German barracks finds

“Karabiner K98 (demilitarized and denazified)”. Find number 318 must have an interesting story behind it as an object. Or maybe the finders have strange ideas about what should happen to a K98 rifle so it doesn't attract attention. But they were surely excited, because that was the overall media response to the “purge” (Ursula) in German barracks after the arrest of a far-right officer who had registered as an asylum seeker and allegedly planned attacks. The authorities are investigating… And the Bundeswehr is cleaning up.

The list of barracks finds has 407 entries – some things don’t belong in a barracks, and in some places, the list reads like a bad flea market list. If you subtract educational and association collections that document the history of units, you often come across things that are odd to amusing: a grease gun seized because it could be used by both the Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr. A Napoleon representation from a barracks previously owned by the French. An MG 08/15 from World War I, old sabers. Model kits from Revell (“without swastika”, meticulously noted), which you can find in any toy store. The book “The Piano” about a rescue from the Warsaw Ghetto.

“Old-style Bundeswehr helmet” is listed there as a dangerous item. We don’t even want to know what it looks like… Along with the grease gun, it somewhat illustrates the misery of the operation. Some things will disappear, others will be returned (we hope for the model builders), and others will be deemed normal. For those willing to take the time, HERE is the list of major dangers at the Bundeswehr Association.