Libya / Jeep blown up by Mine

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by Kuno, Dec 26, 2008.

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  1. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    Libya / Jeep blown up by Mine
    Got the information about this jeep from a colleague who was working in the country may years back - before GPS was known. However; he sent me a small sketch he made out of his memory and we were fortunate enough to just find the wreckage.

    The vehicle was obviously blown up by a mine. Most probably one laid by the Italian desert patrols to blockt the known traces of the LRDG (the LRDG becames sometimes a little bit lazy and one patrol just drove wthin the traces of the previous one).

    We could not find a real proof that this particular vehicle was used by the LRDG / SAS / PPA. But it was already there before the first oil exploration was done and there is at least an extract from the book "Popski's Private Army" mentioning that they had some problems with mines in that area...
     

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    Paul Reed likes this.
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Cheers Kuno...Great pictures.

    It remind me of Iraq...Anthing left for 5 minutes unattended , gets striped which is probably whats happened to some of the Jeep by the look of it :)

    Andy
     
  3. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    The pic of my colleague showed the Jeep in the same state already in the mid-1980s when he found it. Only it was upside down then; before he turned it into the upright position with his Landrover (BEFORE recognizing that it was a car blown up by a mine ;-))
     
  4. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    Some details:
     

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  5. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Kuno,
    You appear to get to some truly historical locations and thankyou for finding the time to photograph and post them to us all.
    It is very much appreciated.

    The article states that 46 mines were laid in the proximity, no wonder they hit one!

    Regards
    Tom
     
  6. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    ...and the proximity looked like this:
     

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  7. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    What superb photos - amazing this sort of stuff is still there!
     
  8. ozjohn39

    ozjohn39 Senior Member

    Kuno,

    Any chance of another mine just waiting for an adventurous photographer to stand on?


    :-(

    John
     
  9. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    This is always the question....

    Up to today I have never seen a mine which was still in working condition. But they were all exposed to the climate on the surface. Don't know, if something has "survived". I remember one occassion when we found a metal box which after careful excavation was still closed. After we had opened it I was sure that if it would have been booby trapped that would have been my last moment - inside it was as new. There were used shells of a German 3.7cm A/A gun; the grease of the gun was still fresh and one could smell the powder. Anyhow - more dangerous (in my eyes) is the UXPO which is by most people taken up very carelessly; there are still accidents...
     
  10. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    I know it's not related to the actual desert war. But if you like I would post some more pics of the environment near the Jeep (although "environment" is not meant just a vew metres around the wreck ;-))
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Post away.
    It might make us feel warmer !
     
  12. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Post away.
    It might make us feel warmer !

    Absolutely, after 4" of snow overnight and -4oC this morning I need some warming up pictures!

    Regards
    Tom
     
  13. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    Ok; here we go:
     

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    Drew5233 likes this.
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Great pictures Kuno !

    Many Thanks
     
  15. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    ...and just behind that natural rock-arch you find the first oil-well of Libya. It is still in operation today since the 1950s!
     

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