly easy to find someone else who wants this elite dead, and if not, a little patience and skill (as well as a few extra levels) makes him soloable.Be warned though; this quest-line includes a helluvalot of running from one end of Duskwood to the other. Although you will probably be doing this running while doing the other Duskwood quests, it gets annoying in the end.
