Shrapnel... this may seem a silly question

[Dave8472]

Hi DF, I am no expert but I can only speak from my own findings and bit of research, most of the shrapnel found is from our own Anti-Aircraft shells, that were fired up with timed fuzes on that would explode mid air, hopefully at the set altitude, the idea is the shell would splinter in to those sharp irregular shape bits that you find, and do maximum damage, I have a few complete fuze bits from these, I know that 1st world war ones had like large musket ball size bits in, but don’t know about the contence of the ww2 ones, as far as dispersal, most that I find are all over the place, no hot spots

PS there are some pictures in my gallery of the fuzes

Dave

[Oldest Swinger]

Most shrapnel is not actually shrapnel. Shrapnel was a type of dispersal bulking of a certain type of explosive designed to reek havoc and cause severe wounding. What we call srapnel is actually shell fragments and I think most of them are from our own anti aircraft shells fired from our own guns.

Paul

Check out this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrapnel_shell

[manny]

I've been finding quite a few brass chunks which I though were shrapnel. They had what appeared to be a thread or groove which puzzled me.

Looking at Dave's pictures it seems they are fuse fragments. So these were British anti-aircraft shells?

[Smithfire]

That sounds like the brass drive bands that go around the rear of a shell. The rifleing in the AA gun cuts into this when its fired so it spins in flight.

Clive

[manny]

Cheers Clive.

Nice to know what the pieces are and that they are worth showing to the landowner.

[Barnet]

My local beach is littered with what I always called shrapnel, parts of bullet and grenades. Seems to be two dictionary definitions.

A) Fragments from an exploded artillery shell, mine, bomb or bullet.

B) A 19th-century artillery shell containing metal balls, designed to explode in the air above enemy troops.

Anyway they drive me potty

[Wansdyke44]

I've been finding quite a few brass chunks which I though were shrapnel. They had what appeared to be a thread or groove which puzzled me.

Looking at Dave's pictures it seems they are fuse fragments. So these were British anti-aircraft shells?

These are fuze fragments from anti-aircraft shells. Drive bands are made of copper, not brass and do indeed have rifling on the outside once the shell has been fired.