This spot in Ryki County was likely used as a campsite for the Polish Army's cavalry regiments during the September Campaign of 1939, which unfolded just as the war began.
Historical and Exploration Association “Nadwiślańskie Urzecze”This sabre was one of the last Polish weapons of its kind to be used during World War II.
In early May, a group of metal detectorists set out to explore the woods in Ryki County, Poland. Though the area had been searched before, the group hoped to uncover more lost treasures — and they succeeded. By the end of their search, the metal detectorists had found a number of objects from World War II, including an intact cavalry sabre.
They also found a number of much older artifacts, suggesting that this site had been used as a way station for centuries before the war even began.
The Discovery Of A Polish Cavalry Sabre From World War II
According to Zwiadowca Historii — a Polish news outlet that focuses on metal detecting, historical exploration, and artifacts from World War II — the Polish sabre was found by the Historical and Exploration Association “Nadwiślańskie Urzecze” over May Day weekend. The group had set out to retrace the steps of Brigadier General Franciszek Kleeberg, a Polish war hero who fiercely defended the country during the 1939 Invasion of Poland.
As they scoured the woods in Ryki County, the group quickly made a number of exciting finds from World War II. The most spectacular of the finds was the sabre, rusted but in good condition, which has been identified as a cavalry saber type 34, known as a “Ludwikówka.”
The sabre is all the more remarkable because it’s one of the last Polish combat sabres ever used, dating to September 1939, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, triggering the start of World War II.
Historical and Exploration Association “Nadwiślańskie Urzecze”Robert Keler, the metal detectorist who found the World War II sabre.
And while the sabre is certainly an exciting find, it’s just one of the many artifacts that the metal detectorists uncovered.
Buttons, Dog Tags, And Centuries-Old Coins: The Other Finds Made In Ryki County
In addition to the World War II sabre, the metal detectorists found a number of other objects from World War II. These include an eagle emblem from a military forage cap, what appears to be a “Perkun” bayonet, a fragment of a dog tag, and a handful of military buttons.
Historical and Exploration Association “Nadwiślańskie Urzecze”The rusted remains of what appears to be a “Perkan” bayonet.
The metal detectorists also found objects that predate World War II. They uncovered a number of coins from Riga, as well as a collection of “Tsarist teardrops,” silver wire coins that date to the 14th and 15th centuries. And the metal detectorists suspect that there are even more artifacts in the area, both from World War II and long before.
“[A]s you can see, it’s yielding results,” said Mariusz Chwedczuk of Nadwiślańskie Urzecze. “[The older finds] suggests a campsite [and] we’ll certainly continue searching for these locations. Yesterday, for example, a spearhead was probably discovered, but we have to wait for the analysis.”
The older artifacts provide a fascinating glimpse into Poland’s distant past, while the World War II artifacts stand as a vivid reminder of one of the darkest days in the country’s history. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, followed a few weeks later by the Soviet Union.
Historical and Exploration Association “Nadwiślańskie Urzecze”The metal detectorists also unearthed half of a Polish dog tag from World War II.
Though Polish forces resisted, they were outnumbered 2:1. German forces occupied the country roughly a month later, plunging the rest of Europe into World War II.
As such, the collection of artifacts found in the woods of Ryki County are a powerful reminder of the dark early days of the war. The sabre, bayonet, dog tags, and buttons hint at the human cost of the conflict, and the fate of the men who once used these objects remains unknown.
After reading about the Polish sabre from World War II that was found by a group of metal detectorists, go inside the incredible story of the Battle of Wizna, when a small Polish unit held off a German force 50 times its size during the 1939 Invasion of Poland. Then, discover the history of the Winged Hussars, Poland’s fierce winged cavalry soldiers.
