Mass grave with 51 bodies from the Nazi era found in Germany

Friday, October 6, 2006 

Location of Germany

The decomposed bodies of 22 children ranging from the ages of zero to seven and 29 adults have been found in a mass grave, believed to date back to the 1940s, in a Catholic church cemetery in Menden-Barge, a small village in Germany.

The buried are believed to be victims of Adolf Hitler's program in which numerous disabled people were murdered.

"We assume that these were victims of the Nazi regime," state prosecutor Ulrich Maass stated.

At least three of the children's skeletons' show signs of being physically handicapped, further supporting the evidence that this was part of the euthanasia program.

While most of the bodies look like they were carelessly tossed in the ground, a few adults were placed in coffins.

Medical instruments were also found in the grave, supporting the possibility that the children were murdered by injections and drug overdoses.

Mr. Maass also noted that authorities would investigate the suspected murders and search for any witnesses. Already, a former church assistant said he saw a horse-drawn cart bring corpses to the mass grave.

Apparently, the town remained silent about the existence of a mass grave until about three years ago when investigations led by the local authorities gave evidence that a mass grave may exist in the cemetery.

Mr. Maass also admitted that, after 61 years from the end of World War II, bringing charges against someone would be a difficulty.

Sources

• "Nazi-era mass grave found in Germany" — Associated Press, October 6, 2006

• "Germans uncover 'Nazi mass grave'" — BBC News Online, October 5, 2006

• "Nazi-era mass grave discovered in German cemetery" — Reuters, October 5, 2006