ssh 40 relics

[battle gear]

battlefield relics look great on display, I dont have any ground dug pieces yet

they would look nice with other items in the same condition like old canteens, mess kits, ordnance, etc

[James C]

Yeah, they are not expensive and I could buy one - I just prefer finding it myself

There is a certain satisfaction in looking at a lid or other relic and know you found it yourself.

My first ever finds were these two Shturmovik shells in perfect condition and found next to each other not too deep. Im quite happy with those.



Ive found several lids, but all were too far gone.

scout can i ask about the ssh in the last picture ,was this a complete shell ? it looks fairly good condition ,i think it would be a good idea to get a relic section going over here on the soviet forum ,like on the german forum ,but im unsure how to go about getting the ball rolling as it were

[Scout]

scout can i ask about the ssh in the last picture ,was this a complete shell ? it looks fairly good condition ,i think it would be a good idea to get a relic section going over here on the soviet forum ,like on the german forum ,but im unsure how to go about getting the ball rolling as it were

Sure, you can ask

The helmet was just the metal shell - no inner bits IIRC.

It might look in fairly good condition, but if you look closer, you'll notice, that the edge/rim is wafer thin and uneven, as its rusted through. It was like that all the way around.

[James C]

thanks scout ,so the shell was wafer thin in places ,did you keep this one for your collection

[Scout]

thanks scout ,so the shell was wafer thin in places ,did you keep this one for your collection

Nope, I didnt. Too far gone.
IIRC my buddy brought another one back and that one was in better condition.
I did find this good condition Mosin Nagant bayonet:

This I didnt bring home:

Not this:

[James C]

scout this is so facinating ,can i ask as ive always wondered ,is there a real risk to diggers looking for relics and a possibility of injury or worse from finding live grenades and ordnance, and is there a health and safety protocol at all ,regards james

[Scout]

scout this is so facinating ,can i ask as ive always wondered ,is there a real risk to diggers looking for relics and a possibility of injury or worse from finding live grenades and ordnance, and is there a health and safety protocol at all ,regards james

Yes, there is most certainly a real risk of diggers risking injury and worse.
Every year, some manage to blow themselves up.
On the above outing we found wheelbarrows full of ordnance - needless to say we left it all alone.
There is of course a calculated risk by walking such battlefields in themselves, but its even more dangerours to get a hit with the detector and dig for something you dont know what is.
We shoveled up handgrenades and saw many many more grenadres and big Russian mortar rounds everywhere.
I got a hit and carefully removed some grass and dirt. When the sight below meets you, you slowly back away and you of course under no circumstance touch live ordnance if all possible.
This mortar was still intact, but was either a dud or didnt go off, as it was fired into soft ground - this is only the fins showing, below is the rest of a live mortar round, which could easily injure or kill one or two diggers:

I can not stress the importance of NOT touching live ordnance enough. Dont play with it and under no circumstance, think about taking such rounds home or try to defuse them in the field or else where.
All decades old ordnance is potentially unstable and lethal.
These were scattered everywhere - especially in the muddy holes, where trenches or fox holes used to be:

Some holes had previously been visited and it was clear, that diggers who had gone before us, had simply chucked live handgrenades back in the water filled trenches, when they dug one up.
Some places had not been overrun by other diggers than the occasional local and one could still clearly see fox holes with ammo and grenades in a semicircle round the rim of the fox hole.
Ammo, grenades and mortar rounds were littering the area




The 'health and safety protocol' is to back off, stay away and dont mess with anything that goes 'boom' under any circumstance.

[James C]

many thanks for the info scout ,its been something ive wanted to ask a digger for a long time ,so in most cases its down to the individuals common sense ,i dont think previous diggers pilling up ammo in this way can be good practise ,it must make for a bigger explosion ,many thanks for the extra pictures too ,i especially like the mortar round fins one ,live ww2 ordnance still turns up now and again in britain ,but is usually dealt with by specially trained operatives like bomb disposal units ,i doubt if battlefield relics are dealt with in this manner ,can i say ive really enjoyed your input into my thread ,its been a real eye opener ,i would love to go on a dig someday cheers james