On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, beginning the Second World War, an era of blood, destruction and death that left Europe in a state of catastrophe. For on September 1, 2022, a group of treasure hunters hopes to announce the discovery of 10 tons of Nazi gold, heritage of the German occupation in the country.
It is equivalent to about 240 million dollars today.
The Silesian Bridge Foundation received the green light from the Polish authorities to begin a crucial step in the search. The group has been excavating under an 18th-century palace in the town of Minkowskie.
September 1 will be the D-Day of the explorers
“Save the date: September 1! A great date for a great day!” said Roman Furmaniak, a member of the foundation, in a message posted on YouTube. “We are excited to share with you the latest permit required for the final excavation of the deposits,” he said.
According to the organization, the treasure was taken from wealthy German families by order of Heinrich Himmler, head of the fearsome Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel).
Nazi gold would be found in a metal container, buried under a conservatory in the palace. In addition to gold, it would contain jewelry and other valuables. The families handed him over to protect them from the advancing Red Army, near the end of the conflict.
The treasure hunters are based on the journal and map of an SS officer, surnamed Von Stein, which were passed down through generations of the family before reaching them. They also used a radar that points to a buried boat.
“My dear Inge,” the officer wrote to his wife, in an excerpt cited by The Telegraph, “I will fulfill my mission, with the will of God. Some transports were successful. The remaining 48 heavy chests of the Reichsbank and all the family chests I entrust to you. Only you know where they are located. May God help you and help me fulfill my mission.”
It is unknown what the Silesian Bridge Foundation will do if the treasure is found.
Doubts about Nazi gold in Poland
But there are also doubts about him. Guy Walters is a British historian who has been contrary to the expectations of the foundation.
“I see that the ‘Nazi gold’ is being excavated on September 1. I am VERY skeptical. Do I go out to Poland to see the dig and risk the embarrassment of being proven sorely wrong, or cruelly brag about an old junk boat being dug up? Walters on Twitter.
I see the ‘Nazi gold’ is being excavated on September 1st. I am VERY skeptical. Do I go out to Poland to watch the dig, and risk the shame of being proved wrong – or to cruelly crow over a canister of old junk being unearthed? https://t.co/n2I3um8ods
— Guy Walters 🇺🇦 (@guywalters) August 3, 2022
Walter points out his reasons for skepticism about the possible treasure:
- Almost all the Nazi riches were taken to Switzerland and Spain at the end of the war.
- The inconsistencies in the details of the SS officer’s diary. Three different names have been given for the diary’s creator: Von Stein, Egon Ollenhauer, and Michaelis. Regarding the second, he points out that it does not exist in the list of officers in the area towards the end of the war; in the third, it supposedly corresponds to a pseudonym of the second.
- In the case of Von Stein, Walter finds it strange for an SS officer to write to a woman, whether girlfriend or wife, about this.
“If you want to find some Nazi gold,” underlines the historian ironically, on a photo from Switzerland, “Then I recommend you take an ax to the pavement outside almost any bench in this spot below. Happy hunting!”