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Find of German WW2 37 mm flak ammo

AMMOTECHXT

Well-Known Member
Ordnance approved
Premium Member
Page 5 of the 13th June edition of the newspaper La voix du Nord, Boulogne Sur Mer edition carried an article concerning a find of flak ammo dated 1942, believed placed for protection of V1 launch sites. A photograph shows Benoit Cousin standing by a number of rusty boxes. The total found was about 240 rounds. If someone is able to find the article online please feel free to add it here, otherwise I will re-type the French words here when I get more time. I tried to find it online this morning but the articles only seem to go back to the 17th and my computer skills / knowledge is not great.
 
Found 3.7cm FLAK 18 with stell and brass cases
In one case 3,7 Pzgr 18 V
In the other Sprgr patr 18 and Sprgr patr 18 L'Spur Fes
 
Thanks to Pysall for finding it. Are you able to add the text as well?
 
Sorry, I don't think my computer skills are up to it I'm afraid and unfortunately my schoolboy French is somewhat "wooley" for an accurate translation. Perhaps some of our French members could assist ?....
 
Ok, I will give it a try, first in French but unfortunately without the accents, and then in English, as best as I can: Seconde guerre mondiale. Pres de 240 obus decouverts dans une ferme du Ternois. (Photo caption): Drole de surprise, Pour Benoit Cousin. Mais heureusement pas de dommages, les obus ont ete recuperes hier par les demineurs. (Text): Durant la seconde Guerre mondiale, des rampes de lancement de V1 avaient ete installees dans plusieurs villages de Ternois, parmi lesquels celui de Bonnieres. Et mardi, Benoit Cousin, exploitant agricole installe dans la commune, a retrouve une sorte d'heritage de cette periode, a savoir pres de 240 obus! Une decouverte peu banale qui a ete faite alors qu'un engin de chantier terraissait le terrain autour d'une unite de methanisation qui vient d'entrer en function dans la cour de la ferme. Sentant qu'il "butait" sur quelque chose, le conducteur est descendu de son engin et s'est apercu qu'une vingtaine de mallettes etaient enfouies. Dans chacune de ces petites valises en feraille, on pouvait compter une douzaine d'obus d'une quarantaine de centimetres datant de 1942 et qui seraient des "flaks" de calibre 3.7. Des obus qui devaient vraisemblablement alimenter une batterie de defense antiaeriaenne. Gendarmes et pompiers sont intervenus suite a cette decouverte et hier matin, les demineurs sont venus reprendre ces embarrassants colis. My translation: Second world war. About 240 shells discovered on a Ternois farm. (Photo caption): A queer surprise for Benoit Cousin. But happily no harm done, the shells were recovered yesterday by an EOD team. (Text): During the Second world war V1 launch ramps were built in several villages in the Ternois district, among them the village of Bonnieres. On Tuesday, benoit Cousin, an agricultural worker, found a legacy from this period, namely about 240 shells. It was an unusual discovery, made because a machine was banking earth around a gas storage tank at the heart of the farm. Feeling an obstruction, the driver got down from his machine and noticed about 20 hidden small trunks. In each of these little old iron cases were a dozen shells about 40 cm long dated 1942 that were "flak" ammunition of 3.7 cm calibre. These were shells that had most likely been for anti-aircraft use. Police and fire officers attended immediately and yesterday morning an EOD team came to take away these awkward packages. Bonnieres is a village almost directly south of St Omer and slightly southwest of Arras.
 
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