Germany asks Latvia to find graves of navy officers

LIEPAJA (BNS) - Historian and expert Gunars Silakaktins, who works
for the city council of the western Latvian port city Liepaja, has
received a letter from Germany, containing a request to help in
locating in Liepaja's vicinity the graves of German sailors dating
back to World War II.

Silakaktins told BNS June 12 that Germans had sent a map according to
which the burial ground is to be found in the territory of former
submarine base in the Military Port in Liepaja.

From 1944 to 1945 there was a German navy hospital operating in the
Military Port in Liepaja and some 200 to 300 German sailors were
buried not far from the hospital.

Last weekend several test wells were bored in the presumed location
of the burial grounds but without any success. Silakaktins could not
say yet when next test boring might take place.

He also appealed to the local residents who might have some
information which could help in locating the graves of the sailors.

In 1996 Latvia and Germany signed an agreement about maintenance and
organization of German soldiers' graves in Latvia.

Under the document, the German government will also see to re-burying
its soldiers in a consolidated cemetery at its own expense.

At present the mortal remains of German soldiers are being uncovered
in several locations in Latvia in order to transfer them to a common
burial site in the western Latvian county of Saldus.