Shrapnel

[klokhoane]

i've never seen information about that subject. I don't think the Germans wanted to know how much metal came down from above
The pieces that i've found where thick, damaged by a great force and where kinda reddish. (cupper?)
In the area where i found the shrapnel there was a FLAK.

cheers,

[hassiman]

I knew a B-24 navigator for the 422nd who was working at his station while getting near the IP for the drop. He dropped his pencil... walked over to get it... heard a crash... looked behind hime where he should have been standing and there was an 8.8cm hole in the floor of the aircraft and his stool and a corresponding 8.8cm hole in the aircrafts roof.
ZeitZunder 30 was too long... or it was a dud.

[Matt L]

I've wondered the same thing about ground casualties- given the size of some fragments, even just those fuze bits, they'd certainly have enough energy even below terminal velocity to kill a person. I'd think it likely that only the most essential personnel would be outside during a raid though, and surely all the bits would hit the ground by the time the all-clear was sounded so there wouldn't be as much danger as it might seem. I would wonder too about the damage to roofs- surely that was something significant...

Wow- that guy's lucky; bet he kept that pencil for a long time LOL I can only imagine what a shock something like that would cause...