Could it be…

shall87 · 11 January 2025, 03:19 PM

In “Mother of Eagles”, the English edition of Kunigunde von Richthofen’s war diary, she shares an excerpt from a letter from Manfred in the early days of the war sent from the Eastern front. Of the Russians, Manfred tells her that if the Russians ever advance on their home “bury anything you want to see again”. This of course alludes to the common practice of looting that he would have observed on the Eastern front.

Where am I going with this?

Well, I was thinking….could it be possible that she actually did take his advice years later when she had to leave her home due to the Russian advance? Is it crazy to think that Manfred’s things could be buried on the property in what is now Swidnica, Poland?
Is this why none of the items from the museum have ever turned up? Maybe she took this secret to the grave with her.

RobinDeGae · 11 January 2025, 08:05 PM

But many of his items have surfaced over the years (including his little silver cups). I've seen some items for sale on auction sites, and there are people who claim to have many of the items.

Contrary to popular belief, Richthofen's family knew for several weeks that the Russians were on their way, so the family had ample time to make some kind of arrangements for the items.

VtwinVince · 12 January 2025, 08:59 AM

Anything is possible. In my family's case, my grandfather evacuated his immediate family out of East Prussia and stayed behind to defend the province. He sent a lot of material by post to relatives in Saxony, as the mail system functioned right up to the end. But he still wound up burying a lot of silverware and valuables from the family estate and other relatives, most of which I would assume has been found by Russian treasure hunters. I corresponded with one such individual who actually found the remains of my family's estate and tried to find buried treasure there.

shall87 · 12 January 2025, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VtwinVince

Anything is possible. In my family's case, my grandfather evacuated his immediate family out of East Prussia and stayed behind to defend the province. He sent a lot of material by post to relatives in Saxony, as the mail system functioned right up to the end. But he still wound up burying a lot of silverware and valuables from the family estate and other relatives, most of which I would assume has been found by Russian treasure hunters. I corresponded with one such individual who actually found the remains of my family's estate and tried to find buried treasure there.

Wow that is cool! I’m so glad you were able to get in touch with that person. Was that person able to find any of the items your family buried? Where did your family end up after the evacuation? And thank you for sharing this!

Kanzler · 13 January 2025, 02:58 AM

A daughter of Ilse once stated that they fled Schweidnitz on foot, with just a backpack (they were promised a soon return, once the "Wunderwaffen" came to full effect!).
So, I kinda doubt they were digging holes to bury stuff. Besides, can you imagine how big this hole would have to be to bury everything from the MvR museum?
As far as I know, all of those things that "surfaced" by now it is not proven if they are the "real thing" or just fake things.
My guess: It sits in boxes somewhere in a big storage facility in St. Peterburg or Moscow... If it was just looted by Red Army troops more things would have surfaced...
Yes, I know many people buried the treasures they could not carry. My dad did the same when they were finally evacuated with the Red Army being a few kilometers from his hometown. It was a bitter winter, and digging a hole was virtually impossible in the solid frozen ground.

VtwinVince · 13 January 2025, 08:58 AM

There are exceptions to every plausible theory. For instance, during landscaping of a Schloss in Mecklenburg recently, a hoard of silver from the Ducal House was uncovered which had indeed been buried in 1945. Regarding my family estate, Schloss Metgethen in Koenigsberg, I don't believe the treasure hunters found much, other than some old bottles and ephemera. My grandfather was very astute, and made immediate arrangements to evacuate his family after the Nemmersdorf Massacre in October, 1944. He spent six months as a prisoner of the Soviets, and by a number of miracles, survived to be reunited with his family in the western zone. They then emigrated to Canada in 1952\53, as it was apparent that they were going to become permanent refugees and they did not feel welcome in western Germany.