WW2 German Army Military Relic Hunting in Estonia, page 5
Recovering Remains of WW2 Weapon - German K98 Mauser Rifle
The day was over and I was exhausted but also satisfied with what I had learned. That was my first experience in metal detecting a WW2 site. And it was a good one because I familiarized myself with the signals of military relics before searching for deeper and older stuff.
All the WW2 Military Junk I Had To Dig Up
The next day was as perfect as the day before: lots of sunshine and cool breeze from the sea. My mother and my American girl-friend at that time decided to spend the day on the beach while I would be metal detecting in the woods nearby, so they came along.
We left the city early in the morning and walked along the beach to the point from which my metal detecting location was not far away. We set up an improvised camp right on the beach, built a fire, swam for a while, and then I went metal detecting in the woods.
This time, hoping of finding a WW2 weapon, I decided to look only for large targets. I set up the Discrimination level to "Accept Everything But Nails," turned on the DEEP function, and began searching the bottom of the trench. First few hours of metal detecting were not productive at all. I dug up a few large fragments of artillery projectiles, artillery brass casings, and propelled grenades.
I remembered what I had read in a book on WW2: after the fighting subsided, special Army Sapper units would canvas the fields and woods for abandoned weapons, ammunition, and machinery. Everything was collected, loaded onto trucks, and hauled to the Army depots.
I was about to believe that the sappers did a good job when I suddenly received a "big" signal. By pinpointing the target, I determined its size and realized that it was a long iron object. The signal's intensity indicated a shallow depth.
I carefully brushed the leaves and moss off the spot and noticed an object that looked like a narrow iron pipe. I slowly pried it up and was immediately excited to recognize a rusty barrel of the German K98 Rifle! Apparently, all metal parts were present except the bolt; the wooden stock had rotted away.
Scary Survivor Of the Dark Past
At a Closer Look (an image of a whole rifle is included for reference)
I placed the relic against the tree and continued searching. I noticed a small meadow a few yards away. Next to it there was a hole that looked like a cellar hole but I could not see any foundation stones. It was hard to tell whether the stones inside the hole were laid or they were just the natural rock layers. I started searching the meadow first.