Remains identified of 2 Georgian soldiers killed by Nazis during 1945 uprising in Holland

Two Georgian soldiers killed by Nazis during the 1945 uprising on the Texel Island in the Netherlands have been identified.

The fallen soldiers are Pido Tcholiashvili and Anton Gviniashvili, who were among a group who were shot for theft of 88 hand grenades on April 20, 1945 from Nazis to use them during the uprising.

The Georgian uprising on Texel took place between April 5 and May 20 of 1945.

The Georgians, who then represented the Soviet army, were taken as captives in 1941, and were tasked to protect the German-occupied Dutch island starting from 1943.

The battalion on Texel was made up of 800 Georgian and 400 German soldiers.

DNA-test made in Georgia, 2016. Photo: Stichting Sovjet Ereveld. 

The support force of the Germans defeated the rebels, leading to death of 800 German, 565 Georgian soldiers and 117 locals.

The two identified were buried at the Soviet Field of Honor in Leusden, Netherlands.

The investigation was conducted by the Dutch Forensic Institute.

Reiding visited Georgia this week to personally tell the families of the two fallen soldiers the news.

For twenty years he has been trying to identify the soldiers buried in Leusden.

After years of studies and research he discovered the names of fifteen Georgians buried in the Soviet Field of Honor.

He asked the Dutch government to open the fifteen graves in Leusden to collect DNA from the fallen Georgian soldiers.

In 2016, Reiding took DNA from possible relatives in Georgia.