Germany recovers Soviet Second World War gun from Neisse river
Germany’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service has recovered a 76 mm infantry gun, model M1943, from the Neisse river near Forst, Lusatia.
The recovery of the M1943 gun highlights ongoing remnants of Second World War conflicts in Europe, underscoring the need for continued vigilance in post-war recovery efforts.
“I cannot recall a similar find in our region,” said KMBD’s Enrico Schnick, reflecting on the rare discovery of a well-preserved Soviet infantry gun.
Second World War gun recovered from river in Germany
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Germany’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (KMBD) has recovered a Soviet Second World War gun from the Neisse river near Forst in Lusatia.
The weapon was discovered during works on the waterway close to the border with Poland, around 20 kilometres from Cottbus.
The 76 mm infantry gun, model M1943, used by the Red Army, was badly rusted but otherwise very well preserved, the KMBD’s Enrico Schnick told broadcaster RBB.
“That is because it was preserved in the mud and sand of the Neisse. I cannot recall a similar find in our region,” the ordnance disposal expert said.
The town of Forst in Lower Lusatia was almost completely destroyed during heavy fighting between the German Wehrmacht and the Red Army in April 1945. Today, the municipality, which sits in the Spree-Neisse district, has around 17,000 inhabitants.
Niederlausitz Aktuell also published videos of the recovery operation.
According to the Berliner Morgenpost, more than 5,000 guns of the M1943 type were produced in the Soviet Union, mainly during the Second World War.
The gun, however, is apparently not destined for a museum. Schnick said it was now at the KMBD’s dismantling facility in Kummersdorf and would likely be “properly disposed of”.
Discoveries of Second World War weapons are not uncommon in Europe.
In 2025, rail services in Paris were halted while a bomb was defused. Last year, in Cologne, more than 20,000 people also had to leave their homes after an unexploded bomb was found.