The summer of 2004 we walked more than on the previous hike...and also found more. But I donīt think anyone of us had even dreamt of finding two parachute containers in one day, plus two para-helmets. But that is what we did. And before that we made some other pretty neat discoveries.
We started in the Lyngen area (see report VIII and X) and established a base camp in the centre of the northernmost section of the Lyngen line. To give an idea of how few people visit the areas we walk in I can tell you that during these three years (three weeks hiking total) we have never met another soul. That is, unless reindeer have some kind of soul, which I highly doubt. By the way, a herd of reindeer - under the command of a most impressive "reindeer-general" - actually came right up to our tents to gawk at us while we were having dinner - as if they were the tourists and we the exotic animals. We were so baffled by these curious reindeer that only one of us remembered to photograph them.
To get up to the most distant positions there is a lot of snow to cross, even in July. But the snow was not wet on the days we hiked and thus was only to our advantage. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Even before we got beyond last yearīs search-limit we made some surprising discoveries. For example Nigel found part of a camouflage smock with a grass pattern. As this particular pattern was of an early type made exclusively for the Waffen-SS it was odd to find it in positions from 1944/45 occupied by regular army soldiers. But there is photographic evidence from e.g. Karelia of individual army personnel in SS-smocks. Next Roger found an almost complete herringbone weave tunic. And the greatcoat and Luftwaffe trousers we found last year were as we had left them, in the same surprisingly good condition. How can cloth be in such good shape after 60 years in the open or in wind-swept, damp, huts? We reckon the eight to ten months of the year that they are covered by snow must have something to do with it.
The huts closest to the Cold War era Nato-bunkers of the Lyngen line have frequently been used by Norwegian soldiers. This is apparent from cartridges, remains of rations etc. These huts also contain little or nothing from their first tenants. As we got beyond last yearīs search perimeter we saw more and more Wehrmacht remains and one can thus surmise that very few people have been in this area since WWII.
The most intact hut we found even contained a triangle of the type used when working with maps, still hanging on the wall! On the floor, bed and outside there were pages from novels like Der Meisterdetektiv (The Master Detective) by R. A. Stemmle and Die Sterne blicken herab (The Stars Look Down) by the British author A. J. Cronin. I understand that the latter book is a a heart-tugging thing about exploited working class heroes.
This triangle is still hanging inside one of the most intact German shelters - most probably the home of artillery observers. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Not only were there remains of snow suits by these shelters but also of reversible parkas with green splinter and tan water patterns. A rucksack turned out to have been manufactured in Gävle, Sweden in 1942 by the firm Wiko Brake. Judging from the cloth of the rucksack it would seem that Wiko Brake manufactured to official German specifications. Later, on the way back, we found a Primus carbide lamp, clearly marked "Stockholm, Sweden" and even carrying the Swedish national symbol - three crowns. However, this item may have ended up here through post-war Nato manoeuvres or tourism.
Just before I left the "triangle shelter" I noticed a piece of wood between some rocks by the entrance and pulled it out - as I have long hoped to find a road sign. Eureka - a hand-painted sign! One side with writing no longer legible, the other clearly stating B-Stelle Unterkunft I/118 which I reckon means the observation point accomodation of the 1st Battalion, 118th Mountain Artillery Regiment. This Regiment belonged to the 6th Mountain Division and was the regiment of forward observer Fritz Anker, whose letters and photos from Lyngen have inspired these hikes for three years now. I only learnt of his death in early June this year (2004) soon after I came home from this trip.
As the letters on the sign were so faded that they may perhaps not be read even next year I decided to take it down with me and three days later we handed it over to the Defence Museum of Setermoen which preserves and exhibits items from the Lyngen Line. By the way, it was a good thing we presented one of those Nebelwerfer rocket contraptions to the museum last year - as the remaining two have been taken away sometime since July 2003.
The exterior of the "triangle shelter", or, as the sign indicates, the shelter of an observation point of the 1st Battalion of the 118th Mountain Artillery Regiment. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
It was also pretty eerie to find that some forward shelters still had camouflage nets and Zeltbahns on their roofs. To this day protecting the positions from the eyes of the RAF and Red Army Air Force...
Other finds were a complete and ready-to-use toilet built out of rocks and birch, more mountaineering boots and the strengthening for a mountain rucksack with the ownerīs name clearly visible: Fritz Vedden/Wedden.
We were blessed with comfortable weather most of the three days up in Lyngen and when we went down to the cars the climate was absolutely Mediterranean. At the same time southern Scandinavia was having one of the rainiest periods in recorded history. Some guys have all the luck. And our good fortune (incl. good weather) was not about to end.
After having closely examined the "haute cuisine" of the fast-food establishments of Kvesmesnes and Nordkjosbotn we proceeded to Setermoen and camped in a friendly little forest just outside the city centre. After breakfast we learnt from our Norwegian team member Tor-Helge that we had been sleeping beside various historic artifacts, e.g. a horse-drawn wagon manufactured for the Kaiserīs army in 1917 but also used by the Wehrmacht in Norway during WWII. We promptly realized a suggestion from Tor-Helge to carry the wagon to the museum. It is really a more important addition to the museum than one might first think. The Setermoen museum already has a German motor vehicle, a Krupp Protze (under restoration), but no horse wagon. And as those of you with an interest for horses know the WWII German army was actually more reliant on horses than its predecessor in WWI. This fact deserves to be exhibited.
A rucksack manufactured in Sweden in 1942 beside a pair of German army snow trousers. Note the many patches on the rucksack. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Also not far from our campsite Tor-Helge showed us a large-calibre German shell case still hanging in a tree. It was about five metres up in the air but must have been reachable 60 years ago. The assumption is that someone used to hit it to signal something to the troops. Perhaps "chow-time!"? During the war the area was a German training ground.
In the Setermoen museum we got to examine new exhibits and have a nice chat with the director, Finn Fossum. With no other staff than himself he has accomplished wonders. It is well worth a visit if you are in the Narvik area. The museum shop still has some good books and some smaller WWII items for sale.
Our last tent night we spent by the Rombak fjord, not far from Narvik. There is a good camping place with a splendid view of the fjord and the impressive wreck of the Georg Thiele. But before going to sleep we of course managed to do some hiking in the area. The group who studied the front lines of 1940 found evidence both of the French Foreign Legion: French mortar grenades, and the Wehrmacht: an unexploded German stick grenade - which they of course didnīt remove. Better safe than sorry. Yours truly preferred to examine an area closer to the destroyer and soon found a sewing machine of unknown make, a bunch of WWII Scho-Ka-Kola tin cans, Rosenthal porcelain and several small items of the regular German soldier in the Arctic. All in a clearly visible scrap heap by a house ruin.
The next day we found more clearly marked items in that very same scrap heap including a perfect 1942-dated water bottle drinking cup, Berlin-made Mauser pouches in an unbelievably good condition and Nivea tooth paste. And I thought they only made sun lotions.
Splinter pattern Zeltbahns, water resistant shelter triangles, still cover some of the most forward positions of the 6th Mountain Division. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Friday night we spent in the cozy and very moderately priced youth hostel of Narvik, right by the railway station. Only this year did I notice that there is a plaque to the memory of the French chasseurs alpins and the French Foreign Legion by the street corner just before the railway bridge that leads to the youth hostel.
Donīt miss the giant pizzas that are served in the pub of the youth hostel. For breakfast you can use the well-equipped kitchen in the basement, where there is also an excellent sauna (which costs extra though).
Saturday we again met up with Tor-Helge who took us to a site that the museum had been recommended to examine. About once every thirty years a certain dam is emptied and when the water is absent a remarkable amount of Czechoslovak military equipment can be seen...more than a dozen trailers standing together like an underwater train. They were once used to haul 21 cm guns made in Czecoslovakia.
The below photograph does not quite convey what a strange sight these Skoda trailers are. Interestingly, the tyres are GOOD YEAR! Just beside them are lots of war era bottles and scrap. But not any old scrap - our helmet experts Tor-Helge, Simon and Roger were able to piece together two para-helmets from the "rubbish".
If all goes well the trailers will soon be hauled ashore and taken to Setermoen.
These rows of Skoda trailers are normally covered by water. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
There were two houses by the "Skoda beach" and we decided to inform the owners what we were up to, so they would know that our intents were serious. Whilst speaking to the first house owners we could not help but notice a parachute container in their garden. As soon as Tor-Helge had established that he was working for the Setermoen museum the family most graciously donated the container to the museum. It was almost complete and with some remains of paint.
Three of us carried the container to Tor-Helgeīs Jeep. It can soon be seen on display in Setermoen.
Our visit to the next house was equally pleasant and rewarding. This family invited us to have a snack and then presented the museum with an excellent container for Esbit fuel tablets and a fine tea pot. They recommended we take a hike to what they called "container lake" to see a parachute container still in situ.
Not only did the directions indeed lead to a second container and a mortar round case (neither of which we removed) but on the way back "Hawkeye Hirst" spotted parts of a parachute harness lying on a rock. The area is more rock surface than anything else and so many objects left on the ground will be lying on the surface still for many years to come. One could almost sense the paratrooper who once unstrapped himself on this spot...
Although so much has corroded away, the characteristic interior and absence of a peak make it possible to positively identify this strange object as a paratrooper helmet. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Our final evening we stayed in the former HQ of General Dietl. We had certainly not expected to see any remains of his rather brief stay there, as we had spoken to the owners about this subject. However, ultra-observant Simon noticed that there was rolled-up paper with gothic letters inbetween the roof and a wall. Careful examination revealed the paper to be complete pages of German newspapers printed in May 1940. Thus we reckon they may have been read by Dietlīs staff and put under the roof to stop a nasty draft.
On our last morning together we entered two "caves", probably storage rooms for explosives already established by the navvies that built the Kiruna-Narvik railroad. Richard found an almost complete Luftwaffe Y-strap lying on the floor inside one of them.
Finally we examined a large and dominating position some 250 metres west of Dietlīs HQ. The purpose and location of this site puzzled us and suggestions are most welcome should any reader be well-acquainted with the Bjørnfjell positions. In general I wish to encourage comments and questions about my reports! Please do enter the FORUM and write down your opinion or comment in the "May 1945 until today" section, which is meant for discussions on battlefield exploration.
We had certainly not expected to find a parachute container...and even less a second one on the same day, still in situ where it fell down from the sky. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Parts of a parachute harness on a hill by Bjørnfjell some 64 years after it was discarded. You can still see the remains of the shrouds on the D-ring. Photo: Lars Gyllenhaal
Last modified 23-07-2004
© Lars and Ann-Sofie Gyllenhaal