The advance of the allied forces and the defeat of Nazi Germany began after the battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942.
It lasted five month’s, destroyed the complete city and made more than two million casualties.
All over in the city of Volgograd commemorating monument’s can be found. The biggest and most known is the statue ‘Motherland Calling’. It commemorates all Russians who died in the Battle. It was erected during the summit of ‘Mamayev Kurgan’.
With field marshal Suvorov’s famous quote in mind: “The war is over when the last soldier is buried”, more than 30 groups are searching in the Volgograd region to find Russian and German soldiers to give them a respectful grave. The “Poisk” (digger) groups consist of volunteers and students of military schools. Every year in summer they go out on the steppe area to dig up bodies.
With still thousands of victims laying around in the Volgograd region soil. Due to the economical crisis the Poisk groups who are getting less and less money every year to do their work. It will take them many more years before all soldiers are be found and buried.