The remains, whose estimated number may be more than double the figure found so far, will be relocated to a nearby cemetery once the work, which is being part-financed by the German government, is finished, Russian-language "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

The burial site was located thanks to archival photographs of the front line; during World War Two the Narva region was the site of particularly heavy fighting between German and Soviet forces, primarily in 1944.

The work has been ongoing since Tuesday, and so far, the remains of 40 soldiers have been uncovered so far, including two members of the SS, and mostly who perished in the fighting in February 1944.

Exhumation expert Arthur Berger reflected on the scale of death and destruction the war brought, as reflected both in burial sites such as Narva-Jõesuu's, and in Europe more broadly.

"This work shows what war brings with itself. If you have ever been to a soldiers' cemetery, and you see how many soldiers lie there, and realize that there are hundreds of soldiers' cemeteries in Europe, or thousands of them, you can't say anything good about war," Berger said.

Dmitry Shutov, co-director of the Kamerad club, also involved in the dig, said soil conditions made the work easier.

"The soil here is sandy, which makes it possible to thoroughly clean the remains and excavate the grave in great detail. The work is not yet completed; for this reason we cannot state the exact number of soldiers. Presumably, around 80 soldiers," Shutov said.

During the course of the work, archaeologists also found fragments of a pedestal, which may have supported a crucifix, and nearby found part of an anchor chain, which may have served as a fence, and other items such as a bottle were found in situ.

"Ninety percent of this work is financed by the German government; 10 percent is financed by private donations from civilians, or even sometimes companies," Berger noted.

Since 1996 his organization has exhumed around 12,500 soldiers' remains, he went on.

The Narva-Jõesuu remains are due to be re-interred in the German cemetery in nearby Narva next year.

The Battle of Narva lasted from February to August 1944 and saw the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad fight for "possession" of Estonia's strategically important Narva Isthmus. Casualties are estimated at 68,000 on the German side including around 14,000 dead, and close to 500,000 on the Soviet side, including around 100,000 dead or missing.

The provisional Estonian government backed an illegal German conscription call-up of Estonians, hoping this could form the nucleus of a national army and the restoration of independence lost with the outbreak of war.

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