I found this interesting. I know they find them a lot still but first one I have heard of that exploded.
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The gift that keeps on giving.
- Thread starter 2ndamendfan
- Start date
That would have been a nasty surprise duri g harvest time.
When I DEROSd from Vietnam, 1970, I had to do damn near 8 months of hard time at Ferris Barracks in Erlangen W. Germany.
During those months there were 2 Rad farmers killed when they hit dud artillery rounds with tractors and implements.
One was by Bamburg and one near Erlangen.
I don't remember which one was which but the investigation confirmed one was an 88mm German round and the other a 105mm US round.
I think it was unusual to have 2 incidents that close together in time but it did happen.
During those months there were 2 Rad farmers killed when they hit dud artillery rounds with tractors and implements.
One was by Bamburg and one near Erlangen.
I don't remember which one was which but the investigation confirmed one was an 88mm German round and the other a 105mm US round.
I think it was unusual to have 2 incidents that close together in time but it did happen.
WWII munitions? And here I thought it was herpes.
Not that unusual. A couple of cold winters followed by particularly warm springs could give you enough frost heave to bring buried stuff up to near the surface. Guessing that both farmers were blown up prepping their fields for planting?
Both of them caught it with the implement right behind an open Mann tractor.
Blew them out of their seats, riddled.
Fucked up the tractors and Equip. beyond repair.
Blew them out of their seats, riddled.
Fucked up the tractors and Equip. beyond repair.
When I was doing a battlefield archaeology trip around Combles, France... the uxo there is measured in tons every year. The tractors all have armor plate under them. And, still, about one farmer gets vaporized every year or so. So often that it rarely makes the news.
Every fall, there are stacks of shells piled road side all around farm country. Including gas shells that, in the sun, can activate. The French gov comes by in trucks and hauls it around for disposal.
I think that the French authorities who are disposing of this ordnance, at current rates, have a backlog of almost 100 years.
There is a lot of it all over Europe. And a lot of it is live. Be thankful you live in a place where farmers don’t vaporize.
Sirhr
Every fall, there are stacks of shells piled road side all around farm country. Including gas shells that, in the sun, can activate. The French gov comes by in trucks and hauls it around for disposal.
I think that the French authorities who are disposing of this ordnance, at current rates, have a backlog of almost 100 years.
There is a lot of it all over Europe. And a lot of it is live. Be thankful you live in a place where farmers don’t vaporize.
Sirhr
<snip>...as much. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/140-yr-old-cannonball-kills-civil-war-fan/
Note to dummies, grinders don't belong anywhere near UXO. They ruin the patina that gets you more money at a Vegas pawn shop anyhow.
Photo I took at Combles in 2016.
Mills No3 Mk 1 Grenade anyone?
In the bunker behind was a box of German Stick grenades in almost new condition. Buried behind a hatch... only found when excavated. Farmer just filled it in after the war.
Those curleycue things on the lower left are barbed wire stakes. Thousands of them... tens of thousands...
Cheers,
Sirhr
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I lived outside Mannheim Germany as a kid in the late 70s and we had free reign of the place. There was a large forested park just outside the base housing that was full of stuff to get into. We used to love to dig around in the sand covered WW2 bunkers that were spread around in the woods. Absolute MIRACLE that none was killed. We found cartridges by the thousands, old mines and the occasional grenade. For whatever reason, we knew better than to try them out... Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
Sirhr, you always post the coolest shit. Thanks for sharing all of it.
hes one of the coolest fuckers on the site thats why. He has cannons, nuff said
