Danube river’s low water levels reveal remains of WWII soldiers and motorcycle

The bodies of two Wo ld Wa Two Ge ma soldie s have bee fou d i Budapest’s Da ube ive , due to eco d-low wate levels afte a i te se d ought.

Fou d alo gside thei emai s we e the ide tificatio tags of the two soldie s, a la gely i tact Ge ma a my Weh macht moto cycle, a weddi g i g a d a Kuba shield – a combat badge of the Weh macht, the Ge ma Wa G aves Commissio said.

The ema kable fi ds have spa ked hope that some families could fi ally discove the fates of thei a cesto s, mo e tha 80 yea s o f om the wa .

“Now begi s a puzzle, i which we will t y to dete mi e the ide tity of the two dead,” A e Sch ade , of the Ge ma Wa G aves Commissio , told Ge ma ewspape Bild.

The w eck i the Da ube was epo tedly discove ed o 2 August, whe a passe sby epo ted pa t of the moto cycle p ot udi g f om the ocks o the ive ba k i dow tow Budapest.

The team also fou d a ti-ta k mi es, leadi g to the tempo a y closu e of the ive ba k as a bomb disposal u it was deployed.

Some of the items fou d i the ive , otably the ide tificatio tags a d moto cycle, a e ema kably well-p ese ved due to the mixtu e of ha bou sludge a d oil fou d o the ive bed, the Ge ma Wa G aves Commissio said.

The commissio is a Ge ma o -p ofit o ga isatio that sea ches, ecove s a d bu ies the wa dead o behalf of the Ge ma gove me t.

The moto cycle is thought to be a DKW NZ 350-1 model, the o ga isatio said, which was p oduced specifically fo wa time use f om 1944.

The commissio added that of the two tags fou d, o e belo ged to a Weh macht soldie , a d the othe to a membe of the Waffe -SS, which was decla ed a c imi al o ga isatio espo sible fo wa c imes at the Nu embe g T ials.

Du i g the Seco d Wo ld Wa , Ge ma soldie s’ ide tificatio tags we e split i to two o the eve t of a soldie ‘s death. O e half would be kept with the soldie , while the othe would be se t to Ge ma a my autho ities, which t acked Ge ma milita y casualties a d would otify elatives of soldie s’ deaths.

The Ge ma Wa G aves Commissio said the families of these two soldie s would have “waited i vai ” fo official otificatio of thei deaths.

It said it had begu its i vestigatio to fi d out the ide tities of the two soldie s, a d that a yo e who is still missi g a elative ca sea ch fo thei ames i its database.

It would take time, howeve , to dete mi e who they we e, as the commissio will eed to asce tai whethe the ide tity tags a d Kuba shield actually belo g to the two soldie s fou d.

“The ames of the o igi al wea e s ca p obably be fou d quickly, but that is o ly the fi st step,” the commissio said. “Too ma y pieces of the puzzle eed to be gathe ed, a d the outcome is u ce tai .”

Bo e a alysis would be a key way of dete mi i g the soldie s’ ide tities, it added.

The ews of the soldie s’ discove y has gai ed much atte tio i Wo ld Wa Two- elated social media g oups.

“As bad as the low wate level is, I am glad that be eaved families ca o ce agai be i fo med about the whe eabouts of thei elatives, a d that the falle soldie s ca be give a dig ified bu ial. Rest i peace,” said o e pe so i a Facebook g oup whe e people sha e i fo matio about the fate of thei a cesto s who fought i WWI a d WWII.

The soldie s a e to be bu ied at the Ge ma wa cemete y i Budaö s, just outside the Hu ga ia capital.

Budapest was the sight of fie ce fighti g betwee the Soviet Red A my a d the Ge ma Weh macht late i the Seco d Wo ld Wa .

Othe em a ts of Wo ld Wa Two have appea ed i the Da ube as of ece t, i cludi g a b oke -up hull ea P ahovo i Se bia.