Finally laid to rest 95 years on, 21 German soldiers found perfectly preserved in trench where they were buried alive by Allied shell

Soldiers buried alive in 1918 when a Allied shell exploded above the shelter



Archaeologists stumbled upon mass grave at Carspach in Alsace last year



Remains found in the same positions the men had been in at the time



A troop of 21 German soldiers found entombed in an perfectly preserved First World War shelter have been given a full military burial nearly a century after their deaths.



Not a single member of the men's families attended the moving service at a war cemetery in northern France.



The soldiers were buried alive in 1918 when a huge Allied shell exploded above the shelter causing it to cave in.



Final resting place: A troop of 21 soldiers discovered entombed in an perfectly preserved First World War shelter have been given a full military burial nearly a century after their deaths

Grave: Timbers lining the tunnel where the soldiers were found. They were buried alive in 1918 when a huge Allied shell exploded above the tunnel causing it to cave in

Last year, French archaeologists stumbled upon the mass grave at Carspach in Alsace, on the former Western Front, during excavation work for a road building project.

Many of the remains were found in the same positions the men had been in at the time of the collapse, prompting experts to liken the scene to Pompeii.



Now, 95 years later, the soldiers have been laid to rest in a poignant service at the nearby German war cemetery at Illfurth.



Discovery: Last year, French archaeologists stumbled upon the mass grave at Carspach in Alsace, on the former Western Front, during excavation work for a road building project

Pompeii: Many of the remains were found in the same positions the men had been in at the time of the collapse, prompting experts to liken the scene to Pompeii

Unearthed: A number of the soldiers were discovered sitting upright on a bench, one was lying in his bed and another was in the foetal position having been thrown down a flight of stairs

Grim: The names of all the deceased soldiers are all known and include Musketeer Martin Heidrich, 20, Private Harry Bierkamp, 22, and Lieutenant August Hutten, 38

Burial: It is estimated that over 165,000 Commonwealth soldiers are still unaccounted for on the Western Front

Respect: Guests paid their respects by laying white roses at the foot of the graves Killed: Almost 2,000 German soldiers are buried at Illfurth including the first German soldier to die in the war, Lieutenant Albert Mayer, who was killed on August 2, 1914

HARD TIMES: NOT SO QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT



Some 7.5million men lost their lives on the Western Front during World War One.

The front was opened when the German army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium in 1914 and then moved into the industrial regions in northern France.

In September of that year, this advance was halted, and slightly reversed, at the Battle Of Marne.

It was then that both sides dug vast networks of trenches that ran all the way from the North Sea to the Swiss border with France.

This line of tunnels remained unaltered, give or take a mile here and a mile there, for most of the four-year conflict.

By 1917, after years of deadlock that saw millions of soldiers killed for zero gain on either side, new military technology including poison gas, tanks and planes was deployed on the front.

Thanks to these techniques, the Allies slowly advanced throughout 1918 until the war's end in November.



Around 150 people including German and French dignitaries, war veterans and serving soldiers attended the hour-long funeral.



Two prayers were read before a lone bugler played a haunting rendition of the German equivalent of the Last Post called 'Der gute Kamerad' - The Good Comrade.



Guests paid their respects by laying white roses at the foot of the graves.



Fritz Kirchmeier, spokesman for the German War Graves Commission, said: 'The service was very simple but dignified and moving.



'Around 150 people attended the service including dignitaries from France and Germany and there was a very friendly atmosphere.

'There were two prayers read and then a trumpeter played the German equivalent of the Last Post.



'We wrote to three or four families who we could track down but sadly there were no family members at the funeral.



'The great granddaughter of one of the men wrote a letter which was read out at the service, however.



'Unfortunately the First World War is almost forgotten in Germany - it is almost entirely overshadowed by the Second World War.

'It was very important to have this funeral for the purpose of closure.



'For these soldiers the book has finally been shut 95 years after their deaths.'



The dead soldiers were part a group of 34 from the 6th Company, 94th Reserve Infantry Regiment buried in the blast.



Thirteen bodies were dragged free from the rubble following the attack by French forces on March 18, 1918, but the remaining bodies had to be left.

Located: The 300ft long tunnel was located 18ft beneath the surface near the small town of Carspach in the Alsace region in France

Michael Landolt, the archaeologist leading the dig, said: 'It's a bit like Pompeii. Everything collapsed in seconds and is just the way it was at the time'

A number of the soldiers were discovered sitting upright on a bench, one was lying in his bed and another was in the foetal position having been thrown down a flight of stairs.

As well as the bodies, poignant personal effects such as boots, helmets, weapons, wine bottles, spectacles, wallets, pipes, cigarette cases and pocket books were also found.

Even the skeleton of a goat was found, assumed to be a source of fresh milk for the soldiers.



Archaeologists believe the items were so well preserved because hardly any air, water or lights had penetrated the trench.



The names of all the deceased soldiers are all known and include Musketeer Martin Heidrich, 20, Private Harry Bierkamp, 22, and Lieutenant August Hutten, 38.

Stuck in time: A German newspaper from 1918 lies partly preserved inside the shelter

Building tool: A large hammer (right) that archaeologists believe was used to help dig the trench network (left)



Facilities: The underground tunnel would have been equipped with heating, telephone connections, electricity, beds and a pipe to pump out water

The 300ft long tunnel was located 18ft beneath the surface near the small town of Carspach in the Alsace region in France.



The underground tunnel was big enough to shelter 500 men and had 16 exits.



It would have been equipped with heating, telephone connections, electricity, beds and a pipe to pump out water.



Almost 2,000 German soldiers are buried at Illfurth including the first German soldier to die in the war, Lieutenant Albert Mayer, who was killed on August 2, 1914.



It is estimated that over 165,000 Commonwealth soldiers are still unaccounted for on the Western Front.