Bomb disposal experts comb World War I battlefields, one century on

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In recent months, ceremonies have been held to mark the centenary of major World War One battles at Verdun and the Somme in northern France. Hundreds of thousands of men were killed there as millions of artillery shells were fired by each side. Today, just below the surface of the battlefields, there are still countless munitions, as well as the remains of those soldiers whose bodies were never found. Our team met with bomb disposal experts and archaeologists.
►► On France24.com: Our forefathers who fought at the Battle of the Somme
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[@kawythowy867]

Still breaks my heart. This is awful. War is awful. No more war. Unfortunately most wars are started by men who have never seen the Battlefield.

[@AdamSteidl]

Those potatoes must grow really well with all that nitrogen-enriched soil.

[@kirkdaley3441]

And all the damn nutrients from dead bodies

[@barryrudge1576]

seven hundred thousand men missing! a euphemism for blown to bits

[@christiangibbs8534]

Only if they were the lucky ones.

[@ilfarmboy]

scary thing is running into a gas shell

[@loxj]

"misplaced" several hundred thousand men?? WTF.

[@checkmate440]

Nice looking farm land very scenic

[@guy_in_ashopping_cart-sfs967]

@Dan Didnot yeah They used some pretty messed up fertilizer

[@Jarod-vg9wq]

How many bombs and shells have they found so far?

[@cathalfolan8441]

I doubt anyone is counting. 60 million shells were fired in the battle of verdun alone. They will be finding this stuff for another hundred years.

[@henerymag]

@@cathalfolan8441 I think much longer, it's doubtful they will ever find them all. If 1/3 failed to go off about 20 million from Verdun most are still around. 2 weeks before Vimy Ridge was attacked 1 million shells were fired at German positions. That's just 2 examples of 4 years of war where artillery was king.

[@mooneyes2k478]

How many? No-one knows, really. How much? About 50 tonnes a year, give or take. It's estimated they have another 300 years work ahead of them, at that rate.

[@lablackzed]

@@mooneyes2k478 Not forgetting all the WW2 CRAP DROPPED ON THE SAME AREAS.

[@kevinjohnson7300]

"A German Panzer Tank could take on 5 U.S Sherman tanks... America always had 6 of them though" i wish i could remember the name of the German General that said that, i just saw somthing about that on the history channel lol made me laugh

[@scottbruner9987]

How about when our (American) troops were surrounded at the Battle of The Bulge..... German commander sent American commander a message asking for surrender. American replied with one word: "Nuts". The Krauts had ZERO clue wat we meant. That wasn't a big issue tho......we just showed them!

[@michaelkerley1616]

Wrong war

[@Conn30Mtenor]

nonsense. That's not what the historical records show. Besides, wrong war.

[@christiangibbs8534]

I can't help but think of that line from "The Green Fields of France" song: Here in this graveyard that's still no-man's land, the countless white crosses in mute witness stand to man's blind indifference to his fellow man, and a whole generation were butchered and damned.

[@caseyfrederick9521]

Only thing I've got my name etched in is a juvenile prison wall. I remember exactly which cell too! I hope someday I can go back there to see my name still etched in. Oh how the times have changed...

[@Nathan-zv3hs]

Casey Frederick ofcourse you.. lol completely irrelevant hah just trying to make a point you’ve been to jail? Hahah bless! Juvey too!

[@caseyfrederick9521]

@@Nathan-zv3hs Yes. It was an attempt at showing how much of a badass I am for having had once been to a juvenile detention center... I am a tough person who does tough people things... Fear me... 😐

[@Nathan-zv3hs]

Casey Frederick its always the ones who talk too much eh 😂 back to juvi you child

[@krustymario6881]

@@Nathan-zv3hs ur gay

[@marcvandenbroecke331]

Nobody speaks about Belgium where about the same quantity is still found.....

[@sambiscits6711]

I noticed the bomb disposal team wore sidearms, I'm guessing they were a branch of the police perhaps.

[@chrisbrent7487]

Yes civil guards.

[@sambiscits6711]

Chris, thank you for your reply. I found that video very interesting.

[@chrisbrent7487]

@@sambiscits6711 Plenty of places around the world that are full of UXO and mines. Two small areas of Laos had more bombs than the combined tonnage dropped on Japan and Germany in the whole of WW2. It is common for people there to build the stilts of their houses from the canister sides of cluster bombs. Mostly it is airdropped mines and bombs there. The cluster bomblets are a real issue there. Angola is absolutely riddled with mines too from it's civil war. Quite often one side would take out a bridge and mine all the alternate paths or take out a tank and then mine the hatches and around the tank for when a recovery team came. Often they never did so the mines are still in place. British and German WW2 minefields in Egypt are still maiming and killing people after all these decades too. If you look at a map of the world that has all the countries that had mine or UXO incidents in the last year it is about 80 countries!

[@sambiscits6711]

Wow! Thank you for your reply, I was aware there was a problem I had no idea to the extent the problem is. The thought of unintended victims years later is a consequence we are now having to live with.

[@paulbradford8240]

Some years ago I asked a French undertaker friend about a natural burial and if he knew of anywhere local that would accommodate them as they do in the UK. He said it wasn't possible as it would require a change in the law. Burials have to take place in a crypt or concrete lined grave or be cremated. I said to him the French didn't have a problem with that requirement in the First and Second World Wars!

[@Masterfighterx]

Hyping up how dangerous a shell is, as if it would blow up from soft skin touching it.. And then you have the same chap man handling it and bumping it like that 2:45 😂

[@somethingsinlife5600]

And here we have a keyboard warrior. Who has no idea the horror this represents. He probably thinks of himself as real toughguy.

[@maidenlord6663]

Y'all do know a lot of those are from world war II correct y'all just keep saying world war I like there was only one of them there

[@diegobotto6245]

I'm sure they can identify the difference between the ww1 and ww2 bombs better than you

[@biteycat]

Are you serious? These are all munitions from the Great War 1914 to 1918. There wasn't heavy fighting in this region of France in the Second World War.