German wristwatch? (relic)

[LeonardoL]

Your right Dtvpking,it should have ,probably the worst thing of collecting militaria now a days,I can understand digging around battlefields,I would do the same if I were in mainland Europe or Russia,,but if I came across a body from either side I would leave well alone,but a lot of the "diggers" target the graves disgraceful,they were all some ones son,and deserve to be left with their comrades

These people are digging with the goal to find the fallen. All of them from the hole were reburried in the local military cementary. They are not taking anything except the soldiers (and dog tags). All the stuff they had is just left behind. I also have 2 woundbadges, a lighter and a few items from the hole.

[Paul D]

Guys the morality etc of " digging " for the remains of the fallen has been discussed many times before in the Archaeology section and we have many respectable and properly authorised diggers who post on this forum so the morality of it does not need to be discussed again!

That said as a Digger myself in this case i must say that the " throwing " away of such a personal item as a wristwatch would certainly not be something that any of the guys i know would do or countenance being done , this should have gone with the remains for reburial or kept as a mark of respect etc or in case any relatives are traced , to throw it away such a personal item is reprehensible

[Wagriff]

I have heard the stories of diggers discovering the gravesites of German soldiers and taking the dog-tags to sell, discarding the soldier's remains leaving him unidentified forever...The collecting of Erkennungsmarken has obviously always been a part of the hobby, BUT has only gotten this big since the opening of Eastern Europe, where most of these come from...
just my 2 cents...
cheers, Glenn

I agree, Glenn. Of all the things I've collected over the years, I've never owned a single dog tag. Unless the tag came from the veteran's estate, you'll always wonder about it, and how many Do? I have to admit, Especially when I see Half tags being offered, the 1st thing I always wonder is "From a body?". True, the general understanding is that many soldiers threw away their tags when they surrendered, but how is a person to ever know the true difference? I've collected some really hairy pieces at one time or another, but Tags have always given me pause. Some people specialize in them-their collections contains hundreds or more of them and all good luck to them, but...not for me.