Cite this as: Baales, M., Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2024 Massacres in the Arnsberg Forest, Internet Archaeology 66. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.66.15
In recent years, an historical reappraisal by one of us (MW) has been carried out on one of the worst crimes outside of prisons and concentration camps committed in Germany by the SS and Wehrmacht in the final months of the Second World War. In the Arnsberg Forest near Warstein and Meschede (southern Westphalia, western Germany), 208 forced labourers were massacred by the 'Division for Vengeance' (Division zur Vergeltung) of SS General Hans Kammler in March 1945. In the course of this joint project, archaeological research conducted by the Olpe Department of the LWL-Archäologie für Westfalen (Westphalian Archaeological Heritage Service) has pinpointed the exact location of the crime scenes and provided clues for the reconstruction of the course of events in the field (Warstein Langenbachtal, Suttrop, Meschede-Eversberg). It has also enabled the recovery of finds belonging to both the victims and perpetrators. We have also been able to locate and examine the two temporary cemeteries (Warstein Melkeplätzchen, Suttrop). This has provided information about the history of exhumation of the victims in 1964, as well as clarifying the whereabouts of the Soviet obelisk from the Melkeplätzchen, the provisional cemetery of the Langenbach victims located close to the crime scene. This work has also allowed a follow-up search in the temporary cemetery in Suttrop for seven victims who, according to the exhumation documents of 1964, are presumably still lying there.
Between 2018 and 2021, almost all of aspects addressed above could be clarified with new insights gained. Our results were summarised at the EAC conference in Bonn 2023 (although not published in this theme). Several publications already report on them and they are listed below. In addition to several German language publications, there is also an extensive English language publication (Baales et al. 2022) where the essential aspects of the interdisciplinary project are presented. In addition, the historical context, research project and numerous images are presented on several websites listed below.
Corresponding author: Michael Baales
michael.baales@lwl.org
Aussenstelle Olpe, LWL-Archaeologie für Westfalen
Marcus Weidner
marcus.weidner@lwl.org
LWL, Institut für westfälische Regionalgeschichte
Manuel Zeiler
manuel.zeiler@lwl.org
Aussenstelle Olpe, LWL-Archaeologie für Westfalen
Figure 1: Warstein, Langenbachtal. Typical find objects of the murdered forced labourers (recovered in 2018) - enamelled food dishes, spoon, leather shoe and beads. These finds are representative of the numerous women who were executed here in March 1945. - LWL-AfW Olpe/Thomas Poggel.
Baales, M., Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2022 'An archaeological evaluation of crimes committed in the Arnsberg Forest (South Westphalia, Germany) in the final months of the Second World War', Journal of Conflict Archaeology 16(3), 162-89. http://doi.org/10.1080/15740773.2022.2124142
Baales, M., Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2023a 'Die interdisziplinäre Erforschung der Kriegsendphaseverbrechen im Arnsberger Wald, Südwestfalen' in S. Leenen, L. Mentzl and D. Mölders (eds) Modern Times. Archäologische Funde der Moderne und ihre Geschichten, Bönen: Kettler. 230-37.
Baales, M., Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2023b 'Damenschuhe im Langenbachtal' in S. Leenen, L. Mentzl and D. Mölders (eds) Modern Times. Archäologische Funde der Moderne und ihre Geschichten, Bönen: Kettler. 146-49.
Baales, M, Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2023c 'Der verschwundene sowjetische Obelisk vom "Melkeplätzchen" bei Warstein' in S. Leenen, L. Mentzl and D. Mölders (eds) Modern Times. Archäologische Funde der Moderne und ihre Geschichten, Bönen: Kettler. 316-21.
Baales, M., Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. in press 'Die interdisziplinäre Erforschung eines Kriegsendphaseverbrechens im Arnsberger Wald' in B. Beyer, M. Black-Veldtrup, V. Brieske and A. Dickers (eds) Von Scherben und Urkunden. 125 Jahre historische und archäologische Landesforschung in Westfalen. Beiträge der Tagung am 8. und 9. Oktober 2021 in Münster, Veröffentlichungen der Altertumskommission für Westfalen 24 and Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Westfalen, N. F. 75. Münster: LWL.
Weidner, M. in prep Die Toten von Meschede, Münster: LWL.
Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2019a 'Ermordet, verscharrt, verdrängt', Archäologie in Deutschland 6, 46-49.
Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2019b 'Untersuchungen an Erschießungsorten des Zweiten Weltkriegs im Sauerland', Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2018, 193-96. https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aiw/article/view/76891
Weidner, M. and Zeiler, M. 2019c 'Zeitgeschichtliche Archäologie. Der Massenmord an 208 Zwangsarbeiterinnen und Zwangsarbeitern im Warsteiner Raum 1945 und die archäologischen Ausgrabungen der Erschießungs- und Bestattungsplätze', Sauerland 2019, 4, 8-11.
Weidner, M., Baales, M. and Zeiler, M. 2020. 'Zeitgeschichte und Archäologie der Moderne. Auf der Suche nach einem sowjetischen Mahnmal für ermordete ZwangsarbeiterInnen des Zweiten Weltkriegs bei Warstein', Westfälische Forschungen 70, 297-310.
Zeiler, M., Weidner, M. and Baales, M. 2021. 'Wider das Verdrängen - zeitgeschichtliche Archäologie am "Melkeplätzchen"', Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2020, 212-16. https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aiw/article/view/91412
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