WWII Battlefield, MIA search at 6°F

Westfront · Feb 28, 2018

This week is a very special week for me. I and some selected detectorist were invited to help finding a missed american GI, killed in action november 1944. Unfortunately it's winter again after the snowdrops started blooming. Bloody cold with temps at 6° in the morning, just a little more mid day and strong wind.
It was the first time i had to use a power hammer to break the ground open. Frozen 10" deep...
Students of a university helped with a ground magnetometer to find irregularities in the area the remains of the soldier were assumed. We had a couple spots to look further with the detector and found the foxholes we were looking for. We cleaned up the area, recovered some things showing we were in the first front line.
Next month a team coming over from Fl. will dig there and hopefully they will find the remains and bring him home after more than 70 years.

Cover of the gun camera coming off a nearby P47 crash site

Don't know how you call them, these were used to mount barbed wire on or more likely in this case tripwire because we found primer for mines or battlefield illumination as well.

Scrappy · Mar 1, 2018

That’s awesome Lu. It’s always nice to be part of something bigger than one’s own self. It’s hilarious you needed a hammer drill to dig. Cheers

Overseas · Mar 2, 2018

Scrappy said:
That’s awesome Lu. It’s always nice to be part of something bigger than one’s own self. It’s hilarious you needed a hammer drill to dig. Cheers

Definitely looks hilarious...but I am just glad it did not set off one of the non-metallic mines the Nazis had a reputation for using!

uglymailman · Mar 3, 2018

Outstanding Lu. I can't thank you enough for your efforts. Better than silver and gold. Good luck.

Joe-Dirt · Mar 4, 2018

I’d love to help on a project like this, I have plenty of family in Germany but I don’t speak the language, but a noble endeavor for sure. Thank you! And I wish you all speed in your search and lots of hot coffee!

Willieg · Mar 4, 2018

Thank you so much for your effort. Please let the entire team that we all very much appreciate the search. Please keep us all posted!!!

uglymailman · Mar 4, 2018

Hi Lu. After thinking about it, could the screw pickets that were cut down be used as aiming stakes for mortars or artillery? I've seen the 4 or 5 foot ones for barbed wire and maybe they were for trip wires, but I can tell you after a dozen years surveying, when the ground is frozen it can be about impossible to drive a wooden stake into the ground. We had an 18 inch long inch and a half diameter pointed iron rod to start a hole for a stake. You can beat a long time with a 10 pound hammer and not get very far. I don't know that the screw thing would be any easier. Just a thought. Thanks again so much for your efforts.

Overseas · Mar 4, 2018

Joe-Dirt said:
...I don’t speak the language...I wish you all speed in your search and lots of hot coffee!

Ich sprechen ein bischen Deutsch und trinken viel kaffee.

Westfront · Mar 4, 2018

uglymailman said:
Hi Lu. After thinking about it, could the screw pickets that were cut down be used as aiming stakes for mortars or artillery? I've seen the 4 or 5 foot ones for barbed wire and maybe they were for trip wires, but I can tell you after a dozen years surveying, when the ground is frozen it can be about impossible to drive a wooden stake into the ground. We had an 18 inch long inch and a half diameter pointed iron rod to start a hole for a stake. You can beat a long time with a 10 pound hammer and not get very far. I don't know that the screw thing would be any easier. Just a thought. Thanks again so much for your efforts.

Hi Tim, we know this was the first front line, to be exact, in the no man's land between the front lines. US troops did not get any further there and it was a bloody battle for both sides. The only way to move forward was to avoid this valley and use the elevated areas around what cost even more casualties but was successful. The advance through this valley with German troops on the hills around was impossible.
To get back to your question, this much into the no man's land no mortar or artillery was close. With referece to the battle reports there must been a light machine gun close, but we got no signs of a dugout for a machine gun. Two of them are reported there, the other one we found last year, this must been more up to the village. The screw pickets are as likely the signs for the furthest advance of US troops at this point.

Westfront · Mar 4, 2018

Thanks all for the replies and we will do our best to find as many of the men who didn't came home and still out there. It's more difficult now than it was 10 or more years ago. Their comrades who often gave important information about the places where they had to leave KIA's are not longer with us or too old to come over and help where to start a search.