Eighty years after World War II ended in Europe, Germany continues to recover and rebury its fallen soldiers, leading to controversy. The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (German War Graves Commission) leads these efforts, aiming to provide dignified burials for the war dead. However, the organization’s work has ignited debates over how Germany remembers its past, especially amid the rise of more right-wing movements across the nation.
In 2019, Edmond Reveil, a 95-year-old former French Resistance member, confessed to participating in the execution of 47 German soldiers and a French woman in Meymac, central France, during June 1944. Fearing reprisals and lacking means to detain them, his group decided to kill the captives. Reveil stated, “We felt ashamed, but did we have a choice?” His admission led to renewed searches for the remains, but excavations in 2023 and 2024 yielded no results.
The Volksbund, established in 1919 and officially commissioned by the German government in 1954, has recovered approximately one million remains over the past three decades. Yet, more than two million German soldiers remain unaccounted for. The organization asserts its mission is humanistic, focusing on providing dignified burials regardless of the deceased’s role in the war. Dirk Backen, the Volksbund’s secretary general, remarked, “Behind every dead person is a human destiny and that is our main focus.”
Critics argue that burying Wehrmacht soldiers may equate their lives with those of the victims of Nazi atrocities. Historian Darren O’Byrne questioned, “How do we mourn and remember these soldiers without honoring them?” The AfD, which secured second place in the February 2024 German parliamentary elections, supports increased funding for the Volksbund. Party leader Alice Weidel called for more financial support in October 2024.
While some view the work as essential for closure and historical reconciliation, others see it as a potential tool to further Neo-Nazi narratives. O’Byrne noted, “There is a danger that the Volksbund becomes instrumentalised.” He added, “In this climate, everything is being questioned again … We are finding ourselves at an inflection point in history where everything is being renegotiated.”
As Germany continues to grapple with its past, the debate over how to honor the dead without glorifying a dark chapter remains unresolved. The Volksbund’s mission, while rooted in remembrance, sits at the intersection of history, memory, and contemporary politics.
