WW2 Binoculars Found With Metal Detector

Deep in the forest of Germany, just beneath the forest floor, lies an undiscovered trove of war relics.  The days of WW2 have long since passed but the
physical evidence remains.  With metal detectors in hand these two relic hunters unearth a pair of WW2 binoculars, a gold ring and a variety of other historic items.  I recently did some metal detecting myself in Germany so I can speak from experience when I say Germany is a relic hunters dream.  

WW2 Binoculars

But there is much more to be found than just cool old war relics. Between 1940 and 1945 British and US forces dropped more than 2 million bombs on Europe, half of which landed in Germany.  It is estimated that 10% of those bombs did not explode.  This of coarse makes for some very dangerous digging conditions.  Even today, some 70 years later, there are more than 2,000 tons of unexploded ordnance discovered every year.  Before any construction in Germany a special bomb squad must be deployed to give the all clear before any work begins.  During my most recent trip to eastern Germany I discovered a live hand grenade and handfuls of live ammo.

In 2013 German authorities discovered a 1,000 pound bomb on the property of a retired taxi driver.  When they realized the bomb was unstable the only option was to detonate it as moving it would have been too dangerous.  The crater left from that explosion is jaw-dropping.

"Know before you go"

I guess the lessoned learned here is that metal detecting can be dangerous.  Now of coarse Germany is an extreme example but there are many dangers here in America as well.  Check out this video of a young man digging up live civil war artillery.  If you plan on digging in an unsafe area such as old battle grounds or even land that may have buried power lines it pays to do some research first.  Always dig with caution and stay safe my friends.