Austrian construction worker finds nearly 400 WWII grenades

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Thu Jun 18, 2015, 01:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

VIENNA (AP) — An Austrian construction worker knew he had struck metal with the shovel of his excavator. But it took police to determine what he had unearthed — nearly 400 live World War II grenades.

The discovery in the Tyrolean city of Innsbruck on Thursday led to the evacuation of apartments closest to the find, while demining experts defused some of the ordnance and blew up the rest. No one was injured.

Police believe the grenades were part of an underground ammunition depot.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/d4322a192ac140bdaf0b5316d79a47ff/austrian-construction-worker-finds-nearly-400-wwii-grenades

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Also see this LBN post from May 22, 2015: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141100434

[Archae]

1. Most likely they looked like this...

US troops called them "potato mashers."

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. the handles were optional and could be removed for transport.

[7962]

4. Wow, I never knew that. Learn something every day. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

8. And if you don't know...

the long handle gives more mechanical advantage, so it can be thrown further.

[Blue_Tires]

10. A old-fashioned Stielhandgranate?

He might make a few extra pennies selling those to certain collectors...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. guess he did a bang up job,

especially by NOT setting any of them off.

[awoke_in_2003]

9. Had I seen them...

I would have needed an underwear change. Old explosives are dangerous.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Can you imagine finding that while putting in a pool?

For all you know your house could have been built over mortar rounds.

[Plucketeer]

6. I was at Clark AFB in 1965

I was walking across the base (which was one HUGE, sprawling facility) when I happened to pass close to a group of Filipino laborers that were digging up some buried plumbing. I heard one of them chunking at something that sounded metallic - this while he excitedly called to his fellow workers. Curious, I walked to where he was and looked into the pit. There, lay many, many bandoliers of 50 Cal machine gun ammo! And they'd been whacking this stuff with a shovel!
I convinced them to stop digging while I called the EOD squad to come and take care of the stuff. Of course, having been in the thick of WWII, there's LOTS that's still hidden in the ground - even whole airplanes!

[KansDem]

7. Gives new meaning to Heinrich Isaac's "Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen."

Innsbruck, I must leave you
For I am traveling the road
to a foreign land.
(There,) deprived of my joy
and knowing not how to get it back,
I will be in misery.
But at least I won't be living atop 400 grenades!

[jmowreader]

11. The European soil is full of unexploded ordinance

One fine day while stationed in Berlin, I was at the PX when the MPs got on the loudspeaker: everyone drop everything you're doing, go through the gates on the Clayallee side of the compound, and cross the road then wait till we give the all clear. Someone was doing a little excavating near the bank and unearthed an unexploded 1000-pound bomb dropped during World War II.

When they were preparing Potsdamer Platz for the "Roger Waters Wall in Berlin" concert, they hired former East German Army explosive ordinance disposal troops to sweep the area...those guys found many tons of munitions there, including Allied ordinance, Nazi ordinance, East German mines, Soviet weapons...you name the bomb, and if it was in use anywhere in Europe between Pearl Harbor Day and Reunification Day, someone found at least one of them.