While in the Eastern part of Germany recently I stumbled across a small Soviet cemetery. There were only perhaps 30 or so graves, but what struck me was the fact that while many of the soldiers deaths had been during the fighting for the area (20-21/04/45), a good many of the deaths were on the 8th and 9th of May.

My first thought was that perhaps a field hospital had been in the area and that the later deaths were soldiers dying of wounds, but the fact that all the deaths were on the same dates made me discount this possibility.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why there could be so many deaths on or after the final victory? The cemetary is in the village of Kottmarsdorf: http://www.kottmarsdorf.de/chronik.htm

Cheers
Joe

Fighting went on against German troops and also against Soviet deserters who had formed guerilla/bandit groups especially in mountainous and densely forested areas which often went on for weeks even months after the official end of the war (see Beevor 'Battle for Berlin'). It's unlikely that executed deserters or looters would be interred with such care, it may be that they did die of wounds or disease and that the coincidence of the dates they died is just that; a coincidence.

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Saninstruktor Iosef Trofimovich Grushenko
or
Voennii Vrach Ibrahim Ibrahimovich Shapiro

Either's good.

In the early hours of 9th May, Lelyushenko's Fourth Guards Tank Army which, not long before, had been in Berlin, raced into Prague. Kottmarsdorf is just about 50 miles to the north from Prague. The last pokets (just east of Check Capital) of German and Vlasov's (ROA- or Russion Liberation Army) did not surrender till 11th of May. More likely its just the casualties of avangard of russian units.

Serioga
The Roockie ?

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Not a step back!

There were rather more than the 4GTA involved in the Prague Offensive Operation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Offensive

Last large scale fighting in Czechoslovakia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Slivice