Budapest’s low Danube exposed two German soldiers and a DKW military motorcycle; mud mixed with gas oil preserved identity discs after around 80 years
The Danube River has dropped to unusually low levels in Budapest, exposing long-hidden remains from the Second World War. This has revealed the bodies of two Wehrmacht soldiers, a German military motorbike and several wartime objects that had stayed buried in mud for about 80 years.According to Euro News, the discoveries were made along the riverbed near Batthyany Square, on the Buda side of the Hungarian Parliament. The area is reportedly usually filled with moored boats.The two soldiers were recovered from the muddy riverbed by the German War Graves Commission, known as Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraberfursorge. The mud had preserved both the bodies and their identity discs in unusually good condition.Alongside the human remains, recovery teams also found German Tellermine 35 anti-tank mines, a military decoration, a petrol can and what experts believe is a DKW NZ 350-1 military motorbike. The finds offer a rare look at the final days of the war in Budapest.
The German military motorbike
The most striking discovery was the German military motorbike recovered from the middle of the Danube. It was found on 2 August near the harbour at Batthyany Square, close to the Hungarian Parliament.The motorbike was lifted by the Institute and Museum of Military History. Based on its design, experts believe it is a DKW NZ 350-1 model, which was widely used by the German military during the Second World War.According to the German War Graves Commission, the model was known at the time for being especially robust and reliable.The objects are believed to have remained on the riverbed since the final stages of the war, when fierce fighting took place in and around Budapest.
The two soldiers
The recovery of the two soldiers has drawn particular attention because of the remarkable condition of their remains. The German War Graves Commission said a reburial specialist travelled to Budapest to carry out the exhumation with Hungarian experts. The bodies had been preserved by the thick harbour mud, which also protected their identity discs.According to the organisation, the mud at Batthyany Square is mixed with gas oil. This created conditions that slowed the decay of both human remains and metal objects buried beneath it.The reburial specialist said the petroleum in the mud helped preserve the identity discs so well that the letters and numbers on them remain clearly legible after around 80 years underwater.This is important because identity discs were the main form of military identification during the war. Every Wehrmacht soldier carried an identity disc made in two matching halves. If a soldier died, one half of the disc was removed and sent to the Wehrmacht information office in Berlin so the military could officially record the death and inform the soldier’s family.In the case of the two soldiers recovered from the Danube, both halves of each identity disc were still together. The German War Graves Commission said this means their deaths were never officially reported to the information office. The preserved discs may now help authorities establish their identities before they are buried.The German War Graves Commission is responsible for locating, recovering and reburying German war dead in many countries where battles took place during the Second World War.Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany during most of the Second World War and became a major battleground in the final months of the conflict. Soviet and Romanian forces surrounded Budapest in late 1944, while German and Hungarian troops defended the city. The fighting continued into February 1945 and left large parts of Budapest heavily damaged.
