Kiwi Medals

Shrapnel and shell fragments accounted for a large proportion of those killed and wounded in WW1. Those blown into the ether by high explosive to one side, artillery accounted for around 70% of casualties. These six balls were recovered from the Thiepval Redoubt on the Somme and are German in origin. Thiepval was a slaughterhouse on the first day of the attack and, despite early success, took a savage pounding from German counter-fire.

The Battle of Thiepval. The view looking toward Thiepval on morning of attack and showing German barrage. (IWM)

This entry was posted on December 10, 2017 at 4:51 PM and is filed under Ammunition & Fusing, Missiles & Projectiles, Odds & Ends with tags France, Germany (Imperial), The Battle of the Somme, Thiepval, United Kingdom, WW1. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.