Tellermines found in Jersey

[JERSEY 34]

Living on the Island of Jersey which was Occupied for 5 years by the German armed forces it is not all that unusual to have the odd piece of ordnance turn up every now and again. I help our local Bomb Disposal Man when items are found and today he asked me for a hand. The Germans laid 57,000 mines on the Island which is only 9 miles by 5, so there were minefields everywhere. Todays find comprised of 9 tellermines all in a pile buried about 18 inches down in the sand on the beach. They had been found by metal detectorists. They must have been dumped after the war, after a quick inspection we could see they had detonators in place and it was decided to blow them in groups of 3's. The tide was rising quickly and the job had to be done straight away. They were disposed of quickly, safely and without too much fuss being caused. I managed to retrieve a number of bits of shrapnel and on inspection I found 2 three letter codes and a date. btc, Honsel Werke A.G. Meschede, and bdn 1943, Tummler, Robert, Dobeln/Sachsen.
Over the years many S mines have turned up but only 1 tellermine had been done by our Bomb disposal man before..... so 9 has just increased his tally somewhat.
Hope you like the pictures.
All the best from Jersey.
D.

[harryamb2]

glad some bits survived.

[hangarman]

Now that's serious corrosion removal.......

[Larry C]

What is the detonation weight on these tellermines..or should say..how much weight was applied before setting them off? I believe these were meant for heavy vehicles to run over. Regards Larry

[Scout]

Good pics.

[Wagriff]

Over 70 years later and they're Still coming up with German ordnance in Jersey! All the guns, mines, fortifications and preparations...and they never fired a shot in the end anyway. Is it the same on Guernsey?

[Glenn66]

Any shots of the 'KABOOM' moment?

[JERSEY 34]

Hi,
The pull or pressure required to detonate one of these monsters would vary between 250 to 400lb. So more than your average soldier but just right for a vehicle. They contained 12lb of tnt and the mines total weight was 21lb.
And to answer Wagriff's question, yes its pretty much the same in Guernsey. Obviously with the recent bad weather we have had ordnance has turned up on the beach but there are also finds in land. Not that long ago a number of stock mined rolled out of a collapsed bank onto a pathway. These were in almost perfect condition with the exterior paintwork in remarkable condition.
It always a problem getting the finders to call it in rather than taking it home and "trying to clean it up". The best thing is call the authoritied and have it dealt with properly.
All the best,
D

[JERSEY 34]

This is the only shot of the detonation..... or just after it. The camera was slower than me on this occasion. I pressed on the command to fire and the camera took a second too long to take the snap. Well thats my excuse anyway.
D

[Panzer 3]

Hi,
great pics and a good find to, glad they are gone good bit of detecting.
dave,