Bezirksfriedhof 3 der Roten Armee Obelisk

On a quiet corner of the Greifswald Neuer Friedhof, stands the Bezirksfriedhof 3 der Roten Armee Obelisk. It’s more than just a stone. It’s a whisper of history, a testament to lives lost and battles fought. The Bezirksfriedhof 3 der Roten Armee Obelisk marks a place of rest for 24 soldiers and officers of the Red Army. These men, including Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Yakovlev, fell during the spring battles of 1945. They fought in the area surrounding Greifswald. One name etched here is Kusnezow Wassilij Grigorjewisch, a Guard Major born in 1916, also a Hero of the Soviet Union. The Bezirksfriedhof 3 der Roten Armee isn’t just about these 24 soldiers. This area of the Neuer Friedhof, referred to as the 2nd and 3rd Bezirksfriedhof der Roten Armee, holds two mass graves. These graves contain the remains of Red Army prisoners of war. These POWs perished in Stalag II/C, a German prisoner-of-war camp, and its sub-camps in Greifswald. One grave holds 195 Soviet prisoners who died in the Greifswald camps due to the inhumane conditions. The other holds the remains of 446 Soviet POWs. These men were executed for refusing to work in the German armaments industry. Their defiance, their refusal to contribute to the war machine that imprisoned them, is a chilling reminder of the choices people make under unimaginable pressure. The Bezirksfriedhof 3 der Roten Armee Obelisk stands as a stark reminder of this tragedy. It speaks of lives cut short, of suffering endured, and of the ultimate sacrifice made for freedom. It is a place of reflection, a place to remember the cost of war and the value of peace.