WWII 20mm rounds.....

[littleboot]

I have a field here in Normandy which I like to detect....not for ordnance, I don't 'do' ordnance. The area I am detecting isn't one heavily associated with heavy fighting....that passed by a few kilometres south. Still skirmishes I expect and lot of memorials to downed planes etc. The local farmer has an entire unused metal box of belted German rounds in his lounge (where they were left by the occupying German soldiers) which he likes to pull out as a party piece.
Anyway, in one corner I have dug several cartridges, bullets and complete rounds of 2omm (I presume...its about 20mm at the open end of the cartridge. The live rounds are a handspan in length. Most are just one or the other...but as I say, sometimes I have found the whole ones. It isn't far from a hedge...in fact its a perfect little pocket of hedge that gives shelter and cover and is 100 yards from the road so I presume there was a gun there sometime.
When I found these things I wanged them into the hedge. Even the separate bits. I will NOT be calling the gendarmes because the farmer would go apoplectic. I will and do avoid that bit of the field....what I want to know is, are there any bits I can safely take away for ID purposes? Not interested in the ordnance from a collecting POV....but I want to throw some light on the history behind it. I have found some pre decimal British coins in the field..so wonder if that is a clue. (Though British coins do come up in Normandy from locations that don't appear to have any Wartime connection) If it is British stuff then it could be from August 44 or from before Dunkirk (British forces were stationed nearby before the retreat.).
I just want hints on a safe sample to help ID. (From one of the ones in the hedge bottom...I don't dig signals in that area anymore no matter how tempting.)
Oh...and the bullets have different coloured tips. Some are red and some black and some are greyy blue.

[sweepstick47]

Hello littleboot Under the circumstances you describe, personally I would leave well alone. The coloured tips indicate the type of ammunition Tracer, Armour Piercing, Ball or Blank etc none of which can be described as completely safe to handle as condition/deterioration and damage are significant undetermined factors.

For information, the origin and date of manufacture will be seen on the base of these pieces which may be possible to ascertain without course to handling them. The thing to remember when dealing with ammunition is that it's designed to kill people! Stay safe and never take chances.
All the best. Regards ss47

[MilitaryMetalMagnut]

Hi Littleboot,

It does seem to be a hairy area with all those different live heavy calibres around. Of course, leave any whole ones, but any fired cartridges you find there will be perfectly safe to take for ID.
I take a little tooth brush when I go out, to clean the base for the headstamps before I take the cartridge away.

I personally swear by the information gained from cartridges, as they provide the best documentation of who was there and when on any battlefield.

Best regards,

Simon

[Wansdyke44]

If you are in possession of a phone with a camera then take pictures of said item to assist us in identifying.

[littleboot]

Thanks for the replies....and no, I am probably the only person in the known universe who hasn't got (and never has had) a mobile phone. I will retrieve a cartridge and take a piccy once I am home of the stamp. Are the actual bullets themselves dangerous to pick up, or is that only applicable to the whole round?
It's on plough soil but it has only been arable for 4 or 5 years.

[MilitaryMetalMagnut]

Are the actual bullets themselves dangerous to pick up, or is that only applicable to the whole round?

20mm projectiles and bigger - yes, as they tend to have high explosive in them. The smaller rifle and pistol projectiles are safe as they will for the most part be made of lead with an outer copper jacket. But the rifle projectiles with coloured lacquered tips are ‘special’ types, and can sometimes contain nasty material (dependant on what the colour is), and are best avoided.

Best regards,

Simon

[sweepstick47]

[quote=littleboot post_id=940610 time=1540127625 user_id=6112]
Thanks for the replies....and no, I am probably the only person in the known universe who hasn't got (and never has had) a mobile phone. I will retrieve a cartridge and take a piccy once I am home of the stamp. Are the actual bullets themselves dangerous to pick up, or is that only applicable to the whole round?
It's on plough soil but it has only been arable for 4 or 5 year. quote]

Hi littleboot,
If you mean the projectile (the lead/copper pointy bit) yes they're common finds and safe to handle as they contain no cordite (explosive propellant). Some identifying features can be obtained from the projectiles (bullets) but it's limited to calibre, length and design so use of a rule or scale together with the shape and metal composition can, in most cases result in identifying the weapon for which the ammunition is produced. Just remembered, I thought you weren't interested in ammunition Regards ss47

[Wilci]

Especially the 2 cm FLAK rounds with that nice bronce rings are the really dirty ones. In the Netherlands we have a lot of them and serious accidents have happen, even deadly ones. They are so unstable.

[littleboot]

The farmer has (very) deep ploughed it so I'm avoiding it at present. It will be too difficult to see what I'm digging and he's used a ditching bucket round the field edge where I'd thrown the debris.
I will probably give it a miss for now....
I was doing some musing about this field....I have had Roman slingshot, muscket balls, a small cannon ball, early lead bullets, those early shotties with the little pins, these big Second World War jobbers, and little bullets which I presume are the result of hunting but may also be War related. All from a field about 2 acres at the very most.
I have also had a pilgrims ampulla, crucifix partifact, rosary crucifix, religious medallions galore and a celtic votive wheel.
Dear me....humanity is very strange. One can't help thinking having less of the former list would mean folks wouldn't feel the need for the latter....

[Wansdyke44]

Chances are that deep ploughing will have thrown up more finds, of all types upon your little field. If you are unhappy about handling anything write any details that you can read from the headstamp, the bottom end of a fired cartridge onto a bit of paper. That will be enough to tell you whom the item belonged to. After that get back to the coins and less lethal finds.