this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2025
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Wow I would have never thought of calling the police - I wouldn't have recognized it as a potential explosive. I better stay away from sites that were ever bombed/mined
Probably best not visit the UK or large portions of Europe in that case.
Farmers find them frequently plowing their field over here in Belgium. Against experts advice they often leave them by the side of the road so they can continue their work. There have been countless stories of tourists trying to take them home followed by the bomb squad clearing part of an airport.
Jfc...
I can't afford that anyway... the perks of being poor
This is a really unusual case. Never heard of finding a shell that close to the surface in that sort of position. What does constantly happen in europe tho is digging up bombs during construction works which leads to an evacuation of the neighborhood and a bomb disposal team coming.
The bombs were only 80 years ago how are they already so buried? Does dirt pile up faster than I thought??
They were dropped from planes. They dig into the ground, if they don't explode on impact.
Also there isnt much of a point in dropping bombs on an empty field, so they are mostly found in populated areas. That means most of the ones close to the surface got found right after the war by people seeing the impact zone. The deeper ones just havent been found. So this kinda thing where its close to the surface, but hasnt been found, can only happen when the bomb was dropped in an area that wasnt frequented by people for a few years after the war. When it was freshly dropped it was probably quite visible.
Sometimes if the bombers failed to find a target or if the got damaged by anit-aurcraft fire they would fly home and rather than land with a load of unexploded bombs on board they would drop them elsewhere. Maybe a field, maybe the sea...
Or a lower priority target. Unfortunately my home was on the way to Dresden
I'm obviously not an expert since I'm the airhead a few comments above who wouldn't recognize a bomb in the ground. But 80 years is plenty to cover an object. Lots of things can happen. A couple floods or rainy seasons will soften the soil. Debris will pile up and rot over it. Animals may step on it and push it even further, especially if the soil is damp.
My parents did some renovations a couple of years ago and left a large pile of old tiles and bricks in the backyard. The pile got reclaimed by grass damn fast and is half buried now. A small object over decades ? It disappears
Oh man, you should read Aftermath: Remnants of War by Webster.