The search for mass graves of the soldiers of the National Armed Forces murdered in September 1946 in the Opole region of Poland – results of forensic medical examination

The aim of the study is the identification and forensic-medical and anthropological evaluation of the remains of soldiers of the National Armed Forces murdered by the secret police in September 1946 in the Opole region. The remains were located during the search for mass graves of victims of the Communist regime carried out by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).

Material and methods: In June 2012 and April 2013, in the area of the Hubertus clearing between the villages of Barut and Dąbrówka, 41 human bone fragments were revealed in the course of archaeological works carried with use of the open pit method at the probable site of the liquidation of one of the groups of soldiers from the unit of Captain Henryk Flame, aka “Bartek”. In the vicinity of the ruins of the former Scharfenberg manor, in a forest of the Łambinowice commune, a mass grave was discovered containing the remains of at least 25 individuals, mostly young men. The grave was damaged and bore traces of subsequent interference. The forensic-medical-anthropological examination procedures were carried out, the biological profile of the victims evaluated, the minimum number of individuals (MNI) determined and the injuries interpreted.

Results: A portion of the remains discovered near the village of Barut bore traces of trauma associated with a great force. On the remains from the mass grave in the Łambinowice commune, numerous traces of injuries of the perimortem trauma nature were disclosed, including gunshot damage, both within the skulls and in post-cranial skeletons.

Conclusions: The activity of the Institute of National Remembrance led to the confirmation of archival data regarding the site of liquidation of one of the partisan groups of the National Armed Forces in the vicinity of the village of Barut in the Opole region. The research did not allow unambiguous determination of the origin of remains discovered in the mass grave in the Łambinowice commune. The archival data indicate that the remains may be those of victims of Communist terror.