Nahkampfspange & a Nest with Eggs

After almost a week without any searching and digging because of my injured finger, I took a trip out to my favorite gebirgsjäger camp. I spent a few hours around a pair of earthen dug outs but I didn`t find too much.

The first thing that went into my pocket was a small aluminum piece where what appears to be a Soviet star had been cut out. POWs were in the area so I imagine a liberated Red Army soldier could have made himself a new star for his cap.

Nearby I found a Wehrmacht boot and a small pit filled with leather bits. One piece looked like it was a soldiers belt, but when I got it out of the watery ground I could identify it to be from a horse harness.

I located a sunny slope to search while I dried up and there I opened up a nest full of M39 eggs and some Sprengkapsels, not something to fill the pockets with.

Other than that I only found a field made belt buckle. A nice closure of the day as such things are unique.

Looks like a star was cut from it.

Wehrmacht boot.

This looked like a soldiers belt..but was for a horse.

The fieldmade buckle.

The shrooms are starting to pop out of the ground.

On thursday the GirlfriendWife wanted to have dinner above the treeline after work, so then one just had to find the trekking gear, prepare dinner and be ready.

It was boiling hot and no movement in the air, and I was a bit hungry so it was a hard start, but after a few cookies to chew on things went well.

Soaked in sweat we could sit down for dinner by some gebirgsjäger shelters some two hours later. The sun dried our shirts while we ate and investigated the four deep bunker ruins on the site.

There were no stoves, wellblech or any other metal present, but we did find a line of foxholes circa hundred meter in front of the row of bunkers.

By the base of the mountain ahead it looked like there could be more shelters, so we walked over, but it was all natural loose rocks, so a bit disappointing.

On our descent we stopped just before the tree line to fly the drone out over the valley for some nice videos. Just as I positioned the drone, and was about to start the camera I looked up at it and caught a glimpse of something tan in the air next to my flying device.

It was a hawk! And it was not letting intruders into its territory! I pushed the joystick to the side and the drone shot towards us like it was in training for the Kessel Run and nearly smashed into a rock before I managed to stop and land it. That was an incredible moment! So fun.

300 meters left to the ww2 shelters.

The four shelters were several meters deep, and in a few parts of the wooden structure could be seen.

One of the bunkers was full of water.

One of the foxholes.

Another foxhole, they were circa 25 meter apart.

We used binoculars to try locate the positions on the other side of the valley, which we will trek to another time.

Seconds after this pic the hawk tried to kill the drone.

Yesterday and today were both spent in the much to warm woods. With temps hitting around 30 Celsius and still standing air you could taste the pine resins. Tropical.

I didn`t check many signals before I was drenched. After a few initial garbage finds I found myself a Kraftstoff top, from 1944. I dream of making a floor or something with all my barrell tops.

Kraftstoff barrell top.

Close to the old camp road I saw a dug out and went to check around it. Below two pines the detector picked up strong signals. There was a faint sign after a short ditch in the terrain and signals from the whole lenght.

I cut open the moss and saw charcoals and soot and my bayonet poked into some metal. I flicked the item loose and saw the shape of it. I held my breath.

It was covered in the soot, but when I turned it over I could read the letters forming the name of the Berlin based medal producer Peekhaus, who had made this Nahkampfspange- Close Combat Clasp. !!. Wow, finding such a cool award I had not expected. A bit burnt and damaged, but still.

The Close Combat Clasp.

It was not without anticipation I continued opening the ditch, but it didn`t contain any of the treasures I saw before me as I scraped my way to the next piece of metal. Out came lots of scrap, chains, food tins and part of an engine.

The Relic Gods had more in store for me though, coz suddenly I pulled out a steel Luftwaffe buckle, two bottoms of 7,5 cm shell casings and a vehicle pennant frame. On the bottom was an oil pan and together with it letters from a car logo.

Luftwaffe buckle.

An hour searching between the trees went by before I again struck a small ore of relics. The signal I dug on was the roof plate part from a chimney, but under it lay some surprises. Lots of uniform buttons, one with the number "15" embossed, a razor and shaving mirrors , cream tubes, a leather needle, a pocket knife and a gebirgsjäger ski tool. In the middle of the hole was a karbid lamp, with 99% of the color left, absolutely no rust on it. Then a Juwel primus, also looking good, and on the bottom was a whole lot of gaming pieces together with a plastic Nivea cream box.

Now the weather changed rapidly, the air became electric and dark clouds came in fast. And then the thunder began rumbling.

I figured it was wisest to withdraw.

At home I realized that the car logo I had found, "Steyr" was missing its "r". So the plan for sunday had been decided.

Early today I went back to the first dumping ditch and re-dug it thouroughly, but the letter had vanished, maybe it ll turn up around one of the trees another day.

I spent some hours walking the area but found little of interest. A small pile of k98 ammo, a cleaning kit for said rifle, a small medical dump with some needle tins, cream tubes and such. I had one nice find though, a small gilded silver cross inside a leather pouch.

It was a great week, and I can only wish for the next one to be as good. But now it is time for vaffels.

Thanks for reading :)

A nice 7.5 cm shell casing bottom.

The other casing was a bit more intact.

Nivea cream.

Karbid lantern.

Some rifle ammo.

The tiny cross.

Too bad the last letter was missing.