It was the time of the year again when a buzz starts going in our mailboxes and closed internet groups. People felt the butterflies in their stomachs and was getting ready for this years International Expedition to the old frontlines of Kurland. This year we would see some new faces coming from the USA, Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands, UK and Germany. Many other of the regular diggers would also show up. Everyone was excited and no one knew what Legenda had found through their research for us to dig this year. All we knew was that it would be busy. This year I had some extra time to spend so I had decided to make a roadtrip from Nordland to Latvia. I had never driven so far alone before and I felt the stress and anticipation rising the closer it got to the departing time I had set. The car was prepared and I had some parts changed , new engine- and gear oil was filled and lots of music and snacks for the ride prepared. Well rested I began my trip a Sunday afternoon and had planned to drive through the night to the ferry place in Stockholm. The roads in Sweden was absolutely lovely and the speed limits double of those in Norway made driving very effective. I was afraid to fall asleep behind the wheel but with small breaks every two hours or so it went like a dream or maybe Im just a good sleep-driver. About an hour drive north of Stockholm I parked the car outside a gas station and slept a few hours before I drove the last stretch. Downtown I made a wrong turn and got to see some small streets around the city before I suddenly saw the harbour and found my way to the ferry dock. While waiting for check-in the Custom officers came around to check me and the car and found little of interest except a bayonet which they claimed was a breech of the weapon-regulations but I got to keep it as long as I placed it into my luggage in the back of the car. So much for personal protection.
The ferry M/S Isabelle was a large ship and had some nice bars and resturants where I got a bit tipsy with all the pensioners taking the cruise over to Riga. I also spent some time on the outer deck scouting for subs but never saw one. Next morning we arrived Riga harbour and I drove straight to the farm of Legendas boss to park my car and get a lift back into Riga.
The ferry M/S Isabelle was a large ship and had some nice bars and resturants where I got a bit tipsy with all the pensioners taking the cruise over to Riga. I also spent some time on the outer deck scouting for subs but never saw one. Next morning we arrived Riga harbour and I drove straight to the farm of Legendas boss to park my car and get a lift back into Riga.
After a long shower I went across the street of the hotel and met up with some of the other diggers having arrived before me. Beer was brought on the table and as the hours passed more and more diggers arrived and joined us. Soon we had occupied large parts of the outdoor section and had a great time. The next day went down much the same. Some strolling and shopping in the city and the afternoon was spent together with good food and beer and even more diggers arrived from around the world. At one point we got a text from the ones arriving from Belgium that the airspace over there had been closed and all flights delayed. A big punch in the face for those guys. One of them had to cancel the whole trip because of the huge delays while the other one was very lucky and managed to score a ticket and would arrive only a day later. We all planned to take an early evening as we would be picked up before 07 next morning, but in good company that is difficult so there was some tired faces gathering outside the hotel when the vans came to collect us.
Long before lunchtime we arrived at Kristinas lovely resort and was given our rooms. The Legenda flag was raised to show everyone we was finally there. Not long after we heard the Boss shouting and knew it was best to rush to the cars and get out to the forests. Usually we have had a "soft" start on the expeditions but this time we were met by a JCB waiting for us. Work was about to begin. The researchers in Legenda had located what could be a large Red Army massgrave and the JCB started opening up the forestfloor. The diggers gathered around and some jumped down in the opened trench following the JCBs shovel closely. Suddenly we saw the soils color change from red-brown to patches of black, the soil had been disturbed at some point and was full of organic material. We had found the spot.
The soil was made up of wet and heavy clay and the groundwater kept seeping in and flooding everything which made it a difficult job. Our boots and equipment kept being sucked stuck and the gloves became like muddy clumps. Scoops were cut from bottles and plastic cans and drainage pits was dug. We worked in pairs in the ditch and diggers was sitting on the edges of it checking the soil we lifted out to not miss any bones or items. When someone got tired places were swapped and the work continued uninterrupted. Body after body was exhumed and it got very busy for the ones in charge of the remains. Bone trays was filled quickly and lifted out of the massgrave, registered and placed into bodybags. The fallen had been placed in layers ontop of eachother and it was not an easy job at all. The day went quickly and we kept working until the evening approached and the ditch was finally empty. We had exhumed around 50 soldiers this first day. The new diggers was tired but excited of the intense start of the expedition and they had prooved themself to be made of the right material. Back at the resort Kristina dished out a brilliant dinner which I think everyone enjoyed.
A Red Army button made of plastic. These buttons was part of the Lend Lease help and produced in the U.S.
After a long winter my muscles was not used to digging and they screamed in pain the next morning, it was even painful to lift the coffeecup, but I knew that only more digging would loosen them up making them "fresh" again. We went back to the massgrave to check if there could be another row of fallen there and the JCB opened up a new ditch next to the one from yesterday, and sure enough here we had more fallen. The weather was perfect for digging, some clouds and some sun and not too hot, we even had a few drops of rain. Very soon all the diggers had found their place and the ditch was busy. Bodies and their items was carefully exhumed and removed from the wet clay. We found some helmets and ammo with them and also uniform buttons and personal items. The clay preserves well so some of the remains still had hair and the soil was fatty making the job a bit horrible. We could also see that most of the soldiers had met terrible faiths as they were severly damaged by explosions. Around three o`clock it looked like we had got all the fallen out of the massgrave and most of the diggers and the JCB went off to a nearby hill to search the trenches for any fallen. I was still struggeling with a flooded pit and tried to gather all the little bones from the fallen soldiers hand. At this point I was alone in the massgrave and drove my shovel into the ground to have something to lean on for a small break. When I pulled the shovel back out a lump of the clay broke loose and I saw black soil. There was another layer of fallen beneath my feet!! I was overwhelmed by a feeling of hopelessness and called out to the Legenda guys gathering equipment around the ditch - More bodies!! Come back!! Together we uncovered five or six more Red Army soldiers before we made sure there was no one left and all bones had been removed.
At the little hill the other guys had found a single fallen soldier on the bottom of a trench. The rest of the trenchline was opened and searched but no more remains was to be found.
In total we had exhumed 106 soldiers from the massgrave and one from the trenchline. None of them had any medals or ways to identify them but in the digging process two sections of an aircraft fuselage had been found, and on them was names of the fallen inscribed so there is hope we can find these names in the archives with a complete list of the fallen soldiers.
At the little hill the other guys had found a single fallen soldier on the bottom of a trench. The rest of the trenchline was opened and searched but no more remains was to be found.
In total we had exhumed 106 soldiers from the massgrave and one from the trenchline. None of them had any medals or ways to identify them but in the digging process two sections of an aircraft fuselage had been found, and on them was names of the fallen inscribed so there is hope we can find these names in the archives with a complete list of the fallen soldiers.
One of the fuselage sections with names inscribed.
One of the soldiers had a german butterdish.
A cross and beaded chain found on a fallen.
A pencil made from a PPSh casing.
On day three we drove to Ezere, west in Latvia, where a German field cemetery had been discovered. It was in a small park where the locals use to walk their dogs, the kids play and teenagers party. The forested patch was fenced off to make sure we could work undisturbed. A local girl thought this looked very interesting and was invited to help us and she spent the entire day digging with us and she did an exellent job. From the Volksbund we had lists over the fallen who should be buried here. Three soldiers had been exhumed a week or so earlier so we knew where to start digging, and with the German cemeteries comes precision. The graves is normally spaced out in a perfect symmetry. Also here the soil conditions was not the best to work with, and groundwater kept flooding the graves as we uncovered them. With the JCB we managed to dig a deeper pit in the end of the row and lead much of the water away making the job a bit simpler. A few of the soldiers here had been buried in coffins which made it very easy to locate all the bones and items. Everything was carefully dug out and placed in the body bags. Items with the soldiers was put in smaller bags and taped together with the body bag. Many of the fallen had dog tags and I think most of them will be identified and have named graves. In this park we exhumed 23 soldiers and with the 3 found earlier it was 26 in total. At one point an old lady who lived next to the park came by and she had brought her old photo album. She told her stories from the war and about her losses of family members. It was a very emotional meeting and difficult to keep the eyes dry listening to her. After the dig some of the diggers sat down sharing a beer with her and she was smiling and laughing with us.
On the way back in the afternoon we stopped by a small museum meters away from the Lithuanian border and we also stopped by the Saldus War Cemetery paying our respect.
On the way back in the afternoon we stopped by a small museum meters away from the Lithuanian border and we also stopped by the Saldus War Cemetery paying our respect.
The park sometime before the war.
Visiting the Cemetery after these days of exhuming such a large number of fallen was very emotional. The diggers went around silent in their own world. Some just sat down staring blankly in front of them, minds filled with thoughts. Seeing some of the graves had fresh flowers or small grave decorations surely made up for all the sweat, mud and insect bites and one of the last entries in the Cemetery protocol brought tears to our eyes...
Translation of the protocol entry :
Beloved father, I have found you after 70 years. We were and still are full of sorrow, because You had to give your young years to the nazis. You and Georg Elser have always been my heroes for being resistance fighters. Goodbye, Helga
P.S. You gave two great grandsons. At least we have freedom for 70 years now.
Beloved father, I have found you after 70 years. We were and still are full of sorrow, because You had to give your young years to the nazis. You and Georg Elser have always been my heroes for being resistance fighters. Goodbye, Helga
P.S. You gave two great grandsons. At least we have freedom for 70 years now.
That evening back at the resort we made sure to enjoy this freedom. Some was eating and drinking, some enjoying the sun and our Boss enjoyed fishing,,without a fishing line - The result is the same he explained..
Our last day in Kurland we drove to a forest where battles had raged some 70 years ago. We was going to spend the whole day here roaming around with our metal detectors in search of battle discards and fallen soldiers. The area was strewn with trenchlines, bunkers and strongpoints. Together with a small group I headed into the forest in search of a small hill where German forces had made a strongpoint. We crossed a field and a patch of forest where the Soviet lines had crossed through and it was signals of metal everywhere. Lots of ammo and different shells and grenades. It was a very creepy place and it felt like we were being watched. I swear I kept hearing sounds not from this world and when I mentioned this later one of the other in the group swore she had seen shadows running around us as we pushed through the dense forest. As we crossed into a clearing she suddenly sped off, she had seen a pile of rust. Some other diggers had been here before us clearing a trenchline and piled up helmets, magazines and ammo crates on a big log so we went back to the others heavy loaded with old metal.
The other guys had a bit more luck than us regarding finds. They had dug some good signals and found something very eerie. Three helmets with skulls inside, but no other bones. The rest of their bodies was no where to be found. What had happened here will be a mystery but it was a very creepy and strange find.
Both Viktors and Ainars had birthday, so in the afternoon we had some cake which was wonderfull. Many of the diggers was tired by now and sat around in groups chatting, while some was still roaming around the trenchlines searching and soon it was time to head back to Radi for a big dinner, sauna and a party which lasted till long after midnight. Matt once again entered his role as DJ Legenda and kept the music blasting until the very end.
The other guys had a bit more luck than us regarding finds. They had dug some good signals and found something very eerie. Three helmets with skulls inside, but no other bones. The rest of their bodies was no where to be found. What had happened here will be a mystery but it was a very creepy and strange find.
Both Viktors and Ainars had birthday, so in the afternoon we had some cake which was wonderfull. Many of the diggers was tired by now and sat around in groups chatting, while some was still roaming around the trenchlines searching and soon it was time to head back to Radi for a big dinner, sauna and a party which lasted till long after midnight. Matt once again entered his role as DJ Legenda and kept the music blasting until the very end.
A very good signal and a muddy dig, but it was an empty helmet this time..
Monday morning rose with a wonderful weather but there was no more time for digging. People had flights and jobs to get back to and we left early for Riga after saying goodbye to those we wouldn`t meet until next time. Some of us was staying in Riga some extra days and we had a good time together. On wednesday it was only me and Kim left and I had to go to the farm to pick up my car and head to the ferry. At the farm we started making some future plans and then the Boss approached me with a little something for me. He gave me the Legenda patch to sew on my jacket. That was a big moment for me and I shook his hand having a frog in my throath. I would love to have stayed longer but I had a long drive back home so I filled up the car, turned on the GPS and half hour later I was through the ferry check-in. It had been reported a storm but the crossing went fine, there was a moment of heavy weather but it all cleared up and was warm and sunny until I reached northern sweden and the border crossing into Norway where it started raining. Driving in this area at night was sketchy at best as the road was more or less animal territory. Moose, reindeers, rabbits and birds kept running along side the road and I had to drive really carefully but around 02 I parked the car at my house and was greeted by two very happy cats which made any post-expedition-depression impossible.
The trip had been amazing and emotional and some new friendships had been forged. All the new guys this year was wonderfull people which I am sure we ll see again soon. Thanks to everyone taking part on the expedition and a special thanks to the ones making it possible through all research and paperwork.
Until next time, Stay muddy and keep Smiling...
The trip had been amazing and emotional and some new friendships had been forged. All the new guys this year was wonderfull people which I am sure we ll see again soon. Thanks to everyone taking part on the expedition and a special thanks to the ones making it possible through all research and paperwork.
Until next time, Stay muddy and keep Smiling...
Arty shell and PanzerSchreck rocket.
Two tired diggers.
Lots of live ammo and explosives scatter the old frontlines and is still a danger.
From a Maxim Mg belt.
Pz. track and Pz. fire extinguisher.
Great people.
We wasn`t sure if the Boss did some practical work here or chopping down imaginary enemies..
A fight almost broke out when we realized we both had the same outfit, Serbian jackets and Norwegian army trousers..
It takes some serious dedication bringing the Lexus out on the crappy Kurland forest roads..
Latvian/Lithuanian border. The bridge was blown up during the war and never rebuilt.