A motorbike wreck and the remains of two German soldiers have drawn global attention. Low Danube levels in Budapest exposed the WWII bike, now cleaned and surprisingly well preserved.
The photo of the Wehrmacht motorcycle recovered in Budapest is going around the world: from the "Times of India" and "Vietnam.VN" to British outlets such as the "Daily Mirror" and US platforms like Yahoo Autos, media are reporting on the spectacular find.
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According to Hungary's Institute and Museum of Military History, the recovered motorcycle is a DKW NZ 350-1.
At the time, the DKW NZ 250 and NZ 350 models were regarded among motorcyclists as particularly robust and reliable. From 1944, DKW therefore introduced the NZ 350-1, a variant developed specifically for wartime use.
The Hungarian museum recovered the machine on 2 August at Batthyány Square, opposite parliament. The motorcycle is almost completely intact. Because it was saturated with water and mud when it was lifted out, it weighed in at more than 200 kilograms. The machine is currently being cleaned and preserved in the museum's hangar in Budapest.
The DKW NZ 350-1 was built between 1944 and 1945, with just under 12,000 units produced by the end of the war.
One of the more intriguing features is a small detail that is easy to overlook today: on the rear frame there was a kind of 'fin' or mud and snow scraper. Its purpose was to prevent mud and snow from sticking to the tyre and then working their way into the chain drive. This modification apparently drew on experience from the Russian winter.
Another striking feature was the engine block made of grey cast iron, an iron casting alloy with a high graphite content. One reason for this was the wartime shortage of aluminium. On the basis of the information published so far, however, it is not yet possible to date the specific find to an exact day or month of production.
DKW, the manufacturer of the NZ 350-1
The company DKW traces its roots back to Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen. In 1907 he first set up a mechanical and steam engineering business in Zschopau, Saxony. The brand name DKW was coined later and originally stood for 'Dampfkraftwagen' (steam-powered car). In 1922 the first DKW two-stroke engine was produced in Zschopau. Over the following years the firm grew into one of Germany's leading motorcycle manufacturers.
In 1932, DKW merged with Audi, Horch and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG. Within the new group, the DKW plant in Zschopau remained the centre of motorcycle and engine production.
In the 1930s, DKW became increasingly involved in Germany's rearmament. The NZ 350 was also produced in large numbers for the Wehrmacht.
The importance of the Zschopau plant is reflected in its output: as early as 1934 the 350,000th DKW motorcycle rolled off the production line, followed by the 500,000th in 1939. With the outbreak of the Second World War, civilian motorcycle production was steadily scaled back and manufacturing shifted increasingly towards military needs.
The DKW NZ 350-1 now recovered from the Danube dates from this late phase of the war.
After the end of the Second World War, the DKW plant in Zschopau was dismantled by the Soviet occupying forces. Machinery and equipment were shipped to the Soviet Union. DKW engineers from Zschopau were also taken to Izhevsk to help rebuild motorcycle production there. The story of the NZ 350 did not end there: from 1946 the IZh-350 was produced in the Soviet Union, a model that was technically largely based on the DKW NZ 350. More than 127,000 units were built by 1951.
In recent days, parts of the original equipment have also been found alongside the Wehrmacht motorcycle in the dried-up Danube riverbed, including a petrol can, a Y-strap and a bayonet frog.
A Y-strap was a leather harness worn over the shoulders and connected at the front and back by additional straps. It was used to secure equipment to the body, such as a bread bag, ammunition pouches or a canteen. The name 'Y' comes from the shape formed by the shoulder straps.
A bayonet frog is the holder for a bayonet that is attached to the belt or other equipment. The bayonet is carried in it when it is not fixed to the rifle.
The mortal remains of two German soldiers were discovered beneath the motorcycle. Their fully intact identity tags could now, for the first time in more than 80 years, shed light on who they were and what happened to them. A so-called 'Kuban' sleeve shield was also found.
This badge could indicate that its former wearer had previously been deployed at the Kuban bridgehead in the Caucasus.
At present it is assumed that the remains of the two men are those of the motorcycle's rider and passenger. However, there is a possible alternative explanation: the Hungarian Military History Institute (source in German) (source in Hungarian) believes that this location may have been used as a pit for war debris and rubbish created after the end of the siege. Apparently, ammunition and pieces of equipment, among other things, were dumped there.
The finds alone therefore do not yet allow a definitive conclusion to be drawn that the two men were on the DKW at the time of their deaths.
