WW II German shell fragments

[browningautorifle]

One of my most interesting explorations was on the island of Cyprus in 1980. One of our areas to patrol was an old radio station just short of the Nicosia airport, which is occupied by the Brits. I was just below the radio station in a gravel pit and just off the end of the Turkish line. ( I probably wasn't supposed to be there) I found a quantity of canvas bits and upon further examination I found them to be from a US cartridge belt. Everything was there on the surface because the war was only 6 years past and the area is mostly dry except the rainy season which is short. Of course there was shrapnell and it looked like a man had taken a direct hit with arty or mortar. The cartridge belt was completely destroyed and the ammo from it was widley scattered. The M1 clips were everything from almost untouched(those I brought home and have one here today) to blown wide open or broken. The ammo was everything from as new to blown in peices from heat. Primers popped, twisted casings and loose bullets in place. I picked up everything that would still work or could be fixed and brought it home. I should have kept a complete clip for time but the only thing remaining is the one clip. The whole city is littered with ordnance or was then. I think it mostly has been shovelled under now.

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[tinbender]

Here are a couple more. The 2cm round pictured is one of literally hundreds that littered the ground. Most of what I found were 2cm projectiles seperated from the shell casing by the explosion. There were tons more that stayed together, but I thought it too risky to bring back. Notice the intact primer on the 2cm casing and how the neck is deformed.

Nomenclature on the 2cm round fuse can be seen. "1943 waffenamt 2cm", while the the manufacturer code and what type can be seen on the reverse. The same is true on the shell casing's base. The other casing is that of the .50 cal. Mike