ABSTRACT

During the final days of World War II, the Red Army’s Berlin Operation culimnated in the capture of the Reich’s capital and the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht. Between 16 and 19 April 1945, the most intense fighting of the operation ensued in what is now called the Battle of the Seelow Heights. Due to the vast quantities of men and matériel involved in the fighting, an extensive militarised landscape has developed within the forests of East Brandenburg that has largely evaded archaeological scrutiny. A combination of airborne laser scanning data, archival research, and GIS-analysis reveals a highly diverse archaeological assemblage, including trenches, firing positions, dugouts, logistics facilities, along with other types of war- and conflict-related infrastructure. This unprecedented degree of preservation distinguishes the Seelow battlefield from other WWII contexts in Europe and provides a unique opportunity to investigate the combat activities and supply infrastructures of two combatting forces.

摘要

在第二次世界大战的最后几天，红军的柏林行动以占领帝国首都和国防军无条件投降而告终。1945 年 4 月 16 日至 19 日，这场行动中最激烈的战斗发生在现在被称为西罗高地的战役中。由于参与战斗的人员和物资数量巨大，东勃兰登堡州的森林中形成了广泛的军事化景观，这在很大程度上逃避了考古学的审查。机载激光扫描数据、档案研究和 GIS 分析的结合揭示了高度多样化的考古组合，包括战壕、射击阵地、防空洞、后勤设施，以及其他类型的与战争和冲突相关的基础设施。