Veröffentlichungen zur Landesarchäologie Brandenburg, 2018
Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, hitherto unnoticed structures in Brandenburg... more Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, hitherto unnoticed structures in Brandenburg's forests from the time of the Battle of Berlin have begun to attract attention: groups of rectangular pits lined up with military precision alongside roads, dozens and sometimes hundreds of them often many rows deep. Only recently have these features been recognised as the remnants of Russian zeml-yankas, or wood-lined dugout shelters. The camps once served the organised demobilisa-tion of large troop units and the initial repatriation of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, as well as former POWs and forced labourers. In and around the houses, remnants of daily life in the Red Army can be found: among other items, pieces of equipment, badges, plates and cups, canteens and cutlery. Some items bear Cyrillic inscriptions. Soviet stars engraved on Wehrmacht belt buckles over erased swastikas , for example, reflect a desire of adornment with the symbol of victory. Civilian artefacts such as jewellery, watches, lighters, razors and even taps and bicycle parts confirm the narrative of the time. The finds raise questions, many of which are still unanswered-the archaeological and historical research has just begun.
Veröffentlichungen zur Landesarchäologie Brandenburg, 2018
Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, hitherto unnoticed structures in Brandenburg... more Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, hitherto unnoticed structures in Brandenburg's forests from the time of the Battle of Berlin have begun to attract attention: groups of rectangular pits lined up with military precision alongside roads, dozens and sometimes hundreds of them often many rows deep. Only recently have these features been recognised as the remnants of Russian zeml-yankas, or wood-lined dugout shelters. The camps once served the organised demobilisa-tion of large troop units and the initial repatriation of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, as well as former POWs and forced labourers. In and around the houses, remnants of daily life in the Red Army can be found: among other items, pieces of equipment, badges, plates and cups, canteens and cutlery. Some items bear Cyrillic inscriptions. Soviet stars engraved on Wehrmacht belt buckles over erased swastikas , for example, reflect a desire of adornment with the symbol of victory. Civilian artefacts such as jewellery, watches, lighters, razors and even taps and bicycle parts confirm the narrative of the time. The finds raise questions, many of which are still unanswered-the archaeological and historical research has just begun.
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