jgawne
Established Users
Well I am board at work so I am going to waste time and tell the story of my most amazing WW1 relic hunt in Europe. Seeing as how things still go boom, and I have run into chemical shells lying on the ground, AND many places take a dim view of detectors, generally when I go to Europe its just eyeballing on the surface.
One time in the mid-90’s some friends took me to a mountain (yes) in the Vosges Mountains – the southern part of the WW1 line. It was a party of about 6 Frenchmen, a German, and myself. We spent much of the morning getting supplies for lunch. Then up we go. We pass bunkers with German insignias cut into he concrete. We go along a switchback path used to haul supplies up the hill. Scattered here and there are bits of a cablecar system used by the Germans.
We pass small holes in the ground about 1x2 feet wide. They are the remains of dugout entrances. One of our party wiggles into one and comes out with a handful of WW1 wine and champagne bottles. I keep wanting to get off the path but an told to just wait.
Finally, after a darn good climb we come to a trench line. It looks like the guys just up and walked away after 4 years of fighting. The trenches had filled to about 4-5 feet deep. Which is exactly what had happened. They had big wire screens set up on the trenches to prevent grenades being tossed in. You could find German stick grenades lying on the ground where the wood had rotted, but left the head and zinc handle bits lying there. Rusted metal bits everywhere.
So after what felt to me like 10 minutes of looking and poking (probably more like an hour) we had to head back down for lunch. Not really understanding what was up I went back down the damn hillside and had an agonizing 2 hour lunch of fine food. All the time the German and I were baffled as to why we did not just carry some sandwiches up the hill and stay there for more hunting time.
Then, we head off to another place where Americans were put into the line for a few weeks as part of their training. Objective? Find something related to the Yanks to prove they were here. Detectors come out. We find very little but fragments of artillery shells. I find a rusted metal piece of stomach armor used in the 1914 period. It starts raining. The leader wants to try another place. We go to some trenchlines that are still very clear in the soil. Suddenly the cry goes up- (something in French!) A brass spiked helmet plate! And wait! The whisper is – the soldier is still under it- there’s his skull! No, it turns out to be an uncommon spiked helmet made of steel and not leather. But it’s a helmet plate, the remains of the helmet body. The brass spike, the leaver spike cover AND the synthetic fabric regimental numbers that once were sewn on the cover. I forget the number now, but they knew the Regt. and when it had been in that area.
A few minute later they find another helmet plate, but no helmet body. I think the only thing I turned up was some metal bits and some various cartridges. But someday, somday! I will get back up that mountainside and stay for a day (or two!).
One time in the mid-90’s some friends took me to a mountain (yes) in the Vosges Mountains – the southern part of the WW1 line. It was a party of about 6 Frenchmen, a German, and myself. We spent much of the morning getting supplies for lunch. Then up we go. We pass bunkers with German insignias cut into he concrete. We go along a switchback path used to haul supplies up the hill. Scattered here and there are bits of a cablecar system used by the Germans.
We pass small holes in the ground about 1x2 feet wide. They are the remains of dugout entrances. One of our party wiggles into one and comes out with a handful of WW1 wine and champagne bottles. I keep wanting to get off the path but an told to just wait.
Finally, after a darn good climb we come to a trench line. It looks like the guys just up and walked away after 4 years of fighting. The trenches had filled to about 4-5 feet deep. Which is exactly what had happened. They had big wire screens set up on the trenches to prevent grenades being tossed in. You could find German stick grenades lying on the ground where the wood had rotted, but left the head and zinc handle bits lying there. Rusted metal bits everywhere.
So after what felt to me like 10 minutes of looking and poking (probably more like an hour) we had to head back down for lunch. Not really understanding what was up I went back down the damn hillside and had an agonizing 2 hour lunch of fine food. All the time the German and I were baffled as to why we did not just carry some sandwiches up the hill and stay there for more hunting time.
Then, we head off to another place where Americans were put into the line for a few weeks as part of their training. Objective? Find something related to the Yanks to prove they were here. Detectors come out. We find very little but fragments of artillery shells. I find a rusted metal piece of stomach armor used in the 1914 period. It starts raining. The leader wants to try another place. We go to some trenchlines that are still very clear in the soil. Suddenly the cry goes up- (something in French!) A brass spiked helmet plate! And wait! The whisper is – the soldier is still under it- there’s his skull! No, it turns out to be an uncommon spiked helmet made of steel and not leather. But it’s a helmet plate, the remains of the helmet body. The brass spike, the leaver spike cover AND the synthetic fabric regimental numbers that once were sewn on the cover. I forget the number now, but they knew the Regt. and when it had been in that area.
A few minute later they find another helmet plate, but no helmet body. I think the only thing I turned up was some metal bits and some various cartridges. But someday, somday! I will get back up that mountainside and stay for a day (or two!).