Identification of Missing Norwegian World War II Soldiers, in Karelia Russia

• Published in: Journal of Forensic Sciences
• Main Authors: Morild, Inge, Hamre, Stian S., Huel, Rene, Parsons, Thomas J.
• Other Authors: The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2015
• Subjects: Norway; karelia*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12767; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1556-4029.12767; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1556-4029.12767

Abstract This article presents the multidisciplinary effort in trying to identify the skeletal remains of 100 N orwegian soldiers serving in the G erman army, killed in K arelia R ussia in 1944, from the recovery of the remains through the final identification using DNA . Of the 150 bone samples sent for DNA testing, 93 DNA profiles were obtained relating to 57 unique individuals. The relatives could not be directly contacted as the soldiers were considered as traitors to Norway; therefore, only 45 reference samples, relating to 42 cases of the missing, were donated. DNA matches for 14 soldiers and 12 additional body part re‐associations for these individuals were found. Another 24 bone samples were re‐associated with 16 individuals, but no familial match was found. More than six decades after the end of WWII , DNA analysis can significantly contribute to the identification of the remains.