Blasting - September 4th, 2008

An unusual find has been made in Marcoiano whereabouts, Scarperia municipality, during some works of excavation in a private property located nearby the road that leads to Panna. The excavator has uncovered, during two different days, two WW2 IED (Improvised Explosive Device) anti-tank mines, manufactured in those days with the materials that were available at the moment. Evidently, in order to defend the Futa Pass valley against the advance of the US tanks, the german army posed these mines, made of by a modified wooden box filled up with 75 explosive blocks (200 gr. each) and italian igniter/primer. Mines clearing operations, managed by the Rgt. Genio Ferrovieri based in Castel Maggiore (Bologna) in participation with Carabinieri, station of Scarperia, ended during the late morning of September the 4th with the blasting of the whole explosive found (30 kg) in Sant’Agata whereabouts.