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The photos above show the dramatic discovery of a German Gewehr 43 rifle in the Ardennes in 1999. Top left; The signal of the detector pointed out that there was something quite large at a depth of about 40cm on the bottom of a creek. So a little dyke was built to get rid of all the water. At first the archaeologist tries to feel in the water to locate anything by touch. Even a US Army mess tin lid (found nearby) is used to dig. Eventually a long black leather strap as used on (German) rifles comes into view. The combination of this and the strong signal from the detector is a good sign of something special. With most of the water gone, they had to make their way through dozens of rocks and a lot or red clay. (not mention a lot of nasty little buzzing mosquitoes and bugs). Because of the clay, weapon-oil and grease combination what was unearthed was a near perfectly preserved Gew '43. After a little bit of restoration they managed to slide the bolt back and found that besides a full magazine of ammunition there was an 11th round in the chamber (photo above). This is presumably why the rifle was discarded by it's owner. He was likely either a Volksgrenadier of 277th VG Division or perhaps a Paratrooper from the 5th FJ Division, both units operational in this part of the Ardennes during December 1944.
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