Metal Detectors responsible for WWII victory!

[BobinSouthVA]

OK so maybe not entirely but after the story I heard today I had to share it with you bunch.

So my Mom and Dad were in town today (surprise visit for an award I had won at work) and I was talking to my dad about my new detector and my new hobby. I showed him the detector with all the bells and whistles a $200 detector can afford. While holding it and commenting on how light it was, he told me the following story of his days in Italy during WWII.

He was in the Army corp of engineers and after boot camp was given the job of teaching new recruits on how to build bridges and how to disarm mines. He told me most of what he taught was by the seat of their pants, having been given most of the material the night before to read and learn. Eventually when he was sent over seas he was sent in Italy.

Most of his action there was quite. Never had they run into mines and most of his time was spent doing other engineering tasks. Except for this one particular day while the unit was on a march.

The front of the unit had encountered some enemy mines and my fathers unit was called to the front. The mines were in a bit of a valley with his unit on one side and a German unit on the other side. The Mines were in the road down in the valley. So they pulled out their metal detectors and left their guns behind. After scanning the roadway and disarming any mines they had reached the bottom of the valley. After looking around a bit they noticed a cave close by and decided it too should be searched so he and a few others went inside to check it out.

Well when they reached the back of the cave lo and behold there were a bunch of German solders there with their guns. Having abandoned their guns back with the unit, all my dad and his guys had were their metal detectors. With the dark light of the cave all the germans could see were a bunch of American solders coming to them pointing "weapons" at them. All of them at once dropped their guns and surrendered.

So what a sight it must have been when they all emerged from the cave and came back up the road. My dad and a few other guys, following their hostages out of the cave, pointing their metal detectors at them.

Dad has a picture of the event somewhere in his archives that I will post if I can get a hold of it.

.

 

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[ivan salis]

too sweet--think dear old dad & freinds got a "german" gun or two before they marched the germans into the light though or esle they might of had a fight on their hands.---the surrender part is priceless though.----took major big brass ones to pull that one off. my hats off to your pop----Ivan

 

[SC_hunter]

True unsung hero's...pass along my thanks to him...I am proud of alllllllll our military men and women...and veterans..

 

[Jeffro]

Musta been a whole buncha French in them Germans...

 

[DCMatt]

Great story! It would take more b@lls and a better poker face than I've got to hold my ground in a stand-off between my metal detector and someone with a gun.

From the German perspective, no shame in surrendering to an enemy armed with secret weapons.

Special thanks to your dad for his service.

DCMatt

 

[ivan salis]

in the darkish cave the germans might have thought "flame throwers"---and they not wanting to get burnt to death "gave up"--- burning to death is hard ugly way to go---not thatthere is a good way to die in war because no way is good but some are much worse then others-----flame throwers were often used to clear caves if you were in a cave with no other way out ----it was fight and fry or give up---- where the germans in the cave for shelter or in fear? ---who knows but them?---- most men in war aren't brave "24/7/365" or they don't make it home and not all germans were the "gung ho" die for da furher nutzi types.---it still took a lot of "moxey" to pull that one off---normally a armed guy was to"cover" a mine sweeper for his safety because he was a sitting duck while doing it---dangerous stuff disarming mines took stones to do it ---sometimes they booby trapped them by placing one mine on top another --disarm the one think you safe--and as you lift to move it bang the one they placed under it as a trap for the disarmer goes off---the mines mainly worked in one of two ways --one was a "spring type" when you stepped on it was armed by the pressure of your weight on it and when you stepped off it it tiggered---the other type was a chem type --the downward pressure broke a glass vial the chem reaction caused it to blow up---deadly things those mines---often snipers watched the minefeilds looking to "pick off" the sweepers.--with out a sweeper to clear out a minefeild feild advances came to a halt rapidly----I tip my hat to your pop a brave man indeed.---Ivan

 

[bakergeol]

Think of it this way.

Because of your dad's experience you owe your existence and your life to a metal detector.

Thanks to your dad for his service to his country.
George

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Great Story. Thanx for posting it. Ask your dad this question: How deep could their WWII detectors pick up a coin sized target? Or, if they couldn't get a target that small, what sized target could they pick up? Ie.: how big would the target have to be before it could get it? And, let's say ..... if it could pick up a coin or buckle or whatever, how deep could it get those sized items? Just curious. Thanx!

 

[Cynangyl]

Awesome story! Thank your father for his service as well. Incredible man!

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Great Story. Thanx for posting it. Ask your dad this question: How deep could their WWII detectors pick up a coin sized target? Or, if they couldn't get a target that small, what sized target could they pick up? Ie.: how big would the target have to be before it could get it? And, let's say ..... if it could pick up a coin or buckle or whatever, how deep could it get those sized items? Just curious. Thanx!

Asked him the same questions. He said the mines they were looking for had some part of the mine semi exposed on the surface, for maximum effect I suppose. When they got a hit they would be able to scan the surface visually for the protruding device and disarm it. They really didn't have to dig any targets?

 

[roswellborn]

Now that's just terrific!

I hope your dad can find the picture and will let you post it for the rest of us.

Good for dad and his buddies!

hubby liked it too,

HH
Nan

 

[ivan salis]

the part that "stuck out" was the triggering device ---three smallish wire looking metal prongs "probes"stuck out---when you "hit" one of them they caused the mine to go off . you dads mine detector would pick the metal from the "body" of the mine and then they would "eyeball" looking very carefully for the tattle tale "prongs"and either "mark" a path thru them or mark the spot & then blow them up from a safe distance or disarm and move them (disarming & moving them was not often done because it very,very dangerous due to booby traps and snipers and machine gun nest that often "over looked" the mine feilds.) Ivan

 

[lafnian1990]

Very interesting story. Incredible.

 

[Tony in SC]

Great story!! Sounds they had the bravery and the smarts to pull that off!!

 

[smokeythecat]

My dad also served in North Africa and Italy. He was in the US 21st Engineers. He also removed a lot of land mines.

 

[ARC]

Great story... thanks for sharing it with us.

I have already re-told your story once.

 

[pepperj]

Great story, thanks for sharing that with us all.
Your father must be getting up in the years now.