A treasure hunter in the Netherlands found the remains of a Nazi German soldier who fought in World War II, Newsweek reported.
The hunter stumbled upon the soldier’s body in the Dutch municipality of Best while combing through the fields nearby with a metal detector, according to the outlet.
The area where the body was found is reportedly close to a place between Best and Eindhoven, where U.S. forces landed during World War II. The location was the site of heavy fighting during the war, the outlet reported. (RELATED: K-Pop Star Faces Backlash After Posting Pictures With Nazi Mannequin)
The detectorist found the body inside an old foxhole along with ammunition and an identification tag. The findings were the first body and military equipment from the conflict found in the area.
An investigation into the dead German trooper’s body revealed that the soldier died in combat during the 1944 Operation Market Garden.
Here is the After Action Report map of the first the first 48 hours of #MarketGarden76 (D-Day and D+1). At the top you’ll find the rail bridge we mentioned in this morning’s thread. To the right of that is the road bridge. pic.twitter.com/mfGL62VQNA
— XVIII Airborne Corps (@18airbornecorps) September 18, 2020
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful airborne operation by the Allies to capture the River Rhine crossings in the Netherlands and then enter northern Nazi Germany, according to the National Army Museum.
The Royal Netherlands Army’s Salvage and Identification Service is investigating the treasure hunter’s discovery, Newsweek reported. The soldier’s identity has not yet been announced, according to the outlet.
The Nazi soldier will be buried at the German Military Cemetery in Ysselsteyn, Limburg, in the Netherlands once the investigation is concluded, Newsweek reported.