Dec 1944 WWII German Document Soviet Russian POW Soldiers Death & Burial Record

Original WWII German “Nachweis über Sterbefall eines Kriegsgefangenen” — an official death and burial record for a Russian prisoner of war, documenting his death from tuberculosis in December 1944 while in German custody.

This is another sobering suspicious example from this group of surviving POW records, documenting the death of a Russian soldier during the final months of WWII.

Prisoner Information

The document records:

Nationality: Russe — Russian
First Name: Appears to be Josef Spandaragonwili
Rank: Originally typed unbekannt (unknown), with “Soldat” subsequently handwritten
Birthplace: Originally recorded as unknown
Date of Birth: Originally recorded as unknown later filled in to be the year 1909.
Identification / POW Number: 14489

Several handwritten additions appear to supply information that was unavailable when the form was originally prepared. These include what appears to be a surname or additional identification, family/location information, and a notation apparently referring to the Soviet Union. Some handwriting is difficult to decipher with certainty and is shown clearly in the photographs.

The last-unit field appears to contain an abbreviation associated with a Landesschützen battalion / POW guard or administrative unit, another worthwhile research point for the future owner.

Cause of Death – Tuberculosis

The most significant medical entry is very clear:

“Todesursache: Tuberkulose”

Translation:

“Cause of death: Tuberculosis.”

A handwritten clarification alongside it reads:

“(Lungen)” — “(lungs)”

indicating pulmonary tuberculosis.

The date associated with the death entry appears to be:

December 17, 1944

This places the prisoner’s death during the final winter of the war, when Germany’s military and prisoner-of-war systems were increasingly strained.

Burial Information

The burial section associates the record with:

Ludwigswinkel, Pfalz

The burial location appears to read:

“Wald Ludwigswinkel”

Translation:

“Ludwigswinkel Forest/Woods.”

The form therefore appears to document the burial of this Russian POW in a wooded area at Ludwigswinkel, rather than simply giving the name of a conventional cemetery.

The burial-related entry is dated December 18, 1944, the day following the apparent date of death.

Official Stamps & Signatures

The lower portion contains several original period administrative features, including:

• Large German eagle-and-swastika official ink stamp
• Officer/administrative signature
• Arzt Unterschrift — doctor’s signature
• Lagerarzt — camp doctor signature/authorization
• Additional military administrative notations

The circular stamp appears to be associated with a Landesschützen unit, consistent with the military administration and guarding of prisoners of war.

Historical Significance

This is much more than an anonymous piece of WWII paperwork. It preserves the surviving administrative record of an individual Russian prisoner of war who died from pulmonary tuberculosis while in German custody in December 1944.

Tuberculosis was among the diseases that could become particularly dangerous under conditions of malnutrition, overcrowding, physical exhaustion and inadequate medical care. Soviet prisoners suffered exceptionally high mortality under German captivity, making surviving individual death records important primary-source evidence for documenting what happened to particular prisoners.

The circumstances recorded here are particularly noteworthy when this document is considered alongside other surviving POW death records from the same period. Multiple records from late 1944 and early 1945 recording Soviet/Russian prisoners dying from tuberculosis, dysentery, circulatory failure and other illnesses can help researchers examine broader mortality patterns during the collapsing final months of the German POW system.

The document itself establishes the officially recorded cause of death as pulmonary tuberculosis. It does not, by itself, establish whether inadequate conditions or mistreatment caused or accelerated the prisoner’s death; that question would require comparison with camp records and other contemporary documentation.

Of additional interest is the apparent burial notation “Wald Ludwigswinkel.” Combined with the POW identification number, unit information, official stamps, signatures and medical entries, this offers several avenues for further historical and genealogical research.

Condition

Original WWII-era document showing expected age toning, handling and storage wear. Two original filing holes are present along the side. There is some staining/discoloration and general age wear, but the document remains intact and the important typed entries, handwritten annotations, signatures and official stamp remain visible.

Reverse is essentially blank with some show-through from the front.

Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition and for handwritten entries that may permit additional research.

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