Together with a buddy we went to the border near the river Oder, and searched some battlefields on the German and Polish side. We planned this trip already for four years now but did not do much research and for next year we will do that. We found some very interesting items but not what we hoped for! This was our spot for the night, i did not get much sleep though! Our first stop was the town of Guben (German side of the border): Through Google-earth we spotted al place that looked very promising, see the map, it is a former Luftwaffe airfield on the Polish side of the border. The field is coverd with trenches and foxholes. But when we got there a farmer was working on the field and there where no more traces of the former trenches! In the woods close to the field we could still the trenches but this was more likely a former trainig range. We found all sorts of ammo also with wooden heads. We left the ammo where we found them! A railroad crossing: That same day we left for our next stop, Halbe (Germany). There we entered the woods in search of relics. Again we found some ammo that we left behind, but not before we took a picture of the Russian 7,62mm cartridges. They where marked '44: An unknown object: Modern bottle???: German zelthbahn buttons and Russian uniform buttons?: Bottle for infusion (medical): Unknown bottle: A very nice Russian uniform button: That was the end of the first day and we went looking for a place for the night. (hotel). In the town of Freidorf we found this Russian monument, the monument looks OK but was realy not taken care of, the graves nearby where not taken care of, tombstones where broken etc.
There are more to come but it are to many, i have to go to work so tomorrow the rest, then i have a day off!
The story continues! The next morning we found this strange grenade in the garden of the hotel, for safety reasons we buried it deep in the ground! We went back into the forest to do some more searching near Halbe where we found this round, we buried it deep in the soil again! We also found these glasses, a part was found in the Halbe pocket and the other part was found 90 km away in the Küstrin-pocket: Then the rain interupted our search and we moved to the Seelow area. And headed to Poland! The border: We entered the woods at Küstrin, one of the last strongholds of the Germans at the Oder river at the Polish side.The we found some live ammo again and left it there in the ground! Inktbottle:
Here are some more items from the second day! Medical bottles: German toothpaste: A silver spoon with initial: Aqua for injection: A Russian trenchtool?: Russian schu-shine?: On our way back to the hotel we came across a Russian warmonument, it was build 6 months after the ending of the war! Sorry for the few bad pictures!: End this was the ending of the 2nd day.
The third and last day we started to search some woods around Seelow, we did not found much except for the usual casings and shrapnel. War damage still viseble on some houses: Then we crossed the border again at Küstrin and entered an other part in the woods, wow, so many dugouts and trenches i've never seen before! At the first stop in the middle of the woods i found this drum magazine for the PPSH-41 Russian machinepistol. A part is missing but it's a nice relic. This photo is from the internet just to give you an idea how the original looks like: We continued our journy with the car just to stop again after 100 meters becouse there where so many dugouts! A razor blade: A part of an other razor: Part of a photocamera: My buddy found a collection of 8 silver tea spoons with an initial: Again a find from my buddy, a part of a belt that belonged to a German political officer of the Nazi party, NSDAP. Unfortunately not compleet. This is a photo from the internet of how it originaly looked like: A look at the trenches in the woods! Unknown:
The third day continues. A French deto of a granade, "beute waffen". (We left it at the spot!) A copper part of a lamp? A big shell (also left behind!). An old lantarn for a bicycle: And this was our last find of this trip, a big shell from 1 meter deep, also left it there! And in the evening we left for Holland again, to know for sure we would come back next year! It was a great trip and a good experiance!
On our way back home we came across an abbandoned Russian military airfield and took some pictures there! Camo still viseble: And a phote of our finds!
At last, something I recognise! The front plate is most likely from a Kodak 1a (though if I remember right while mine are all in storage, they used identical front assembles for other folders so it's hard to be absolutely sure): Kodak No.1 Autographic Special, Model A Cheers, Adam.
Wonderful pictures Edwin! I envy you fellows in Europe! How lucky you are to be able to visit all these places! Please guys,all of you, keep posting pics of your adventures, I do believe they are one of the highlights of my week! I have an idea Edwin, the glasses you found; could they be from a pair of binoculars? Or, is that what you mean all along? Because to me they look like the outer casing and gasket to binoculars. perhaps this is a language problem on my behalf? At any rate, grand pictures!! Be careful out there with all those shells you find!!Yikes!!
Thanks Steve, you could be right about the glasses, i'm not sure, maybe someone knows it! And i'm carefull as i can be!
aw... the pics are gone, any other link to them. I'm really interested in your pics of Seelow Heights. neil
The pictures will be back in two days, cause of limit exceed at photobucket, just return in 3 days and you will see the pictures! Sorry!
