Diane Tempel-Bornett
ON THE RECORD · 7 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“If we have inquiries from relatives searching for them, that makes it easier,”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett said that outreach to relatives is the final stage of the identification process.
“Only when everything fits together is the person's fate considered to have been clarified.”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett explained the standard for confirming a fallen soldier's identity.
“Otherwise, our colleagues try to do so through an inquiry with the residents' registration authorities.”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett described how colleagues use residents' registration authorities when no relatives come forward.
“Here, we work closely with the German Federal Archives in Berlin,”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett described the collaboration with archives used during the identification process.
“Whether the dead tried to cross the frozen Danube, whether one fell, whether the dead were shot or drowned … we will only know after their fate has been clarified.”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett listed possible scenarios for how the soldiers ended up in the Danube, noting answers depend on further investigation.
“We can only speculate [on the cause of death],”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett reiterated that the cause of death for the two soldiers remains speculative.
“The fact that the identification tags were found with the dead does not necessarily mean that they belonged to them — although that is quite possible,”
Diane Tempel-Bornett · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Tempel-Bornett explained that identification tags found with remains do not always belong to those remains.