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Ferret
    
location:
Toronto
 |  | WW2 Bunker Hazards
< on 2/26/2004 3:41 PM >
|  | | | I can't remember where I saw them, but I remember seeing a picture of odd-looking wooden boxes from a WW2 bunker on one of our Finnish explorers sites. Imagine my surprise when I find pictures of similar boxes
along with the description that these are old anti-personel mines!
Be careful out there!
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El_Gordo_Uno
 
location:
Wenatchee, Washington
Gender: Male
This post brought to you by Allan Smithee
| |  |  |  | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 1 on 2/26/2004 4:27 PM >
| | | | Wow. I wish you could remember the site.
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges |
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Kimmo
Noble Donor
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 2 on 2/26/2004 5:13 PM >
| | | | Posted by Ferret
I can't remember where I saw them, but I remember seeing a picture of odd-looking wooden boxes from a WW2 bunker on one of our Finnish explorers sites. Imagine my surprise when I find pictures of similar boxes
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You're talking about my exploration in Osmussaar, Estonia.
My discovery did look a bit like those in your picture, although I couldn't see the wooden parts on those "things" anymore. Although they were so rusty, that perhaps the wood had rotten away years ago.
However, I got some clarification to the things I found from the island. They seemed to be charge boosters?, that were put into the artillery guns, along with the ammunition to increase the range. I don't remember if it was somebody on this forum or in some other place, where this idea came up?
But I haven't changed the picture description, because no one hasn't been able to give a 100% explantion to those rusty things.
And the picture we're talking about, first and second picture on this page:
http://www.silentwall.com/OsmussaarIII.html
[last edit 2/26/2004 5:14 PM by Kimmo - edited 1 times]
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El_Gordo_Uno
location:
Wenatchee, Washington
Gender: Male
This post brought to you by Allan Smithee
| | | | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 3 on 2/27/2004 5:39 AM >
| | | | Amazing stuff! If only there were sites like that in the U.S. That complete I mean.
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges |
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Uncle Goose
location:
Ghent, Belgium
Gender: Male
The Goose knows best.
| | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 4 on 2/27/2004 8:18 AM >
| | | | There boxes are indeed mines, the Germans made them because they were cheap and used little metal parts (due the shortage of materials this was an excellent idea). The wooden boxes are quite rare nowadays because most are rotten away. The Glass-mine is the other type of mine they often used and is a more common type which can be found in excellent condition.
A 1000 days of sorrow can disapear in a split second, it takes only one person to make it happen. |
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El_Gordo_Uno
location:
Wenatchee, Washington
Gender: Male
This post brought to you by Allan Smithee
| | | | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 5 on 2/27/2004 8:56 AM >
| | | | It wasn't due so much to shortage as it were to less chance of a non-metal mine being detected by a metal detector.
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges |
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Uncle Goose
location:
Ghent, Belgium
Gender: Male
The Goose knows best.
| | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 6 on 2/27/2004 9:04 AM >
| | | | Posted by El_Gordo_Uno
It wasn't due so much to shortage as it were to less chance of a non-metal mine being detected by a metal detector.
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yeah, but they made them like this for several purposes. They were harder to detect, easier to make, the weight was less and they saved important materials.
A 1000 days of sorrow can disapear in a split second, it takes only one person to make it happen. |
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Ferret
location:
Toronto
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 7 on 2/27/2004 6:07 PM >
| | | | Kimmo:
I remember your exploration, and thought those boxes you photographed looked like large batteries, not mines. Now that I'm thinking about it, it may have been Polish or Latvian site. The picture I'm thinking of had about a dozen or so boxes like those above stacked in the back of a dark bunker. Just something to keep in mind when exploring battlefield relics.
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Kimmo
Noble Donor
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 8 on 2/27/2004 6:50 PM >
| | | | Posted by Ferret
Just something to keep in mind when exploring battlefield relics.
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Generally speaking, when in continental Europe, in every old abandoned building you should be very careful when moving things. Every house can contain old explosives from WWII.
Almost weekly there's news how someone has found a granade from the attic. Just yesterday there was a news, how a group of children found an old wartime grenade from an old barn, where children have been playing years.
Few months ago, people were cleaning an attic in Helsinki and they discovered an old AA-grenade. The list in endless...
In eastern Germany, during a hot summer time, the Seelow heights area has explosions, because the old explosives are still there. Not safe to wander around there.
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Snarg
Gender: Male
| | | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 9 on 2/29/2004 11:46 PM >
| | | | The boxes pictured on the first post are wooden. The boxes pictured here (http://www.silentwall.com/OsmussaarIII.html) are metal. I don't think the two are the same...
Mean people suck.
Nice people swallow. |
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BigPoppaMikey
This user has been banned. See the banlist page for more details.
location:
Milpitas, California
Gender: Male
Don't follow me unless you want to...
| |  |  | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 10 on 3/2/2004 5:10 PM >
| | | | I understand that most, all, of these posts are from Europe. And I understand that there is a lot more munitions lying around there. Stating that, I want to say that I am from California in the US. Here, we have MANY bunkers and facilities left over from WWII and the Cold War. Most, if not all, of these places are accessble if you take the time and have the cajones... The ones you have to watch out for are the ones that are on former military bases that were used for basic training of miltary, i.e.: Fort Ord in Monterey, California. In the hills there, there are numerous places to UE and every week, ordanance is found. Considering that California has never 'been' at war, where does it come from?
From my experience (I am a former US Army specialist), a lot of time, troops would carry a full load with live munitions. After 3 hours of carrying around extra ammo and explosives, you tend to 'lose' some of this extra weight. Which means you toss it into the bushes. Sure, your sergeant gets mad at you and you may get into trouble, but you no longer have this extra weight.
So, no matter what the time frame of the area, be careful when you UE'ing in any former military area. In the Bay Area (California, San Francisco/Oakland), there are numerous such sites. Some cities have found munitions while doing routine maintenance in the middle of the city (pipelines, sewers, etc.).
ALWAYS treat munitions as if they are live and unless you are a EOD specialist, leave the stuff alone and contact your local authorities.
Wishing I was Jack Dalton just to have all the cool leftovers... |
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null_recipe
location:
Portland, Oregon
Gender: Male
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 11 on 5/4/2004 12:52 AM >
|  | | | Agreed. While on any former Army test range, don't touch any shells or projectiles. In Norfolk, Va. they still find Civil War era bomb shells that are capable of exploding even after all of those years.
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Ferret
location:
Toronto
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 12 on 5/10/2004 4:09 PM >
| | | | Speaking of unexploded ordnance, any you find on a battlefield can be dangerous, regardless of the age. Every year, 20 or so farmers in France are killed by hitting things like this WW1 relic:
http://www.uer.ca/locations/viewgal.asp?picid=38453
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sys104
location:
Austria
Gender: Male
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 13 on 5/11/2004 12:00 PM >
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This WWI hand grenade was found in the Verdun area. But suprisingly, there is no defuse team deployment planned, according to locals. Why? they could run around for years only in the Verdun area and just not find all explosives.
This devils egg was only spray painted orange by forest workers, so that no one accidentally stepped on the damn thing.
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sys104
location:
Austria
Gender: Male
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 14 on 5/11/2004 12:49 PM >
| | | | btw a really dangerous place in this context can be the Ukraine and other places in eastern europe where big WWII German vs. Russians battles took place. Military leftovers are there common and you have to watch your steps while taking a walk in the nature there because noone cares to dispose them properly.
Need a german Panther Tank? Just look at the local wasteyard...
[last edit 5/11/2004 12:53 PM by sys104 - edited 1 times]
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Kimmo
Noble Donor
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 15 on 5/11/2004 1:45 PM >
| | | | Isn't that Panther tank picture from the site: WWII Battlefield Relics?
That group tours around Europe in search for WWII items. Among that Panther tank, they discovered a German tank standing in an Estonian field, not far away from the main road, 88mm Flak standing also in the scrap yard in Finland if I remember correctly.
Anyways, great discoveries and that group is a professional group, but I don't like those one who dig up everything and then sell every item they found...including dog tags.
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sys104
location:
Austria
Gender: Male
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 16 on 5/11/2004 3:10 PM >
| | | | Obviously, the pictures above were not taken by me. I even couln`t remember the website where I saved this pics a time ago, so thanks for the hint Kimmo. You are perfectly right with the 8.8 flak, I got this pic stored too.
Posted by Kimmo
[...]but I don't like those one who dig up everything and then sell every item they found...including dog tags.
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I dont like them eiter, but its seems like you can make a lot of money with such activities. WWII relict, especially in the Usa, gain high prices. It seems that, especially in the Ukraine and White Russia, there are a lot of people who run a living by excavating all kinds of WWII stuff.
[last edit 5/11/2004 3:12 PM by sys104 - edited 2 times]
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Uncle Goose
location:
Ghent, Belgium
Gender: Male
The Goose knows best.
| | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 17 on 5/11/2004 3:57 PM >
| | | | Posted by sys104
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That big thing in the upperleft corner is a Panzerfaust!! Nice thing.
I'm a gasmaskcollector myself and visit militaria events regulary and things that are rusted to hell are not gaining high prices. Nowadays most collectors want A+ preserverd stuff and not something that nearly falls apart. There are only a few exeptions on this rule.
Russia is really a paradise to find ww2 stuff. Just look at that Tiger, is there anything more beautifull than a Tiger Tank??
BTW, be glad that some people collect stuff like this. At least it's preserved for future generations and since the interest for ww2 stuff is declining for years in a row it's becomming a problem to find young collectors like myself.
A 1000 days of sorrow can disapear in a split second, it takes only one person to make it happen. |
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sys104
location:
Austria
Gender: Male
| | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 18 on 5/12/2004 12:03 AM >
| | | | Posted by Uncle Goose
I'm a gasmaskcollector myself and visit militaria events regulary and things that are rusted to hell are not gaining high prices. Nowadays most collectors want A+ preserverd stuff and not something that nearly falls apart. There are only a few exeptions on this rule. |
Agreed.
Russia is really a paradise to find ww2 stuff. Just look at that Tiger, is there anything more beautifull than a Tiger Tank?? |
Sure, how about a King Tiger Tank :o)
btw this thing is just big ass. I look like a midget next to it , but I am 2 meters tall!
BTW, be glad that some people collect stuff like this. At least it's preserved for future generations and since the interest for ww2 stuff is declining for years in a row it's becomming a problem to find young collectors like myself.
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I agree, i hate "tomb raiders" but I have a certain sympathy for the american "reenactors" and people which are preserving history. Well its legal in the US, if you would do this here in Austria (militaria fan & reenactment stuff) you are a bad nazi...
[last edit 5/12/2004 12:15 AM by sys104 - edited 1 times]
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Uncle Goose
location:
Ghent, Belgium
Gender: Male
The Goose knows best.
| | | Re: WW2 Bunker Hazards
<Reply # 19 on 5/12/2004 10:23 AM >
| | | | I've been already called a neo-nazi several times because I also collect German WW2 gasmasks, that's just the narrowminded view of the people today who know virtually nothing of that periode. Most of them only saw schoolbooks that are very misleading. To give you an example of this:
Many flemish boys enlisted in the Waffen-SS and still they are seen as traitors. However, most people don't know that many of those boys were encouraged (even forced) to join the Waffen-SS by Priests who were affraid that the communists would take over the country and ban their religion.
That's what really happend but you don't find that in the schoolbooks. And if you dare to tell it you are a neo-nazi. Dumb fucks, that's what they all are.
My German masks stand just next to my American and Polish gasmasks, if you have +200 masks you simple see a mask as something that belongs to a country, not to a political idea.
[last edit 5/12/2004 10:24 AM by Uncle Goose - edited 1 times]
A 1000 days of sorrow can disapear in a split second, it takes only one person to make it happen. |
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