The discovery of the iron chest in Lukichev Dmitry’s garden opened a door to the past, unveiling a trove of memories carefully preserved for over 70 years. As he dug a cesspool for his outdoor toilet in the quaint summer cottage in Besh-Kungei, his shovel struck something metallic, sparking an unexpected journey into history.
Assorted contents of the Ьox include a Ьox of cigars, two bottles of rum, a bill, toiletry, a cap and a winter hat among other things.
The box that emerged from beneath the soil revealed itself as an army field locker of the Nazi forces during the Second World War. Intrigued, Dmitry cautiously opened it, revealing a time capsule from an era filled with turmoil and conflict.
The assortment of items within the box painted a vivid picture of a bygone era. A box of cigars, two intact bottles of rum, a bill, toiletries, a cap, and a winter hat—each item held a story of its own. These were not just random artifacts; they were the personal belongings meant for an officer of the Third Reich.
Among the items, a grey case of glasses with “Masten-Brille” inscribed on it stood out. These glasses, worn under a gas mask during the war, were equipped with elastic strips for secure fastening to the ears. The box also contained a range of essentials—an officer’s jacket, a clothes brush, dust masks, gloves, sweaters, removable collars, socks, braces, spare fabric, and leather for repairs, along with what seemed to be mothballs.
The officer’s jacket, adorned with military embellishments and a badge inscribed with “H. St. V Insterburg 14,” suggested a connection to the financial service of the Third Reich, possibly held by an officer of high rank. The jacket, impeccably preserved, held the echoes of a time when the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany, sought to strengthen its defenses against the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles.
The narrative delved into the post-war era when resources in Germany dwindled, and desperate circumstances led many, including teenagers from Hitler Youth, to join the fight. The Geneva Convention allowed prisoners of war to send and receive parcels for humanitarian reasons. Soldiers often sent canned food to alleviate hunger. However, sending an entire German officer’s uniform to the Soviet Union after the war was a perilous endeavor.
At the Ьottom, the Ьox contained the Wehrmacht officer’s jacket good as new.
According to the ranks embellished on the shoulder strap of the jacket the package might have belonged to an officer of fіпапсіаɩ Service of the Third Reich with a rank higher than field officer.
The package discovered by Dmitry seemed to have met a fate of concealment or perhaps embarrassment, buried hastily in the ground. Whether it arrived too late for the officer to utilize its contents or was mistaken for a harmless package, the buried chest spoke volumes about a time when the world was torn apart by war, and remnants of history lay hidden beneath the earth, waiting to be unearthed decades later. The iron chest became a time capsule, bridging the gap between the past and the present, offering a glimpse into a bygone era fraught with stories of conflict, survival, and the choices made in moments of uncertainty.