I’m a historian and I know for certain where Nazi gold is hidden

I have always been sceptical about finding Hitler’s buried loot, lost since the Second World War, writes Guy Walters. That was until I discovered a remarkable Nazi treasure map and set off with my spade and pickaxe...

Guy Walters went digging for Nazi gold after a treasure map came to light in the Netherlands (Will Walters)

Ever since the end of the Second World War, there has been a fascination with Nazi gold. Stories abound of billions of pounds’ worth of bullion, treasure, jewels, and hard cash submerged beneath Alpine lakes, or buried deep in eastern European mountain ranges. Sometimes whole railway trains of plunder are said to be hidden, and even modern wonders of the world such as the Amber Room are reputed to be out there somewhere.

The theme of Nazi gold appears in countless books, documentaries, films, and, yes, magazine and newspaper articles. Do a search for “Nazi gold” on YouTube and up will come many hundreds of videos, some of which have been watched millions of times. Similarly, a Google search of news sources reveals a constant drip-drip of pieces about the topic, which are often focused on some determined hunters who are positive, absolutely positive, that they are just a few days and metres away from unearthing a fantastic hoard of Hitler’s loot.

I know firsthand just how popular the subject is, as I am often asked to talk about it on television. My favourite approach came a few years back, from an extremely excited and breathless researcher, who asked me not only if I could be interviewed, but also – most importantly! – did I know where the show might be able to find some Nazi gold that they could unearth on camera? I gently tried to explain to the researcher that if I knew that, then I would not be sharing the location with some television company, and furthermore, I would be speaking to them from my private island in the South Seas, having already dug up the Nazi gold for myself.