I remember reading that WW1 never actually ended with a signed peace treaty until the 1990's."WW2" was a misnomer as it was really WW1 part II. Both sides actually started fighting on the WW1 battle fields and were horrified that they could fire one shell and have five or ten detonate--some of them gas shells. Both sides moved on and took up fighting elsewhere.... French De-miners say that there is so much UXO in the old battlefields that it will take 300 years at 3000 TONS per year to clear it. Some places are so contaminated with gas and UXO that they simply don't try..They just fence it off. Millions dead, Millions more maimed for life. 300 Thousand MIAPD. and for nothing but the ego of kings.... and we learned nothing from it. --Ray
Well the French at least thought the Great War was a continuation of the unsettled 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
As for the UXO sometimes we forget just how massive the ordinance that was being tossed around way. The Brits set off 19 of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history via tunnel mines for one battle. The scary thing is it was supposed to be twenty and they never found the last unexploded one.
Actually it was 32--Only 19 went off as planed. One detonated when struck by lightning in the early 60's I think, killing a herd of cattle. The location map for the rest was lost in 1919. The biggest one never went off. It supposedly had 350 TONS of picric acid and TNT buried 50 feet down under the German trenches. The locals are building an industrial park on top of the sight, because; "The war has been over for one hundred years ,what could go wrong?"---Ray
The mines under the german trenches were by no means the largest of ww1. That "honor" belongs to an ammunition ship explosion in Canada that was estimated to be around 2.5 kilotons. If I remember the largest "non nuclear" detonation was the Texas City fertilizer plant fire and explosion in 1948--Ray
Germany, France, Belgium and most of the other countries have UXO turn in points scattered throughout their countries for people to 'drop off' things they've found...
I remember reading that WW1 never actually ended with a signed peace treaty until the 1990's."WW2" was a misnomer as it was really WW1 part II. Both sides actually started fighting on the WW1 battle fields and were horrified that they could fire one shell and have five or ten detonate--some of them gas shells. Both sides moved on and took up fighting elsewhere.... French De-miners say that there is so much UXO in the old battlefields that it will take 300 years at 3000 TONS per year to clear it. Some places are so contaminated with gas and UXO that they simply don't try..They just fence it off. Millions dead, Millions more maimed for life. 300 Thousand MIAPD. and for nothing but the ego of kings.... and we learned nothing from it. --Ray
ReplyDeleteWell the French at least thought the Great War was a continuation of the unsettled 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
DeleteAs for the UXO sometimes we forget just how massive the ordinance that was being tossed around way. The Brits set off 19 of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history via tunnel mines for one battle. The scary thing is it was supposed to be twenty and they never found the last unexploded one.
Actually it was 32--Only 19 went off as planed. One detonated when struck by lightning in the early 60's I think, killing a herd of cattle. The location map for the rest was lost in 1919. The biggest one never went off. It supposedly had 350 TONS of picric acid and TNT buried 50 feet down under the German trenches. The locals are building an industrial park on top of the sight, because; "The war has been over for one hundred years ,what could go wrong?"---Ray
DeleteThe mines under the german trenches were by no means the largest of ww1. That "honor" belongs to an ammunition ship explosion in Canada that was estimated to be around 2.5 kilotons. If I remember the largest "non nuclear" detonation was the Texas City fertilizer plant fire and explosion in 1948--Ray
DeleteGermany, France, Belgium and most of the other countries have UXO turn in points scattered throughout their countries for people to 'drop off' things they've found...
ReplyDelete