Ostfront ring. Unearthed in England.

**mpw** · 05-23-2013, 05:38 PM

Found by a metal detectorist on the outskirts of Colchester. It appears to be of solid silver with the initials K C engraved on the front. Inside the ring is engraved osfront wilna 1943. Wilna was German for the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
There were a few prisoner of war camps around Colchester and towards the end of the war and after prisoners worked the fields. So I'm guessing this is when the ring was lost.

Mark.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 05-23-2013 05:38 PM

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**meyle77** · 05-23-2013, 05:43 PM

Wilna is German for Wilno - Polish name.
Vilnius is Lithuanian name.

**Adam M** · 05-23-2013, 06:14 PM

Interesting find, I have also seen Ostfront medals found in UK fields.

**mpw** · 05-23-2013, 07:01 PM

by meyle77

Wilna is German for Wilno - Polish name.
Vilnius is Lithuanian name.

This is how I translate Wilna, Polish: Wilno, Belarusian: Вiльнюс, Вiльня, German: Wilna, Latvian: Viļņa, Russian: Вильнюс, Yiddish: ווילנע (Vilne), Czech: Vilno.

Thanks, Mark.

**mpw** · 05-24-2013, 03:15 PM

I'm wondering if anyone could help with the design of the ring. KC one would assume is wearers initials but is the design on the side of the ring just that, a period design or is there any other significance. I notice the patern each side is the same but upside down to each other.

Cheers, Mark.

**Glenn66** · 05-24-2013, 04:12 PM

I notice the second 'o' in 'Ostfront' looks more like an 'a'. Is this of any significance I wonder?

**mpw** · 05-24-2013, 05:54 PM

by Glenn66

I notice the second 'o' in 'Ostfront' looks more like an 'a'. Is this of any significance I wonder?

Looking at the way the engraver worked I think it is just a case of using more than one stroke to form the 'o'. Interestingly under magnification it can be seen the same tool was used for outer and inner engraving.

Mark.

**StefanM** · 05-24-2013, 07:08 PM

In September 1943 the remaining 'large' ghetto of Wilna was liquidated, maybe the owner of the ring was part of that "aktion"?

Or maybe for the supression of the failed ghetto uprising on 1 September 1943 organized by the Fareinigte Partizaner Organizacje (the United Partisan Organization)?

Survivors of the FPO fled to the forest, where they joined up with Soviet partisan units. FPO fighters participated in the liberation of Vilna by the Red Army in July 1944.