Our turn

[Oberon]

Hamburg had a Block-Buster, now Harwich is bringing up parts of a V2

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17572030

[Torplexed]

Apparently, Hitler harbored a hatred for Harwich.

[August]

One thing that has always fascinated me about the old world is the sheer amount of human history packed into such a small area. I seems like there is something to be found in nearly any given square foot.

Over here most of us can walk a mile into the woods and be pretty assured that there is nothing but dirt and rock below our feet. No V-2, no pots of Roman gold, medieval swords or fallen crowns, you folks are just awash in human history.

Of course the flip side of that coin is that there's no chance my garden spade is going to hit long lost a block buster bomb either but it's still pretty cool for what else you may turn up.

[krashkart]

And over here we have a tendency to tear down the old stuff and replace it with cheap strip malls.

[Oberon]

London, Kent and Eastern England (particularly Suffolk) seem to be the most prone to this, primarily because of what was dropped on it by the Germans, Americans and British. In our area in particularly you're more likely to find British munitions than German since the whole area south of the river here was used as a live fire area, they even moored a warship off the coast so it could shell the area to act as enemy artillery...only one day it aimed in the wrong direction and shelled the town...
They built a mock-up of the Atlantic wall to figure out ways to breach it and test Hobarts funnies.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by August

Of course the flip side of that coin is that there's no chance my garden spade is going to hit long lost a block buster bomb either but it's still pretty cool for what else you may turn up.

The valley of river Soca, the area of the front between Austria-Hungary and Italy during the great war is full of these artifacts. Almost nothing but mountains so no plow or construction ever un-earthed them. Anyone that ever went up there with a metal detector found something. And some were killed, some of the amunition is still live.

[August]

Originally Posted by Betonov

The valley of river Soca, the area of the front between Austria-Hungary and Italy during the great war is full of these artifacts. Almost nothing but mountains so no plow or construction ever un-earthed them. Anyone that ever went up there with a metal detector found something. And some were killed, some of the amunition is still live.

It's striking how long munitions will still remain dangerous. A couple years ago we had a guy get blown up and killed messing around with a civil war cannonball.

[Gargamel]

Americans think 200 years is a long time, Europeans think 200 miles is a long drive.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by August

One thing that has always fascinated me about the old world is the sheer amount of human history packed into such a small area. I seems like there is something to be found in nearly any given square foot.

I've heard it said in America, what is now a town or farm was once probably a forest.

In Britain what is now a forest was likely once a town or farm....multiple times.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

I've heard it said in America, what is now a town or farm was once probably a forest.

In Britain what is now a forest was likely once a town or farm....multiple times.

And what is now a shiny new shopping mall and parking lot used to be a farm.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by krashkart

And what is now a shiny new shopping mall and parking lot used to be a farm.

Yeah...I know. In 1988, part of the battlefield at Bull Run barely avoided becoming a mall.

"Mommy, did the Union lose the battle becuz the soldiers got delayed at the Starbucks?"

[August]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

I've heard it said in America, what is now a town or farm was once probably a forest.

In Britain what is now a forest was likely once a town or farm....multiple times.

Could you imagine rooting around in your back yard and digging up a Viking helmet? Feeling 1500 years of intervening time and history suddenly peel away as you imagine how it might have come to be there. Man that would be neat!

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by August

Could you imagine rooting around in your back yard and digging up a Viking helmet? Feeling 1500 years of intervening time and history suddenly peel away as you imagine how it might have come to be there. Man that would be neat!

Yeah, that would be cool. All I've ever found buried in my backyard are broken beer bottles and somebody's old engine block. You don't exactly feel the history.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by August

Could you imagine rooting around in your back yard and digging up a Viking helmet? Feeling 1500 years of intervening time and history suddenly peel away as you imagine how it might have come to be there. Man that would be neat!

Vikings were supposed to reach N. America, so it's possible. Unlikely but possible.

Attics in old buildings are a treasure chest. I found a book from 1890, two silver corones minted in 1909 and a gramophone player so old my grandmother hardly remembers it just from my own house.
I really got to raid some abandoned farms that are quite a few in my parts

[kranz]

Originally Posted by August

Could you imagine rooting around in your back yard and digging up a Viking helmet? Man that would be neat!

helmet would be neat, but how about a land mine, a mortar or heavy artillery shell?
In Poland, the most frequent reason for temporary closures of building sites in the cities situated near the border with Germany is finding the aforementioned "objects" (mostly artillery and mortar shells). It happens especially in the cities which were turned into so-called "Festung". What is more, people still find weapons and light/medium artillery ammo in their basements.
There is also a place, sth like 60 kms away from the place I live, which used to be Africa Korps' training ground and after the war it served the same purpose to the Soviet troops. People go there to "officially" pick a few mushrooms while their intention is to scavenge anything which has a historic value.