German War Graves Commission

The German War Graves Commission ("Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge" in German) is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa. [http://www.volksbund.de/kurzprofil/homepage_en.asp German War Graves Commission homepage (in English)}] ] Its objectives are: "acquisition, maintenance and care of German war graves" [http://www.cwgc.org/content.asp?menuid=8&id=8&menuname=Useful%20Links&menu=main Commonwealth War Graves Commission website] ] ; "tending to next of kin"; "youth and educational work"; and "preservation of the memory to the sacrifices of war and despotism".

It was founded as a private charity on December 16 1919 as the "recognised [German] Commission" under the war graves provisions of Article 224 of the Treaty of Versailles. By the 1930s had established numerous cemeteries for German World War I dead. During World War II, the Volksbund's work was mostly carried out by the Wehrmacht's own graves service.

After World War II, the Volksbund resumed its work in 1946 and soon established more than 400 war cemeteries in Germany. In 1954, the German chancellor Konrad Adenauer, tasked the Volksbund with the establishment, care and upkeep of German war cemeteries abroad.

Today, it looks after about "827 military cemeteries in 45 countries with about 2 million dead" and its work is carried out today by "almost 10,000 honorary and 536 full-time employees". Now that the Cold War is over, the Volksbund has access to Eastern Europe, where the bulk of World War II German casualties occurred. In the last few years, 190 World War I cemeteries and 300 World War II cemeteries in eastern, central and south-eastern Europe have been reconstructed or rebuilt. About 32 cemeteries are currently under construction or renovation and about 481,000 bodies have been buried in new graves.

Everyday maintenance of German war cemeteries in France is looked after by the "Service d'Entretien des Sépultures Militaires Allemandes" (the "German Military Burials Maintenance Service") known as "S.E.S.M.A.".

List of German cemeteries by country/conflict

;Austria - World War I & II
*List of German war cemeteries in Austria

;Belgium - World War I
* Vladslo German war cemetery
* Langemark German war cemetery
* Menen German war cemetery
* Hooglede German war cemetery

;Belgium - World War II
* Lommel German war cemetery,

;France (Western Front) - World War I
* Fricourt German war cemetery (Somme)
* Neuville-St Vaast German war cemetery (Arras)

;France (Normandy) - World War II
* Orglandes German war cemetery
* Huisnes-sur-Mer German cemetery
* La Cambe German war cemetery
* St-Desir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery
* Marigny German war cemetery
* Champigny-Saint-André German war cemetery
* Berneuil German war cemetery

;Greece
* Dionyssos-Rapendoza German war cemetery

;Ireland - World War I & World War II
* Glencree German war cemetery ( [http://www.volksbund.de/kgs/land.asp?Land=99031 Volksbund Ireland page, in German] )

;Israel - World War I
* Nazareth German war cemetery

;Luxembourg - World War II
* Sandweiler German war cemetery

;Netherlands - World War II
* Ysselsteyn German war cemetery

;Russia - World War II [ [http://www.volksbund.de/kgs/land.asp?land=99075 Volksbund "Russia" page] ]
* Krasnogorsk German war cemetery (POWs, near Moscow

;Tunisia - World War II
* Bordj Cedria German war cemetery, Tunisia

;United Kingdom - World War I & II
* Cannock Chase German war cemetery (looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

References

External links

* [http://www.volksbund.de/kurzprofil/homepage.asp Volksbund homepage de icon]
* [http://www.volksbund.de/kurzprofil/homepage_en.asp Volksbund homepage en icon]
* [http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-cemeteries/german.htm Digger history]