Hazardous Relics

[connie]

Wartime relics are not always innocuous. Sometime within the past 10 years I remember reading of an unexploded WWII mine found (and safely detonated) in the protected harbor known as Portland Harbor, south of Weymouth, England & north of the Isle of Portland. The harbor only had two entrances, and during the war one was blocked to cut down on the chances that an enemy sub could slip in. The fact that somehow a mine was placed is frightening. This is the harbor from which the Field Artillery of the 106th Infantry Division sailed when they left England for the continent. The danger this relic of WWII posed until its recent discovery is frightening also. (I'll see if I can find the article on that find and add it if I do)

Found it. There are many links and photos. Apparently this kind of mine was dropped with a parachute. It was discovered and detonated in March of 2010
This link shows mine raised before danger was realized: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/8558726.stm
This link has additional details and also a news clip of the detonation: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/8562935.stm


Michelle (engineercutoff) has sent a photo of a relic found on the continent. She also spoke of hazards. I'll let her explain.

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[engineercutoff44]

I will be posting Hazardous pictures of finds in and around the woods up here,stressing the point that anybody wanting to visit the battlesite should have a competent guide as these relics are getting older and more unstable,It is safe on the trails etc.without a doubt but anybody wanting to get into the real 106th areas will encounter items like this,This Bazooka Rocket was found about 1 year ago in the 422 Inf RGT sector about 100 yards from the trench posted by Connie yesterday...

Note from Connie: Those trench photos in the 422 sector can be found in post # 11 on this thread: 106thdivision.proboards.com/thread/922/photos-germany

[connie]

Bouncing Betty
Here is another photo from Michelle. Beside the trenching shovel is another destructive weapon-- a land mine known as the Schrapnellmine (or S-mine for short) and known to our troops as the Bouncing Betty. It was found on the Schnee Eifel.

A History Channel Clip on YouTube tells about this weapon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfbhcqrKtno

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[floydragsdale]

How well this old Veteran remembers that one, even though I never saw a Bouncing Betsy. Probably every Infantry Soldier feared that land mine far and above all the others.

When stepped on, foot pressure ignited a fuse that shot it out of the ground about waist high. Then it (Bouncing Betsy) exploded, sending deadly shrapnel in every direction.

Another deceptive device the Germans used was two above ground landmines with a trip wire between them. They were made out of concrete with pieces of metal (shrapnel) embedded in them. They were like two cement stakes driven in the ground with a thin wire stretched between both of them.

As a pair they were planted in places where a Soldier was most likely to walk. leg pressure would break the wire and then both mines would explode.

G Company was walking through a minefield during the Bulge Campaign and the man in front of me came within a hairs width of setting a pair of those mines off. His leg was against the trip wire when another man said, “freeze Soldier”. When that word was used, everyone froze in their tracks, at once.

As that Soldier just in front of me stood like a statue another
Man eased him several steps backward.

What a breath taking moment that was. Our entire outfit (Battalion) made it through the minefield that day. I don’t recall if there were any other tense moments similar to that or not. Nevertheless, one was enough.

Floyd,
424th Regiment

[engineercutoff44]

I think you are a mind reader Floyd that is the next picture I will be posting is an inert concrete mine found by a buddy of mine a couple of weeks ago in a creek got washed out after heavy rains up here.

The S Mine was found By yours truly got an assignment from a forester buddy of mine who found one while working in the forest as EOD is so expensive and far away I usually get called as sort of a first Recon team to extract smaller finds and the police collect them then and pass them on to EOD,it is very fulfilling and makes for good pictures too!It is so good using Skills learnt in the Military for the safety and common good!

[connie]

OK. I believe this is the device Floyd and Michelle just described. This photo comes from Michelle. Coming from this person who is uninitiated into explosive device jargon, I have to ask about what is obviously a title for someone dealing with handling these devices. What is an EOD?

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[engineercutoff44]

Sorry about that!EOD stands for Explosives Ordinance Disposal the more or less volunteer job I do for small finds up here like the mine pictured which was no work at all the creek caused the wood stake to rot exposing the explosives which were washed out over the years leaving a cement tube and the detonator which is quickly taken care of the little round ring on the top is where the tripwire is employed some people ask well you can see that 10 miles away on top of the ground!but with the snow bach then you didn't see these at all until spring when the snow thawed...

[seaforth]

Indeed. When you search the former battlefields make sure you've done your homework. Anything not directly reconizable should be left alone.

After years of searching i still have to leave stuff in the ground to look the item up from a photo taken on the spot after a trip to determine if something is a uxo or not. Sometimes the most harmless looking things are parts of igniters containing booster loads or spring spanned primers ready to go off on first touch. It may seem rusty on the outside. Inside its often just as it was 70 years ago.
Worst are the things that contain phosphorus or springloaded igniters.

I find uxo's more often then anything else.

[connie]

Interesting warning... I hadn't considered that innocent looking items could be hazardous...