This thread contains the vintage photos (just over 100) of the single and/or multiple burial sites (not war cemeteries of the times) of soldiers and their often crude grave makers from the last two World Wars who were buried where they died or perhaps in a very small graveyard, not far from the battlefield where they fell. I've also included a few photos of dead soldiers that are ready for burial and some of them being buried. Modern war graves and war cemeteries are not included in this thread. I'll only add a caption if I know the details of the photo - I don't know where they all are/were or what side some were on.
Depending on which side won the battle or the war, many of these graves represent the ones who, unless exhumed, are still lying where they were originally buried. Although there are likely a fair number of Allied graves that haven't been found, most of them were buried/reburied in proper war cemeteries after the war (or during it). For the Axis forces, who were defeated in both wars, there was little in the way of exhuming battlefield/makeshift graves of their dead due to their retreat from occupied countries, time and the resulting inability to return to collect their dead. Various Axis forces do have war cemeteries where they have been able to bury a large number of their dead (after locating them and exhuming the remains - work often performed by countries that had been occupied by them at some point) but for the most part, many of their dead are still in filled-in/overgrown trenches, foxholes, bomb craters, forests and fields. With the passage of time many of the grave markers decayed or were destroyed, making it difficult to locate them.
For the prevailing Allied forces, most soldiers who were buried in battlefield graves (with the exception of several American graves in the Pacific theatre, ie: Tarawa), were quickly located long before time could ravage the grave markers, resulting in the bodies being located, exhumed and officially reburied in a war cemetery.
Set 1.
1.
2. WW1, French soldier's grave. Looks like this is in No Man's Land.
3. WW1.
4. Often, Axis (ie; German) POW's were put to work burying dead Allied soldiers or their own.
5. A WW2 British soldier who was buried by German soldiers. It was not uncommon for either side to do this and in addition erect some sort of cross to mark the grave.
6.
7. If no boards were available, white birch branches were often used due to their visibility.
8.
9.
10.
11. Burial of a German Panzer tank crew.
12. Grave of a Russian soldier - buried by German soldiers.
13.
14.
15.
Set 2.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. Dead soldiers ready to be buried in a mass grave.
21.
22. WW1.
23.
24.
25.
26. Two Allied soldiers and two German soldiers buried side by side, by German soldiers.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Set 3.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36. Quentin Roosevelt's original grave.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Set 4.
46. Australian soldiers.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52. Americans preparing their dead for burial in a temp mass grave.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
Set 5.
61.
62.
63. Bodies collected for burial.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72. WW1: British or Canadian soldiers in a large shell crater that also contains a comrade's grave.
73.
74.
75.
Set 6.
76.
77.
78. German POW's burying dead GI's.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87. Manfred von Richthofen's (the Red Baron) original grave. The propeller of his tri-plane was used as a cross.
88.
89.
90.
Set 7.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101. Austrians.
103.
104.
105.
106.
Depending on which side won the battle or the war, many of these graves represent the ones who, unless exhumed, are still lying where they were originally buried. Although there are likely a fair number of Allied graves that haven't been found, most of them were buried/reburied in proper war cemeteries after the war (or during it). For the Axis forces, who were defeated in both wars, there was little in the way of exhuming battlefield/makeshift graves of their dead due to their retreat from occupied countries, time and the resulting inability to return to collect their dead. Various Axis forces do have war cemeteries where they have been able to bury a large number of their dead (after locating them and exhuming the remains - work often performed by countries that had been occupied by them at some point) but for the most part, many of their dead are still in filled-in/overgrown trenches, foxholes, bomb craters, forests and fields. With the passage of time many of the grave markers decayed or were destroyed, making it difficult to locate them.
For the prevailing Allied forces, most soldiers who were buried in battlefield graves (with the exception of several American graves in the Pacific theatre, ie: Tarawa), were quickly located long before time could ravage the grave markers, resulting in the bodies being located, exhumed and officially reburied in a war cemetery.
Set 1.
1.
2. WW1, French soldier's grave. Looks like this is in No Man's Land.
3. WW1.
4. Often, Axis (ie; German) POW's were put to work burying dead Allied soldiers or their own.
5. A WW2 British soldier who was buried by German soldiers. It was not uncommon for either side to do this and in addition erect some sort of cross to mark the grave.
6.
7. If no boards were available, white birch branches were often used due to their visibility.
8.
9.
10.
11. Burial of a German Panzer tank crew.
12. Grave of a Russian soldier - buried by German soldiers.
13.
14.
15.
Set 2.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. Dead soldiers ready to be buried in a mass grave.
21.
22. WW1.
23.
24.
25.
26. Two Allied soldiers and two German soldiers buried side by side, by German soldiers.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Set 3.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36. Quentin Roosevelt's original grave.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Set 4.
46. Australian soldiers.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52. Americans preparing their dead for burial in a temp mass grave.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
Set 5.
61.
62.
63. Bodies collected for burial.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72. WW1: British or Canadian soldiers in a large shell crater that also contains a comrade's grave.
73.
74.
75.
Set 6.
76.
77.
78. German POW's burying dead GI's.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87. Manfred von Richthofen's (the Red Baron) original grave. The propeller of his tri-plane was used as a cross.
88.
89.
90.
Set 7.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101. Austrians.
103.
104.
105.
106.
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