The ultimate WW2 find

[jgawne]

In the next few weeks a team from t he US Army is heading off to Normandy to attempt to discover if the 'magnetic anomaly' in what was an anti-tank ditch behind Omaha beach, is in fact one of the DD tanks that made it ashore before being knocked out.

Supposedly, the engineers bulldozed one or two of these into he ditch (along with a piles of junk) to fill it in. IF this is what it is, the hope is to bring it back and put it on display int he new National Army museum.

How's that for a find!

[PIA]

I like it! Will there be pictures posted on the Forum? Were I rich, rather than good looking, I'd be on the beach to watch.
Your pard,
Gary

[tomh]

Wow, what a great project!!!

Talk about the ultimate signal, even my machine could find a tank <grin>.

Looking forward to updates and pics as the project progresses.

TomH

[jgawne]

Well, seems the initial survey was slightly off so the mass sits just "off" the cemetery boundary. If inside the cemetery it is technically considered US propery and could be just dug. (If you are ont he run in Europe, you can actually get refuge same as an embassy at one of the American military cemeteries).

So now the project is stuck in paperwork land, and someone has to decide who, in the US Army, is able to write a letter to the French ambassador asking for help, which will not violate protocol. Seeing as how the military are not supposed to go to the civilian branch and vice versa.

But one of my friends just went back to poke over a long hunted to death site where a German paratroop unit has its main base. IN a 3 x 3 meter area no one had looked at they found 45 para marked German dogtags. (note: these are frigging rare). So everyone is mad at them for finding a treasure the rest passed by....

[Selma Hunter]

Guys -

Chas says the site is in trouble- I'd rather eat goat poop than see this one go away - please tell Doc you want to keep this one going.

Bill aka Selma Hunter

[jgawne]

It is dead in the water due to an issue where someone has to ask the French ambassador for assistance. But no one is really sure who in the Army is the correct level to do so. Meetings are going on to try and figure this out (yes, sounds silly but its policy).

I suspect that once the request is made to the French for help, and if some pressure needs to be applied, then you'll hear of a major campaign to push. But for now they are trying to be quiet and polite and do things as correctly as possible.