Funeral of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front — WWII, 1941

July 24, 2025 - Reading time: 6 minutes

Funeral of a German soldier on the Eastern Front, 1941, showing a military honor guard before burial. The soldier, Albert Holthausen, served in the 18th Infantry Regiment.

This solemn photograph captures the funeral of a German soldier on the Eastern Front during World War II, likely in Ukraine or Belarus, based on the surrounding landscape. The image shows a military honor guard preparing to bury a fallen soldier, a somber moment reflecting the human cost of the brutal conflict between the Wehrmacht and Red Army. The soldier was Albert Holthausen, a member of the 18th Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht, specifically from 7th Company. He served on the front lines in the Soviet Union from June 22, 1941, until the winter of 1941-1942, when he was sent to the hospital after suffering frostbite to his feet.

The image offers a rare glimpse into the personal toll of war, showing a moment of respect and reverence for a fallen soldier amidst the larger, relentless conflict. In contrast to the massive military movements and tactical operations of the war, moments like these remind us of the sacrifices made by individuals on both sides. The Eastern Front, with its extreme cold and intense battles, claimed countless lives, both military and civilian.

This photograph, a piece of WWII history, provides a humanizing view of the soldiers caught in the storm of the Nazi-Soviet conflict, far removed from the political and ideological battles that defined the war.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: Unknown
📍 Location: USSR
📅 Date of photo: 1941
📷 Photographer: Unknown

• Funeral WWII

• Eastern Front WWII

• German soldiers 1941

• Wehrmacht soldiers

• Soviet conflict WWII

• Fallen soldiers WWII

• Honor guard WWII

• Nazi occupation USSR

• Human cost of WWII

• German military losses

• Soviet-German war 1941-1942