A report on handling of captured munitions in WWII, from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 32, August 26, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

HANDLING OF CAPTURED MUNITIONS As a result of the large stocks of captured material which came into possession of the Allied Nations after the fall of Tunisia, it has happened that the lack of adequate storage or shelter facilities has made the proper care of some of this material somewhat indifferently carried out. Captured munitions in particular should be carefully handled if accidents are to be avoided. For example, when stored for shipment or other purposes, they must not be exposed to excessive heat nor direct sunlight, as in figure 1. In this connection it has been reported that German Tellermines when so exposed in storage have burst open as the result of expansion caused by excessive heat; when this occurs the explosive fillers of the mines are exposed, thereby creating a dangerous hazard (see figure 2). If proper precautions are not taken accidental explosions will occur; in fact a recent case has been reported where a number of German mines exploded during shipment.

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