Soviet field of honour, Leusden, the Netherlands: Then and now

Abstract

Sovjet Ereveld — Soviet Field of Honour or the Soviet/Russian War Cemetery in Leusden/Amersfoort in the Netherlands are various names of the cemetery where Soviet soldiers are buried. The Soviet Army never stepped on Dutch territory and all the men lying there were prisoners of war. The story told here is about 101 soldiers, Soviet Uzbeks, of whom 24 were martyred in the Amersfoort concentration camp and the remaining 77 were executed by the Nazis in the Koedriest forest on 9 April 1942. Together with other Soviet warriors, totaling 865, they are buried in Leusden under similar grey tomb plates, with illegible Cyrillic names that are often misspelt. These soldiers were forgotten until 1999 when a young journalist Remco Reiding started his investigations and attracted public attention to the fate of the soldiers. Now the Dutch people visit the graves, bring flowers and light candles, adopt the graves, contact the next of kin, and make it possible for them to come to the Netherlands and learn that their grandfathers were not lost in action, but rather they have found peace and remembrance in a strange land. Who are the people carrying out these activities, what makes them act this way, and what do they themselves think about it? These and other questions were included in a questionnaire conducted by the authors; the results are partly presented in the article. The responses demonstrate deep compassion, gratitude to the Soviet army for fighting the Nazis, emotional involvement, human and political wisdom, and a degree of openness that is emotionally powerful.