The Iron Harvest

Found in the SommeCredit: shipscompass

Reading an article on the "Iron Harvest" is what inspired me to write Ghostwriter. I read the article with an expression of stunned disbelief. I'd heard of the Battle of Verdun, of course, but I never knew how indescribably horrific it was. I thought, for certain, that the figures listed in the article had to be incorrect. Researching it started me on a journey that coalesced in my mind as Seth's story.

This is where it began.

The scars of WWI linger in Europe. The soil around the battlefields are still littered with debris left from the war: shards of shrapnel, barbed wire, bits of equipment, and live munitions. Every year, the farmers who live where the battles of WWI raged plow up tons of live artillery shells in their fields.

Shell casings from the first day of the Battle of the Somme

Verdun wasn’t a “traditional” battle how we picture it from the movies, with men charging across the field to fire their guns at the enemy. Most of the time, there was little movement between the lines. The primary weapon used was artillery, and the majority of casualties originated from the bombs launched across the battlefield at enemy lines. Millions of shells were fired. It's estimated that at least one ton of munitions fell on every square meter of the Verdun battlefield.
One in four shells failed to detonate. By some estimates, twelve million shells are still buried in the earth of the battlefield. Sections of the battlefield are still barred to visitors because of the danger posed by these munitions.

A 2007 photo showing munitions found in the Somme

Credit: Salfordian

Every year, tons of shells are unearthed by plows, rains and the spring thaw. The farmers pile them up along the edges of their fields to be collected by démineurs who collect and destroy them in specially-built concrete bunkers.

It's a horrifyingly dangerous job. Even almost a century later, the chemicals inside some of the shells can still kill on contact with the skin or if inhaled. Sometimes, the démineurs can hear the liquid gas swishing around inside when the shell is moved.

Shells can also still detonate. 630 démineurs have been killed in the line of duty since 1945. Two were killed in 2007 when a shell they were carrying exploded without warning.

The farmers, too, are at great risk. In 1991, 36 farmers were killed when their equipment struck and detonated shells.

Nearby towns and villages still have to be evacuated on occasion. In 2001, shells gathered for disposal began leaking deadly mustard gas, necessitating the evacuation of 15,000 from Vimy in Flanders.

Unexploded ordnance found near Ypres. The photographer 

found it lying beside the road, likely placed there by local farmers.

Credit: ubulin21

At the rate of recovery, it's believed they'll still be finding munitions for 900 years.

The constant shelling took a huge psychological toll on the soldiers. In my next post, I'll talk about WWI and PTSD.


All photos used with permission of their owners.