While it seems like it was a very long time ago, World War II happened not that long ago. It ravaged Europe and caused a lot of transport of both military and personal property across countries, using terrains that would not get you discovered. A lot of lives and property was lost along the way, and there are still remnants being discovered even in remote parts. That is how Marc Dupont, a hiker going on a trek in the Fontainebleau Forest, managed to find a mysterious trunk dating from World War II.
He found it by pure coincidence, lodged in a rock cavity, as if someone had stashed it away in a hurry and was never able to come back and retrieve it, with no indication that anyone had tampered with it since the person had left it, as Mr. Dupont explained in an interview “It was just there, as if someone had wanted to hide it or had simply forgotten about it.” The trunk even had a layer of rust all over it, signifying that it had not been touched or tampered with in a very long time.
When Mr. Dupont pulled it out that is when he noticed the markings and was able to identify it as a World War II military trunk.
The trunk’s fascinating history is still shrouded in mystery
After the find, Mr. Dupont notified the authorities immediately, who combed the are for other discarded items of the time that could be wither useful, classified, or dangerous for the locals, but they found nothing other than the original item, which means that both tourists and locals are probably safe to continue to go there and take advantage of the natural beauty of the forest.
Despite being a find of almost historic proportions, the trunk holds many secrets, as, upon opening it, Mr. Dupont discovered that the interior was sealed. While he probably should not have opened it in the first place, after all it could have contained any number of toxins or toxic materials, not just form the time, but from being outside and semi exposed to the elements for years, he could not resist the urge, as he explained “When I touched the trunk, I immediately felt it had a history. It was palpable.”
The authorities did not waste any time taking possession of the trunk and starting to investigate it, and they determined that it was likely that the trunk contained military equipment possibly dating back to World War II, but the seal in the interior and the reluctance to just break it before we have more information means that we still do not know what type of equipment could be contained inside and in what state it would be after being abandoned for so long.
Jean Moreau, an expert in military artifacts, explained that the trunk and its contents could provide a unique perspective on regional operations during the war. “Each artifact will tell us a part of the story,” the expert explained, and French authorities have promised to continue exploring the area in order to really investigate if any other clues can be ascertained as to who could have left it and why.
Since this will take a lot of time and resources, the public will just have to be patient and wait, not just for the contents of the trunk, but also for the story surrounding it, if they can manage to piece it together. The local community has seen this discovery as quite the exciting event, offering conferences and workshops that have brought many to learn more about the history of the region.