{"id":9029,"date":"2014-06-02T09:10:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-02T08:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/?p=9029"},"modified":"2024-06-04T11:06:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T10:06:00","slug":"inventaire-des-dechets-de-guerre-regions-atlantique-manche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/inventaire-des-dechets-de-guerre-regions-atlantique-manche\/","title":{"rendered":"Inventory of War Remains of Atlantique-Manche Regions from January 1, 2008 to December 31"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Inventory of War Remains<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Atlantique-Manche Regions<\/h3>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\">January 1, 2008 &#8211; December 31, 2013<\/h6>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"HwtZe\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"jCAhz JxVs2d ChMk0b\"><span class=\"ryNqvb\">Special D-Day Commemoration<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">June 2014<\/h4>\n<p>Sommaire<\/p>\n<p>Introduction<br \/>\nWeapons in the inventory<br \/>\nSanitary and environmental risk<br \/>\nInventory of War Remains from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013 with maps:<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Summary map<br \/>\nNormandy Region<br \/>\nBretagne Region<br \/>\nPays-de-la-Loire Region<br \/>\nPoitou-Charentes Region<br \/>\nAquitaine<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#sources\">Sources<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><a class=\"wpsal-anchor\" name=\"introduction\" id=\"introduction\"><\/a>France, seriously injured by war<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The result of 6 years of observation and analysis in 6 regions of western France is convincing.\u00a0 One day, the countries were at war and at the end, they didn\u2019t leave.\u00a0 There is no armistice for war remains.\u00a0 In 6 years in the 6 targeted regions by Robin des Bois\u2019s new inventory, 95,000 people were evacuated from their homes, workplaces, vacation spots, or schools because of bombs, mines, grenades, and shells that have been abandoned.\u00a0 From nurseries to retirement homes, evacuation is intergenerational.\u00a0 In 6 years, almost 14,000 weapons, dangerous to the population and for the environment, were discovered in fields, cities, the ocean, and freshwater.\u00a0 In 6 years, there was one death and five injuries.\u00a0 A century after the war of 1914-18 and 70 years after the war 1939-45, there are 62 underwater dumping sites for explosive weapons, called conventional weapons, and chemical weapons off the coasts of the Channel and the Atlantic, from Upper Normandy to Aquitaine.\u00a0 A century and 70 years after the two conflicts that destroyed and distorted the architecture and geology of France, there are 2 landfill and metal recovery sites and 1 freshwater disposal site for weapons in the regions Pays-de-la-Loire and Poitou-Charentes that pose grave problems to physical and environmental safety.\u00a0 Evidence of the mismanagement of the afterwar period may be found in the shells and grenades that are disposed of by citizens in the metal bins and the general waste bins of waste sorting and recycling centers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>600,000 tons of bombs were dropped on 1,700 French towns between June 1940 and May 1945.\u00a0 The majority were in cities.\u00a0 15% of the bombs didn\u2019t explode \u2013 fortunately \u2013 but the majority were buried 4 meters deep in soil and sediment, 6 meters deep for 20% of them, 7 meters for 10%, and 9 meters for 1%.\u00a0 The depth depended on the size of the bomb, the height of the drop, and the geological substratum.<\/p>\n<p>The physical risks are violent.\u00a0 Old weapons can be set off in the public or private domain, maiming and killing if they are not handled by professionals, the bomb-disposal experts for Civil Security.\u00a0 After 70 to 100 years of vibrations, expansion, and deformation of internal clocks, they can explode.\u00a0 Laypersons should not touch them \u2013 none other than the bomb squad knows how to handle them.<\/p>\n<p>On Omaha Beach, American geologists found in a sample of sand collected in 1998 that it contained micro-slivers of metal, 0.06 to 1 mm.\u00a0 4% of the sand on the beaches was modified by the war.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/01_sable-omaha-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9039\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/01_sable-omaha-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"01_sable-omaha-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"299\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/01_sable-omaha-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 627w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/01_sable-omaha-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-257x300.jpg 257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nMetallic shards in the sand at Omaha Beach \u00a9 The Sedimentary Record<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After the war came to the beaches, the Allied troops brought the war inland to the groves of Normandy.\u00a0 Today, forest, brush, and compostable waste fires are formidable.\u00a0 If the bombs and shells, separated or assembled, get caught in the flames, they will explode, making the fire worse and putting firefighters and civilians in danger.<\/p>\n<p>Weapon remains become more toxic over time through alteration and corrosion.\u00a0 They release toxic substances into the environment.\u00a0 Forgotten shells are also environmental and sanitary time bombs.\u00a0 Mercury and lead are usually what initiates explosions.\u00a0 The secondary explosions free soluble, toxic compounds, prohibited above certain levels in drinking water.\u00a0 The bullets are hardened by arsenic and antimony.\u00a0 Systematic research must be undertaken in groundwater tables where soil was bombed, as well as sites where ammunition was collected and destroyed.\u00a0 The war leaves a trail that is anxiety-inducing, toxic, carcinogenic, and reprotoxic.<\/p>\n<p>When they are judged non-transportable, war waste is destroyed on site without a assessment of soil or atmospheric pollution impacts.\u00a0 After the neutralization on site of the trigger by the bomb squad, bombs with their explosive charges, weighing dozens of kilos, are transported on the road to military camps for destruction.\u00a0 The bombs discovered in Normandy are transported to the military camp at Suippes, about 500 km away.\u00a0 Accidents on the road are not allowed.<\/p>\n<p>Underwater weapons waste is out of all control.\u00a0 Some of them that aren\u2019t buried too deeply will be found on the coasts thanks to the effects of storms and strong tides.\u00a0 Bombs, mines, and shells exploding in the ocean are dangerous for marine life \u2013 the acoustic effects, as well as those from the blast of air, can kill, maim, and disorient marine mammals and fish.\u00a0 A September 2010 directive on the safety of underwater explosion sites imposed specific provisions to protect marine life \u201cas much as possible.\u201d\u00a0 Under this instruction, the voluntary explosions must avoid fish-filled waters, the paths of migratory species, and areas of strong marine biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Environmental Code, citizens have a right to know what major risks they may be subject to.\u00a0 Yet, only the administrative offices of the Channel and Calvados release their \u201cDepartmental File on Major Risks\u201d (le Dossier D\u00e9partemental sur les Risques Majeurs, ou DDRM) \u2013 preventative information on the dangers of explosion and poisoning from unexploded ordinance (UXOs).\u00a0 Information is lacking and risky behaviors are increasing on beaches, on work sites, and in fields.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><a class=\"wpsal-anchor\" name=\"quelques_munitions\" id=\"quelques_munitions\"><\/a>Weapons in the inventory<\/h3>\n<p><strong>LANDMINES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>War devices where the explosion is controlled from a distance or caused by the passing of a person, vehicle, or boat.<\/p>\n<p>Anti-personnel landmines will explode at contact with a person or at their approach.<\/p>\n<p>Anti-tank landmines are meant to destroy armored vehicles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>German-made ground mines: the \u201cLuftminen\u201d type<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LMA (Luftminen type A): 500 kg \/ 2.10 m long \/ 300 kg of explosives<\/p>\n<p>LMB (Luftminen type B): 1 ton \/ 3 m long \/ 700 kg of explosives.<\/p>\n<p>These mines were dropped by plane with a parachute or laid by boats.\u00a0 They can be equipped with anti-disassembly and anti-recovery devices.\u00a0 They are very sensitive and fire could trigger at least a variation in water pressure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9040\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"350\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 612w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/02_luftminen-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-48x48.jpg 48w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nLuftminen type B \u00a9 IWM<\/p>\n<p><strong>BOMBS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hollow metal projectiles, charged with explosive or incendiary materials and equipped with a device to start a fire, that used to be launched by canons and that are now largely dropped by planes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>English bomb GP 250 (General Purpose)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From 104 to 113.4 kg \/ between 137 and 142 cm long<\/p>\n<p>GP bombs were meant to break apart; after the explosion, they broke and the shards went flying.\u00a0 The GP 250 weighs 250 pounds (113.4 kg), of which half is explosive material.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"95%\" cellpadding=\"2\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"50%\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/03_GP250-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9041\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/03_GP250-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"03_GP250-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"360\" height=\"223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/03_GP250-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 360w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/03_GP250-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u00a9 RAF<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"50%\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/04_British_250lb_General_Purpose_Bomb.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9042\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/04_British_250lb_General_Purpose_Bomb.png\" alt=\"04_British_250lb_General_Purpose_Bomb\" width=\"320\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/04_British_250lb_General_Purpose_Bomb.png 741w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/04_British_250lb_General_Purpose_Bomb-251x300.png 251w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sketch of the English GP 250<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>American bomb AN-M64 (General Purpose)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>500 pounds (226 kg) \/ 145 cm long \/ explosive charge of 119 to 124 kg<\/p>\n<p>It was dropped on railway bridges, docks, warships\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-9043 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"398\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 572w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-462x306.jpg 462w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/05_AN-54-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-140x94.jpg 140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/a>The yellow bands mark the body of the bomb \u00a9 US Army<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>German bombs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Below are the different types of bombs commonly dropped by the German Air force.\u00a0 They were drawn to scale, the smallest being about 72 cm long and the largest being 2.63 m (without the tailplane).\u00a0 Some had thin walls, others thick \u2013 the latter being recognizable by their smaller dimensions for an equal weight.\u00a0 The white circles indicate the placement of the rocket.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/06_destruction-bombes-non-eclatees-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-e1439888427787.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9044\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/06_destruction-bombes-non-eclatees-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-e1439888427787.jpeg\" alt=\"06_destruction-bombes-non-eclatees-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"668\" height=\"351\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u201cThe destruction of non-exploded bombs\u201d C. Rousseaux.\u00a0 Science et Vie n\u00b0356.\u00a0 May 1947.<\/p>\n<p><strong>German SD bombs (Sprengbombe Dickw\u00e4ndig \/ thick walled)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the three types of standard bombs used by the Luftwaffe.\u00a0 These bombs were semi-perforated.<\/p>\n<p>Ranging in size from SD 1 (17 cm \/ 0.76 kg) to the SD 1700 (3.3 m \/ 1.7 tons).\u00a0 They could be fragmentation bombs or anti-personnel bombs.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"75%\" cellpadding=\"2\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"50%\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/07_SD10-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9045\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/07_SD10-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"07_SD10-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"325\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/07_SD10-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 836w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/07_SD10-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\" width=\"50%\">SD10 fragmentation bomb :<\/p>\n<p>10 kg \/ 54 cm long \/ explosive charge 0.9 kg .<\/p>\n<p>It can penetrate concrete.<br \/>\n\u00a9 millsgrenades.co.uk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yugoslavian Stankovitch bomb<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From 2 to 200 kg.<\/p>\n<p>They were produced in present-day Serbia in factories in Smederevo and Krusevac.\u00a0 Smederevo exported its production to France.\u00a0 The principal warehouse was in Kraljevo.\u00a0 The Germans took possession of it and destroyed the majority of the bombs.\u00a0 It is rare to find unexploded Stankovitch bombs because they are particularly \u201creliable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/08_stankovitch-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9046\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/08_stankovitch-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"08_stankovitch-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"246\" height=\"235\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u00a9 Dornier Archiv<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHELLS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A projectile shaped like a cylinder ending in a cone and that is equipped with an explosive charge.\u00a0 A shell can be shot by a mortar or a canon.\u00a0 There are many different sizes and weights.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"75%\" cellpadding=\"2\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"50%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/09_herouvillette-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9047\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/09_herouvillette-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"09_herouvillette-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"342\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/09_herouvillette-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 455w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/09_herouvillette-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x185.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nEnglish soldiers in Herouvillette (Normandy) in June 1944 with a 75-mm mortar shell.<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"50%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10_Routot-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9048\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10_Routot-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"10_Routot-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"351\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10_Routot-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 457w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10_Routot-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 351px) 100vw, 351px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nEnglish canon shell in action at Routot (Eure) in 1944.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\" width=\"35%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11_obus-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9033\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11_obus-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"11_obus-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"231\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11_obus-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 300w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/11_obus-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-198x300.jpg 198w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: justify;\" width=\"65%\">English bullets and shells used in World War One.\u00a0 Pictured are calibers from 0.5 to 15 inches, meaning diameters of 12 to 380 mm.<em>\u00a0 <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shrapnel shells<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shrapnel was invented during World War I by Englishman Henry Shrapnel.\u00a0 When it exploded in flight, the bullets would be projected in all different directions.\u00a0 It was abandoned for highly explosive shells, more effective for trench warfare.\u00a0 The name Shrapnel was eventually extended to other types of bullet shells.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9034\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"551\" height=\"119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 1592w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x65.jpg 300w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/12_obus-a-balle-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-1024x221.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nInternal structure of French shrapnel \u00a9 passioncompassion1418.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>American white phosphorus shells<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>American forces in particular used white phosphorus mortar shells, 81 to 107 mm long.\u00a0 The 107-mm shell weighed 11.57 kg and could be projected almost 4 km.\u00a0 Mortars could launch 15 shells per minute.<\/p>\n<p>Incendiary shells made of white phosphorus were made to create chaos, to break positions, and to scare off the enemy.\u00a0 20% of 81-mm American white phosphorus mortar shells were used at the beginning of the campaign of Normandy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9035\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"547\" height=\"87\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 1218w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x48.jpg 300w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/13_obus-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-1024x163.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 547px) 100vw, 547px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u00a9 Deminest<\/p>\n<p><strong>GRENADES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An explosive projectile that would be thrown by hand or shot by a rifle, made up of a metal cover holding a charge and equipped with a fire-starting device.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>American white phosphorus grenades<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>White phosphorus grenades were incendiary and produced smoke screens that destabilized the enemy.\u00a0 There were two types in the American army \u2013 one by hand and one by rifle.\u00a0 They were nicknamed the Willie Peter (WP \u2013 white phosphorus).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/14_grenade-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9036\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/14_grenade-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"14_grenade-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/14_grenade-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 400w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/14_grenade-phosphore-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nAmerican soldier in action with an M 19 A 1 phosphorus rifle grenade.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>English Mills grenades<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Created for World War I, these hand and rifle grenades were used during World War II and weren\u2019t retired until 1970.\u00a0 Weighing 770 g, they were charged with explosives like Alumatol, Abelite, Cilferite, Amatol, or Bellite.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15_grenade-mills-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9037\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15_grenade-mills-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"15_grenade-mills-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"166\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15_grenade-mills-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 166w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/15_grenade-mills-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-140x170.jpg 140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 166px) 100vw, 166px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u00a9 http:\/\/militaryhistorynow.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE GERMAN COASTAL DEFENSE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>German head of defense on the Atlantic coast, the Marshal Rommel placed obstacles designed to prevent landing, destroy equipment, and \u201cannihilate the troops\u201d of the Allies on the beaches and backshores.\u00a0 The measures counted among others the concrete defense blocks that contained landmines.\u00a0 They exploded upon contact with tanks, barges, and ships.\u00a0 The concrete cover over the landmine could also be tripped by large shells or other weapons.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/16_bloc-defense-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9038\" src=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/16_bloc-defense-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg\" alt=\"16_bloc-defense-inventaire-robindesbois-2014\" width=\"352\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/16_bloc-defense-inventaire-robindesbois-2014.jpg 805w, https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/16_bloc-defense-inventaire-robindesbois-2014-300x236.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\u00a9 les-petites-dalles.org<\/p>\n<h3><a class=\"wpsal-anchor\" name=\"risques_sanitaires\" id=\"risques_sanitaires\"><\/a>Sanitary and environmental risks<\/h3>\n<p>Abandoned and degrading weapons produce 3 sources of pollution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; Metallic pollutants<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Zinc, cobalt, copper, tin, nickel, and aluminum were present in the hulls of bombs and shells.<\/p>\n<p>Antimony and arsenic \u201chardened\u201d bullets.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The abnormal amount of zinc and copper in the groundwater in the south of Verdun was detected by the Office of Geological and Mineral Research (le Bureau de Recherches G\u00e9ologiques et Mini\u00e8res \u2013 BRGM) in 1975.\u00a0 The only plausible origin that explains the levels of zinc and copper is the impregnation of the battlefield by the spray of exploding shells and the degradation of abandoned shells that weren\u2019t fired and fired shells that didn\u2019t explode into the soil.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Omaha Beach is the D-Day beach, where the combat was the hardest and most intense.\u00a0 American geologists found small metallic shards, 0.06 to 1 mm, in a sand sample collected in 1998.\u00a0 4% of the sand is polluted by metallic elements.\u00a0 On the dawn of D-Day, Omaha Beach fell under siege, with intense artillery shooting both on land and at sea between the German and Allied troops.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2 \u2013 Explosive residue<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Mercury fulminate and lead azide were used as primary explosives in shells, bombs, and grenades during the two world wars.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Potassium and ammonium perchlorates that were used as explosives, particularly in English and German weapons, polluted the soils of the battlefields during World War I.\u00a0 For 3 years, perchlorate content has been detected in the north and east of France in drinking water.\u00a0 In the name of precaution, officials recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women not drink the tap water and that parents do not prepare bottles with tap water for babies younger than 6 months.\u00a0 Perchlorates are suspected to have negative effects on the thyroid gland.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t carcinogens.\u00a0 Thousands of towns are affected.\u00a0 The highest levels in the north \u2013 Pas-de-Calais, Picardy, and Champagne-Ardenne \u2013 are linked to the frontlines of trench warfare and with high density of ammunition discoveries that were mapped by Robin des Bois in the April 2003 inventories.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; TriNitroToluene, nitrobenzene, nitrophenol, nitroanisole, and nitronaphtalene are the principal explosives for conventional weapons used in the World Wars.\u00a0 They were byproducts during the deflagration and degradation of persistent, soluble, and undesirable toxic substances in water destined for human consumption \u2013 particularly organonitrate compounds, phenol compounds, and dinitrocresols used as herbicides and insecticides.\u00a0 The maximum amount allowed in drinking water is 0.1 mg\/l.<\/p>\n<p>In France and in Europe, the current state of aquatic resources as imposed by the Directive European Framework on inland and coastal waters does not take into account the risks of localized or diffused pollution caused by the endurance of abandoned ammunitions or their residue.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no question that all the French regions that were subjected to bombings and artillery fire can still be, to this day, contaminated by the World Wars.\u00a0 However, the frontlines, intensively bombed areas, historic abandoned ammunitions dumps, and destruction camps should be, in our opinion and in the opinion of many experts on polluted sites, the object of an attentive and preventative study.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 \u2013 Chemical ammunitions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Over time, chemical ammunitions have contaminated soil and groundwater.\u00a0 The \u201cPlace \u00e0 Gaz,\u201d 20 km from Verdun, has been contaminated by arsenic and the on-site burning of thousands of chemical weapons issued during World War I, echoing the Borcq-sur-Airvault site in the west of France contaminated by the on-site burial of chemical weapons during World War II.<\/p>\n<p>The environmental effects of degradation or explosion of abandoned phosphorus ammunition used during World War I and II are ill known.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Inventory of War Remains from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013<\/h3>\n<p><em>only available in French<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Only in French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,1848],"tags":[1251,2219,1608,702,1604,925],"class_list":["post-9029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dechets-de-guerre","category-dechets-de-guerre-dechets-longue-vue","tag-d-day","tag-dechets-de-guerre","tag-environnement","tag-explosion","tag-munition","tag-securite"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9029"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110357,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9029\/revisions\/110357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}