1914-1915 battlefield relics...

[wingandprop]

I laughed out loud at Big Ned. But F35 just left me curious for more! Were they intact when you found them? How did you remove the fuze? Or did you find the empty shells and mate them to empty fuzes? The reason for my questions is not entirely academic. I would dearly love to find a digger who knows the whereabouts of intact or semi intact aerial bombs. But even if I did, how could they be rendered inert? I am hoping F35 may know the answer (other than whacking at it with a hammer until the fuze falls off!)

[NickW]

I bought mine from a farmer near Verdun – the tale he related to me was that some 20 years ago his father (and others) had been allowed to extend his workable land into an area that had been previously declared sterile due to the bombardments during WW1. The only thing they had been able to get to grow for many years were the pine forests that are now being systematically replaced with native (to France) deciduous trees. His father cut down the pines, but like the other farmers was left with a field of very tough stumps - the answer was a bit of rather dodgy recycling! They opened up certain large shells – The ones where the top section unscrews like F35’s and removed the explosives and also the gain from the fuze, which they used for detonators! and then blew out the stumps.

He had a few empty casings left lying around the farm yard and I picked the best for a princely sum of 10 Euros – he then unscrewed the top to show me it was completely empty and the gain had been removed and I brought it home in two pieces.

I understood from him that his father died of “old age” – albeit somewhat hastened by the hard work of farming on poor soil. He also said that shells are no longer used in this way as the authorities are much keener on taking them away today and there are few people prepared to open them!

[f35jsf]

Hi guys.

First of all: I do not emptied those shells!!! I'm not suicide.
I'll say again: take a look on page 4, there you will see these "cups"(shells) immediately after digging. Just "cups", without fuzes, explosive, and lead balls.
Fuze (M8) to 8cm M5 gun I got from a friend, top shell with M12a fuze to 15cm M99, M14 howitzer I found separately in the swamp.
I cleaned whole things with electrolysis and screwed together.
This is my story. Scary?? No! Danger?? A little, becouse 15cm shell weighs 16 kilos - when you drop it on your foot...

Is everything clear now??


Pozdrawiam.
Paul.

[Lyngen]

hi jarok34 , nice to see onther WW1 enthusiast

check this out mate, it may interest you.

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/battl...nt-line-62970/

lyngen

[NickW]

Is everything clear now?? Pozdrawiam. Paul.

Thanks Paul - yes everything is totally clear now - sorry if you took my comments the wrong way - they were not intended to imply you had taken risks, I assumed you were experienced and knew what you were doing - Well done matching the pieces - The results look superb.

Like the 20mm Hispano in my photo -The only way it could hurt anyone now is if that fell on your foot

[jarok34]

Last finds, and A-H canteens, m1888, m1915 and m1909

[f35jsf]

[jarok34]

810 near B.

[Zeller]

good finds jarok !

[Dimas]

Nice dig there guys, the land of the buckles and equipment. Looks like the belts with all the equipment added to it ( as a bayonets, canteens, showels and tents) was just throwed away by it's owners.
Note. The dog tags in the both Russian and Austro-Hungarian was identical.
I'am wondering about the conditions of the papers inside