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Hurtgen Forest Finds

Article about: I found these items a while back and need help with the round rusty item. It is approx 125mm (4") wide & 25mm (1") thick with a 10mm hole in the middle... Any ideas? Cheers Dan

  1. #1

    Default Hurtgen Forest Finds

    I found these items a while back and need help with the round rusty item. It is approx 125mm (4") wide & 25mm (1") thick with a 10mm hole in the middle... Any ideas?
    Cheers
    Dan
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Hurtgen Forest Finds   Hurtgen Forest Finds  

    Hurtgen Forest Finds   Hurtgen Forest Finds  

    Hurtgen Forest Finds  

  2. #2
    ?

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    It is the bottom of an artillery shell.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Quote by Bart View Post
    It is the bottom of an artillery shell.
    Its what I thought but why has it got a perfect hole through the middle & made in 2 pieces?
    Cheers
    Dan

  4. #4

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Dan

    I have the bottom half of a 75mm AP shell recovered from a gunnery range. That too has a hole in the base, bang in the middle. Bart may well be right, although, at 4 inches in diameter, that's one heck of an artillery piece ! It may well just be a piece of relatively modern junk unfortunately.

    The piece top right looks to me like part of a hasp off an ammo crate. I have found very similar pieces behind old ammo dumps on WW2 airbases.

    Hope this helps

    Steve T

  5. #5
    ?

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Quote by bikerboyzx6r View Post
    Its what I thought but why has it got a perfect hole through the middle & made in 2 pieces?
    Cheers
    Dan
    A lot of shells have this hole, for example a lot of AT guns have a tracer unit in such a hole. I however doubt that this was a AT shell for it's size. Some artillery pieces had a spare detonator in the back. Seeing that it is pretty dishaped I can only say that this must have been very near to some sort of explosion since it is 25mm thick steel. I don't know why they made it a two piece part but I found lots of these and a lot of them (especially the german ones) have this. Maybe for better sealment? I don't know.

    @Steve T: It would have been heavy artillery indeed but do not underestimate the use of heavy artillery especially not in the Hürtgen Forest.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Indeed Bart, these base's were everywher we digged in the forest but at 2kg each, I could only get one back with me

    The catch Steve, was attached to a longer piece of metal sticking out of the ground at the side on a Pill box... The big piece was too big to pull out so I assumed it was part of the Pillbox? Vent hatch catch or Door catch?

  7. #7

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Oh right......in which case yes. Probably a steel door or shutter 'stay' to keep the thing open.



    Bart - Indeed, the Hurtgen was one of those battles where everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink was filled with explosive and chucked about. 4 or 5 inch artillery pieces must have packed one hell of a wallop, let alone the big German mortars and railway guns !

    Steve T

  8. #8

    Default Re: Hurtgen Forest Finds

    Just measured it properly.... its 124mm wide (5") & 25mm Thick (1") a might shell that would have been!

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