Lukichev Dmitry was digging a cesspool for his outdoor toilet at his summer cottage in Besh-Kungei when his shovel hit something metallic. After removing more dirt he found a box that was buried in the ground, which was an army field locker of the Nazi army during the Second World War. Upon opening it revealed an assortment of things that were meant to be received by an officer of the Third Reich.

Assorted contents of the box include a box of cigars, two bottles of rum, a bill, toiletry, a cap and a winter hat among other things.

The contents were probably the personal belongings of the officer it was addressed to. It also contained a grey case of glasses with Masten-Brille inscribed on it. The glasses were worn under a gas mask during the time of war and had elastic strips to be fasted to the ears for easy wear inside.

There were also a clothes brush, dust masks, gloves, sweater, removable collars, socks and braces. A packet of spare fabric and leather for repairs was secured using a twine. There were some granules as well that could have been moth balls.

At the bottom, the box contained the Wehrmacht officer’s jacket good as new.  

The unified armed forces of Nazi Germany, Wehrmacht, which existed between 1935 and 1946, consisted of the land army, navy and air force. During the period between 1919 and 1935 the force was called Reichswehr after which it was renamed as Wehrmacht. The force was created in an effort to improve and increase the defenses of Nazi Germany to a level greater than what was permitted by the Treaty of Versailles.

The jacket found by Lukichev Dmitry was adorned with the usual military embellishments of the uniform worn by officers of that rank. There was also a badge with the words H. St. V Insterburg 14 written on it along with a spare sew-able eagle and swastika emblem of the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

According to the ranks embellished on the shoulder strap of the jacket the package might have belonged to an officer of Financial Service of the Third Reich with a rank higher than field officer.

After the war was over the resources of Germany began to deplete forcing many to take up fighting. Including teenagers who were part of Hitler Youth, an organization formed in 1922 as the youth wing of the Nazi Party, as well as officials were among the many that had joined.

During that time the Geneva Convention allowed many prisoners of war to send and receive parcels as part of humanitarian treatment during and after war. At the time of war and after its end many soldiers also sent home canned food to alleviate starvation.

However, it was a dangerous thing to send an entire uniform of a German officer to the Soviet Union when the war was over. So either this particular package was probably received a little too late for the officer to use its contents before going into the field, or it was mistaken for a harmless package by the soldier who sent it. When it was received, in a moment of embarrassment or some other reason, the addressee seemed to have disposed it off by burying it in the ground.

[sources: 1, 2, 3, 4]