Battlefield findings from the Bulge

[Zdutchman123]

I also went to the Ardennes to look for relics but the only "relics" i found were modern 7.62mm casings (blanks). I thought that was kind of interesting. btw I was searching near La Gleize, i was actually searching at more or less random places because im not very experienced in relic hunting. Could you tell me where I have the biggest chance of finding something from the Battle of the Bulge?

[TylerM2506]

btw those 2 bullets in the start of the vid are 50 BMG m1 garand is much much smaller roung than that

[martinisalive]

@TylerM2506 - I am sorry, they are indeed "30.06 M1 Garand" rounds. The thing is that we film very close to the round making them look huge. I can fully understand why you think they are .50 cals but trust me, the rounds are not .50 Cal rounds. We found plenty of .50 cal's in 2009 and 2010 to know the difference.

[karamelles98]

Really good! keep it up! Germans have 7.92X57mm mauser explosive- incendiary ammo similar to american 30.06 caliber tracer round.

[Tony63909]

Hello,

Interesting video. I am very interested in going to Belgium with my detector. Can you tell me if anyone has been hurt by land mines or exploded shells? Is there any danger?

[pigmanobvious]

@Tony63909 There is an exellent book by Donovan Webster titled, "Aftermath".

It describes in great detail how the debris of battle is still being cleaned up today, and how people are still being killed from un-exploded ordinance

[pac401]

Everybody should have left the relics alone.

[martinisalive]

@pac401 Actually, that is an interesting idea. I really wish that the metal scrap dealers would have left at least some of the tanks and vehicles alone out there. Some of the locals around Hürtgen constantly pick up the stuff we call relics and just leave them in a pile close to the smaller roads and then drive it off to the closest dumping ground. To them it is garbage that both kids and animals can injure themself if stepped on. Difficult question.

[pac401]

@martinisalive Good comment. I guess if you've live with this stuff laying around your fields and woods it's called junk - to others it's WWII relics that are considered valuable. Kind of like when they started picking stuff off the Titanic wreckage.

[killa123211]

@martinisalive more people will see this video and if you donate to a museum than people will see rotting relics underground thanks for sharing

[UndoneB4Broken]

@martinisalive by this time most of the un spent munition should be relativly harmless yeh?curiosity getting the better of me =p

[seminar6]

@pac401 why is that then???

[PepperWhite62]

I believe the round you identify as a tracer to be an armor piercing round. An orange tip would indicate a tracer,black an AP round and silver ( the one on the left?) an armor piercing incindiary round. Great adventure though,something I too would like to see and do. Thanks for posting.

[yrs12345]

I found barbed wire wich was on omaha beach and its 21/2 meters long and its worth alot.i gave it to a museum in france so what ever i find i take to the museum wich is the closest to where i find it .......i also found a 22" inch mortar and 7 primes but unfortunatly the primes did not go with the mortar but it was still a good find

[JimboPH]

Any idea why, when searching in the vicinity of Stavelot? We find LOADS of bullets, cartridges, shrapnel, etc...but no ammo clips! No strippers, nothing except bullets and cartridges (and one dogtag)

Why am I not getting the other stuff? I have a good detector, its not that. It just doesn't seem to be there :S

[crabfancer]

great video Martin thanks, nice finds. can you tell please me what the local laws are like in Germany/Belgium if you are planning to hunt on the battlefield land?

[martinisalive]

Generally you are not allowed to go relic hunting especially not with a metal detector. In Belgium people tend not to care soo much but if you meet a forrester he might be upset and you might even loose your equipment. Land owners attitude go from very understanding to hostile. Be very careful around Losheimergraben on the Belgium side. Either way you should make sure you cover any holes you make to restore it like it was. It looks very bad to see all those holes in the ground.

[pigmanobvious]

that last shot: are you sure those were not browning .50cal. they looked so much bigger then the previous empties , which i did not catch the sub title but were obviously small caliber

[MrLesliedoll]

@pigmanobvious I'm pretty sure those are 50 cal. rounds.. the shell casing is huge,,

[spankhorn]

@crabfancer youre playing a dangerous game the locals will lynch you if they see you hunt there relics i live in the ardens in belgium and we get a lot of you overe here

we believe onlt the vetrans of ww2 are ollowd to dig an search the battelfiels not scavengers like u guys if i counter you yould better run aim not speaking for myself but for a the locals the are prison sentenses and heavy fines !!

[bobboomshakaboom]

many german soliders would throw out gas mask and load the canister with ammo

[MrLesliedoll]

@bobboomshakaboom yeah, ammo, rations, kit you name it it could fit, it was a real space saver..

[wikiriwhi]

I can't believe the size of Garand shells

Take out a man easily.

No wonder the 101st look so confident using garands.

[JimboPH]

@wikiriwhi

I'd feel more comfortable with an Mp44

[martinisalive]

Thanks for your contribution. However, this is indeed a German gas mask cannister.

[BANGERS68]

gret finds bro....nice

[hillbrad154]

They are 30 caliber because thats what the m1 garand fires.

[JasonMarcrich]

you mean the rounds @ 4:29 ?

those are 30-06, look at 4:51, the backside is quite different than the .50 backside, and besides you can still see they were in a m1 garand clip (rusty parts on the rounds from the iron clip and the second one from the right is still (partial) shiny because it was protected by the clip)

[Texas1911A1]

It's .30-06 ... you can tell by the size of the rim compared to the primer.

[paulspydar]

correction sorry just had a quick look at the badge I was describing , the swastika with eagle is on the top of the badge not the bottem ,with an 88 flak gun in the center with oak leaves around the edge ,

[paulspydar]

I have a german uniform badge denoting an anti air gunner with oak leaves around the edge and the swastika on the bottem it is complete with a basic pin clasp. worn on the right breast pocket ,its a sort of putor colour, and I`ll be damned if I am gonna give that up ! finders keepers!

[Bass60thrar]

? What are the laws in Europe concerning Relic hunting? Has the EU made laws or are individuals nations dealing with this issues alone?

[martinisalive]

Generally I'd say that you are not allowed to go Relic Hunting. However it depends how you interpret the laws but it's also related how (land) property is regarded. Ask a lawyer and he would say it's not allowed. Ask me, it's ok if you are very careful with covering your tracks, holes and notify the authorities of any unexploded ordnance found and marked. "Take only photos, leave only footprints" is a good rule but I just can not resist taking those rusty artifacts if I find them! Sorry!

[fangman666]

Hi There.... Great Job on the Video!! Thank you so much for posting. I have been a Military Collector for over 25 year's. I think it is a great hobby and a great way to learn history. I have never had a chance to go Relic hunting. I think that is a great way to find things. Here in the U.S. Civil War item's would be the only thing you would find. I Collect all sides Everything and Anything. I have made a Video of a few of my thing's. Check it out if you like. Thank's again !! Take care !! V V

[neotheone999]

love to go with you!..let me know if you are conducting any more trips,

[ELITEnoOBno2]

wtf is "Wahlershied and Loshiemergraben"??

I it is Wahlerscheid and Losheimergraben.

[martinisalive]

Wahlersheid is a forest area east of the German town of Monshau on the border to Belgium. The area was the objective of an American offensive prior the "Bulge" in December 1944. In fact, the US 2nd Inf. Division attacked through the area of Wahlersheid a day before December 16th, 1944. Losheimergraben is a border village closed to the German town of Losheim and was the center of the German offensive on December 16th, 1944. We found some relics in the two areas as shown in this short clip.

[ELITEnoOBno2]

I just wanted to correct you ^^

[tatethompson1234]

my grandfather fought in the battle of the bulge..and my other grandfather and their 5 brothers were in the army also...even tho im 18 and this was 60 yrs ago im still very proud of them.

[zipper81]

Martin ? Jag är själv sanlare av militaria från andravärlds kriget, gör ni fler tripper ?

[southcop]

these are AP rounds.keep up the good work

[usarmy115511]

ooooohhhh maannnnn^^i want something of these things :D

[HPBrowningBoy]

Nice finds, I really like the bazooka body! Your .30-06 is not a tracer though but a Armor Piercing round (black tips) the tracers had red bullet tips.

[martinisalive]

Thanks for pointing it out, it makes sense now when you've mentioned it. Now we'll look for cartridges with red bullet tips on any future trips to the area. Yes, the bazooka body was truly a good find. :-)

[ackesnack]

fan, så jävla coolt asså. :)