DNA identification of the soldiers of WW I: the White War

The White War was fought in the Alpine territories of present-day Trentino and South Tyrol (North-East Italy) at high altitudes, on the glaciers.  The melting of the glaciers is revealing artifacts from the Great War and bodies of the soldiers who fought the White War. However it is rare that the identification process succeeds for, as vital information and documents, military tags, site of retrieval, etc., but also historical information from existing archives with the lists of missing in action soldiers tend to be lacking. When no clues about the military corps of the soldier are available we can’t locate potential living relations to find a match. At present, no DNA database of the missing, nor of their relatives is available. In case enough ante-mortem data are available (e.g. documents, military tags, lists of missing in action soldiers, etc.), DNA analyses can be successfully undertaken.