Buried Medal With Swastika Found Near Russian Border Sparks Debate - Newsweek

Images of what could be an old war medal found buried in Norway have sparked intrigue and curiosity among Reddit users.

On October 9, user /u/keeth1994, a 30-year-old engineer in Kirkenes, Norway, posted images of the discovery. The photos show the medal in a black plastic bag. It has a blue ribbon, a swastika on one side and writing on the other.

The poster found the medal on October 8 while participating in a metal-detecting expedition just outside of Kirkenes, a town in the Arctic near the Russian border.

"Since it still is an active dig site, I can't share its specific location, but it is situated just outside Kirkenes proper," the engineer told Newsweek. He said his group had recently uncovered what they believed to be a post-World War II treasure chest.

"We use metal detectors to find lost artifacts in the ground. Most of the time we just dig up trash, but we recently got extremely lucky with what seems to be a treasure chest dug down post-war. Somewhere between 1960 and 1990 is my personal guess. The chest has decayed to bits, but the lid is still intact," he added.

The medal was discovered near the remnants of the decayed chest. "Lid was solid metal but the case was wood and nails, all decayed to bits. It [the medal] might belong inside said chest but roots and fauna might have pushed it out," the engineer wrote in a comment on his post.

The medal's legitimacy has become a topic of interest. "The story of this medal is likely a heritage item. While I certainly can't know for sure, my theory is that this medal was passed down from a parent or something," the engineer said. "Given the time they were in, owning Nazi items could spell death. So maybe that's why they decided to dig it down for later."

While the Reddit community reacted with intrigue, Frederick Schneid, a history professor specializing in military history at High Point University in North Carolina, expressed skepticism.

"I am skeptical about the authenticity of that medal. There is a lot of fake Nazi memorabilia," Schneid told Newsweek.

The Reddit post follows recent motions to ban the Nazi swastika emblem. In April, Switzerland's parliament approved a motion to ban the symbol. In January, laws banning the public display of the Nazi salute, the swastika or other symbols associated with terror groups also came into effect in Australia.

Schneid said that if the medal in the Reddit post were genuine, it could be the Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen (Faithful Service Medal), 40 Years in Gold. "The medal was established on January 30, 1938, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hitler becoming chancellor of Germany. The medal was awarded to civilians in civil service and the labor service. There were variations of the medal that were also awarded to police," Schneid added.

The professor also shed light on how such a medal could have ended up buried in Norway. He said that during World War II, Finland and Germany were military allies, and German forces, including the 20th Mountain Army and its 6th Mountain Division, operated in the Arctic regions of Norway and Finland.

"German forces operated on this front until spring 1945. In addition to the German 20th Mountain Army, the German navy operated in the Arctic Circle, attempting to interdict Allied shipping from Great Britain and the United States that made the 'Murmansk Run,' bringing desperately needed war material to the Soviet port of Murmansk," Schneid said.

The Reddit post has generated significant discussion among users, with many speculating on the medal's origins and the reasons behind its burial.

Some suggested it may have been hidden because of the dangerous associations with Nazi Germany after the war.

One user commented: "This has a good chance of being real. A lot of medals and equipment were buried by people after the war as they didn't want anyone to know they were associated with the Germans."

Other users shared similar sentiments, with one speculating the medal could be part of an effort to hide ancestral ties: "I'm assuming someone was burying ancestral evidence."

Another commenter wrote, "I wonder if it was buried to honor a parent who passed," while another added, "Possibly a Finnish war medal?"

Others remarked on the medal's impressive condition. "Great find," one user wrote, adding, "The enamel looks to be perfect, even in plastic this must have been buried in low oxygen soil or that ribbon would have been toast."

"Amazing condition this is in," another user added, while one commented, "Pretty cool find."

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.

Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022, including interviews with chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of the Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations.

Soo is also a South Korea expert, from the latest K-dramas including Squid Game, Korean films and K-pop news to interviews with the biggest Korean actors. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu.

Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism.

Languages spoken: English and Korean.

Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.

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