Confusing Dig Find

[bigmacglenn]

That last photo appears to be a dug-in static flamethrower...
cheers, Glenn

[francis]

Hi Glenn. Thanks for that. I originally found this a year ago but only excavated it a little as it was hard going (and to be honest it obviously was not something I was about to add to my collection) and I was often thinking ever since 'I wonder if its a kind of flamethrower'. My curiosity got the better of me and I dug a little deeper to expose a curved steel surface leading me to guess it is a huge storage tank underneath. With no other bits/mechanisms on or around it I was wondering if it was just water or fuel storage. Really excited by your suggestion/confirmation along the same (flamethrower) lines. There was a lot of electrical wire loosely wrapped around the screw cap with the handles welded on, although all the insulation had long disappeared. Maybe I will investigate more next time I am in the area. Will keep you posted if anything interesting comes up from this. Thanks again. Kind regards, Francis.

[bigmacglenn]

Look here, Francis...Abwehrflammenwerfer 42...or a version thereof...that's what you've got there, lol...
cheers, Glenn

[francis]

HOLLY SHIT! (am I allowed to swear?) I Cant believe it. Must head back and excavate. Thank you so much for that picture. :-) you're a star!!!

[bigmacglenn]

I wouldn't be quite so hasty in digging that thing out, Francis...These were often Booby-Trapped to prevent them from being dug-out or turned around, lol...If you do decide to dig it out anyway, then dig a wide area around it first so you can get a good luck at the whole thing and make sure there isn't a wired grenade or anything else attached to it....
cheers, Glenn

[francis]

Thank you for the warnings. So basically, if I exhume it successfully, I even get the (hopefully) unexploded booby traps too, lol Looking at getting over asap to investigate further. Will keep you informed. Thanks again, I'm sooo excited by this. :-)

[AZPhil]

That is an fantastic find, Looks like that will be a exciting or should I say anal puckering excavation.
Great job IDing that Glenn

Semper Fi
Phil

[GeneralPutnam]

Be careful. I would much rather have pics of half uncovered items then news of you being blown up.
You are more brave then I in this department.

Gen P

[Wagriff]

Hello Francis, I, too, would Strongly recommend extreme caution, as the others have said, when excavating such a device. They were, indeed, quite often booby-trapped, and even if not, at this late date, they could still contain enough dangerous materials that have corroded into instability that they could very much ruin your day-big time. As for your question in post #10, I have seen and handled countless exploded shell casings, and have never encountered one with a blown out primer.

[big ned]

It's been an enjoyable if short time that you have been here with us Francis.........Goodbye.













P.S. What size shoes do you take???