Researchers looking for burials from the 1939 German invasion of Poland in the area of Andrzejewo, North-East Poland, discovered a mass grave of Polish soldiers from the 1920 Polish–Soviet War. Some of the remains bore the signs of decapitation.
Investigators of the Stowarzyszenie Wizna 1939 (Wizna 1939 Association) were searching for the burials of the 18th Infantry Division which took part in fights in the area in 1939. Instead they unearthed an anonymous burial dating back to an earlier conflict – The Polish–Soviet War (1919-1921). At first a couple of Lebel wz. 1886/93 rifle shells were discovered at the site, but soon first remains were uncovered. Different authorities were called onto the site, and the exhumation works were started supervised by an archaeologist. The researchers uncovered remains of Polish soldiers that were buried after their clash with the soviet invaders on August 4th, 1920.
The soldiers were identified as volunteers of the 201st Infantry Regiment, created from enlisted scouts and students. Initial examination of the remains confirmed that 8 of 10 bodies belong to men between 17-20 years of age, one was between 14-17 years and another between 25-30 years at the time of death. Beside them personal objects were discovered, including uniform buttons with the Polish eagle, buttons of personal cloths, and a golden signet. Local tales about the fights in the area said that the Polish soldiers were beheaded by the Soviets, which was confirmed by anthropological examination of the remains. Moreover, one of the men was shot into the back of the head. DNA samples were taken from the bodies in an attempt to identify the soldiers in the future. The remains of Polish soldiers are scheduled to be buried at the cemetery in nearby Szumowo.
(after WSieci24, Stowarzyszenie Wizna 1939 & Polska Zbrojna)