Several days ago I went back to where I found the 11 helmets. The last leg of the road to get there is sort of a forest road, and when I came driving down it I became aware of a big "something" in front of me. It looked towards the car for a brief moment before it jumped off the road and into the forest. I am quite sure it was a lynx, or a cheeta or some kind of experimental super-cat, although we dont have too many of those here. It was anyway a pretty good start on the day.
It were ca 4 meters left of the ditch to dig and search through, and with one meter to the bottom it took many hours. The finds were few and it was no more lids there. For several minutes I thought I had one, but it was just the edge of a up side down frying pan I was uncovering. One of the only interesting things in it was a square can in very good condition. Its original green paint had survived, and it had a Waa ink stamp on the bottom. A stencilled text on it says " SIKKERTIV". Towards the end of the ditch came out the top of a mess kit, and it had a name engraved; " Hafner".
I still had half the day left so I wandered around and checked sometimes a good signal. One of those signals was a small brooch, set with some pink rocks, or glass. Almost a treasure. The only other good find I had that day came just before I went back to the car. Together with two wine bottles and a food tin was a knife I always wanted to find. A Luftwaffe gravity knife! Its wooden grips were long gone but the metal wasn`t that badly deteriorated.
It was early when I took the first sweep with the detector today. I hoped for a pistol, but it was an axe head. A small ditch had interesting signals and I hoped for helmets. It was horseshoes. Then I got a strong and clear good signal. Now I hoped for a medal. It was ! At least half a medal. It was a German Ostmedaille, looking like it had been broken in half. I went over the berry bushes again with the detector and picked up two or three more identical signals. It was a few melted blobs and one full Ostmedaille! Between them all was a MP38/40 magazine loader. Great stuff!
Later when back home I discovered that one of the blobs was a partly melted Ostmedaille, the half medal was melted, not broken, and that the full one had signs of having been touched by the heat as well.
I found a big metal box, that seemed to be intact. It took some effort to get it free from the ground and up to the surface. It wasn`t what I had dreamt about but still a good find, a drawer/box that was mounted under the Opel Blitz, prehaps on other vehicles as well. It is in good condition so it ll find its way to one of the many Opels being restored. I couldn`t be dragging that heavy thing around all day so I leaned it up against a tree that I would have to pass on my way home. Not far away I found a little cluster of signals. I removed the top soil and saw it had been a big fire. At least one crate and a radio had gone up in flames there. Some boots too, and cutlery. Melted blobs of glass and metals, and bits of charcoaled cloth outlined the fire pit. Using the bayonet I scraped my way through the layer of ashes. Coins had survived. The first one was a beautiful 2 kopek coin from Soviet. The rest were Finnish coins. A small square piece of metal met with the tip of my bayonet. I gave it a rub against the clean back of my glove and saw the word "Petsamo". Wow! The badge had a motive of two soldiers in winter gear firing a machine gun, with the word under it. I am not sure what this badge is for, but that is research I am looking forward to do. For sure it fits right into my Finnish/German collection :) The last pieces I dragged out from the ashes were a close combat knife, a bike wrench, a pad lock, spork and a canteen.
I had begun the journey back to the car when I see a 2 m x 1 m hole in the forest floor. I peek into it and there is a few bits of metal laying on the surface. I open up one of the corners of the pit and seconds later I see the back side of a helmet! It seems to be in decent condition even if the leather bits are missing. I decide I have to go through this pit before I can go home, and one and a half hour later I was happy I did. Under the helmet were two bakelite karbid boxes, a Einheitslanterne and two different spare parts boxes. One of metal and the other in bakelite. The rest of the pit held some coins and gaming pieces, a field torch, leather ammo pouch, a candle in a bakelite container, perfume bottles and cream tubes. Enough spoil to fill the pockets two times over.
The weekend is coming up, with plans of berry hoarding, but if lucky I might get a few hours searching done tomorrow:)
It were ca 4 meters left of the ditch to dig and search through, and with one meter to the bottom it took many hours. The finds were few and it was no more lids there. For several minutes I thought I had one, but it was just the edge of a up side down frying pan I was uncovering. One of the only interesting things in it was a square can in very good condition. Its original green paint had survived, and it had a Waa ink stamp on the bottom. A stencilled text on it says " SIKKERTIV". Towards the end of the ditch came out the top of a mess kit, and it had a name engraved; " Hafner".
I still had half the day left so I wandered around and checked sometimes a good signal. One of those signals was a small brooch, set with some pink rocks, or glass. Almost a treasure. The only other good find I had that day came just before I went back to the car. Together with two wine bottles and a food tin was a knife I always wanted to find. A Luftwaffe gravity knife! Its wooden grips were long gone but the metal wasn`t that badly deteriorated.
It was early when I took the first sweep with the detector today. I hoped for a pistol, but it was an axe head. A small ditch had interesting signals and I hoped for helmets. It was horseshoes. Then I got a strong and clear good signal. Now I hoped for a medal. It was ! At least half a medal. It was a German Ostmedaille, looking like it had been broken in half. I went over the berry bushes again with the detector and picked up two or three more identical signals. It was a few melted blobs and one full Ostmedaille! Between them all was a MP38/40 magazine loader. Great stuff!
Later when back home I discovered that one of the blobs was a partly melted Ostmedaille, the half medal was melted, not broken, and that the full one had signs of having been touched by the heat as well.
I found a big metal box, that seemed to be intact. It took some effort to get it free from the ground and up to the surface. It wasn`t what I had dreamt about but still a good find, a drawer/box that was mounted under the Opel Blitz, prehaps on other vehicles as well. It is in good condition so it ll find its way to one of the many Opels being restored. I couldn`t be dragging that heavy thing around all day so I leaned it up against a tree that I would have to pass on my way home. Not far away I found a little cluster of signals. I removed the top soil and saw it had been a big fire. At least one crate and a radio had gone up in flames there. Some boots too, and cutlery. Melted blobs of glass and metals, and bits of charcoaled cloth outlined the fire pit. Using the bayonet I scraped my way through the layer of ashes. Coins had survived. The first one was a beautiful 2 kopek coin from Soviet. The rest were Finnish coins. A small square piece of metal met with the tip of my bayonet. I gave it a rub against the clean back of my glove and saw the word "Petsamo". Wow! The badge had a motive of two soldiers in winter gear firing a machine gun, with the word under it. I am not sure what this badge is for, but that is research I am looking forward to do. For sure it fits right into my Finnish/German collection :) The last pieces I dragged out from the ashes were a close combat knife, a bike wrench, a pad lock, spork and a canteen.
I had begun the journey back to the car when I see a 2 m x 1 m hole in the forest floor. I peek into it and there is a few bits of metal laying on the surface. I open up one of the corners of the pit and seconds later I see the back side of a helmet! It seems to be in decent condition even if the leather bits are missing. I decide I have to go through this pit before I can go home, and one and a half hour later I was happy I did. Under the helmet were two bakelite karbid boxes, a Einheitslanterne and two different spare parts boxes. One of metal and the other in bakelite. The rest of the pit held some coins and gaming pieces, a field torch, leather ammo pouch, a candle in a bakelite container, perfume bottles and cream tubes. Enough spoil to fill the pockets two times over.
The weekend is coming up, with plans of berry hoarding, but if lucky I might get a few hours searching done tomorrow:)
Bumblebee or wasp nest.
The frying pan that lured me to believe it was a helmet.
It was only the porcelain bottom from something.
Engraved mess kit top.
Brooch.
Gravity knife!
Half Ostmedaille.
Full medal.
MP38/40 loader.
Box from Opel Blitz.
2 kopek from Soviet.
Melted 4711 perfume.
Coins.
Petsamo badge.
Close combat knife, pocket knife, bike wrench, göffel and a pad lock.
Helmet!! It truly is helmet season this year! :)
Einheitslanterne, karbid boxes , spare parts box and wooden tent peg.
Bakelite canteen cup.
Small stuff.
Autumn is here, setting the woods alight with colors.
Mess kit engravings.
Gravity knife.
Three stages of melting Ostmedaille.
Petsamo badge.
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