Blast injuries found on the exhumed remains of Polish postwar partisans killed by the Polish security service in 1946

Abstract Exhumed, badly decomposed human remains constitute very difficult research material. It requires a great deal of caution and critical judgment to analyze the nature of injuries, especially those resulting from an explosion. Scientific publications in the field of traumatology concerning injuries caused by the action of explosives mainly focus on the effects of contemporary terrorist or military activities. The results of this research regard mainly clinical medicine and the organization of healthcare. This article discusses the problems and solutions of determining the presence of injuries caused by explosions on badly decomposed human remains exhumed 70 years after death. To obtain optimal results in valuable injures estimation it is vital to apply efficient work methods i.e.: forensic team composed of experienced pathologist and anthropologist, archeological methodology and doubled examination and description of the remains (in the field and next in the autopsy room), detailed photographical documentation and protocol. The results of forensic examinations of the remains (58 fragments forming anatomical wholes), derived from not fewer than 30 individuals (MNI = 30), confirmed, despite the presence of severe taphonomic changes, the presence of injuries caused by an explosion. Forensic examination of the remains revealed a characteristic pattern of injuries resulting from the dismembering the bodies. We discovered typical traumatic amputation of the limbs, which corresponds to the aforementioned mechanism of injury. The findings confirm the thesis that in the area of the former Luftwaffe airport near Stary Grodkow (Opole province, Poland), in September 1946, a group of Polish postwar partisans was liquidated.