WW2 Shell Falls from Sky—In 1984

[GNC]

In FT390, there's a story mentioned from 1984 about a backyard in Lakewood, LA, California which was hit by a WW2 shell. It didn't explode, but there were no planes nearby, it left a crater suggesting it had fallen from a great height, and made a "whistling sound" on its descent. No explanation was ever found, nobody claimed the shell.

There's a NY Times story about it online, but I can't access that without a subscription, so this ultra-short bit from Reddit will have to do:
News story

Just in case anyone has any theories...

 

[EnolaGaia]

I was able to access the NY Times archived article. Here's the text ...

Unexploded Shell Lands On Suburban Patio

A dud shell of World War II vintage whistled through the sky and landed with a ''resounding crash'' on a back- yard patio, leaving a crater four feet deep, officials said today.

A Los Angeles County sheriff's bomb squad dug up the unexploded shell Sunday and determined that it contained no explosives, Deputy Stephen Lee said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Sheriff's Department believe the shell was dropped by a prankster, but no one reported seeing a plane, said Deputy Wes Slider.

The 22-pound missile struck about 4 P.M. in the yard of Fred Simons, 79 years old.

SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/03/...unexploded-shell-lands-on-suburban-patio.html

 

[EnolaGaia]

The Reddit webpage linked above included a link to an Independent article. Here's the text from that item, appearing in a retrospective of 20th century unexplained events compiled by Paul Sieveking of FT:

On New Year's Day 1984, a dud, 9in, 22lb, Second World War shell crashed from a sunny sky into a backyard in Lakewood, 20 miles southwest of Los Angeles, leaving a 4ft crater. Neighbours had heard a whistling sound but had seen and heard no plane. This fall echoed a similar event in Naples, Italy, on 7 February 1958, when an artillery shell, dated 1942, with a cross and eagle design, fell from the sky.

SOURCE: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/100-weird-years-1134528.html

 

[EnolaGaia]

The Associated Press ran the Lakewood story on its wire service. Here's the story as it was published on January 3:

Officials believe aerial prankster dropped shell

LAKEWOOD, Calif. (AP) - The Lakewood Blitz is over and authorities say it apparently was a high-flying prankster who dropped an unarmed World War II vintage shell that dug a four-foot crater in a backyard patio New Year's Day.

The unexploded shell was recovered Sunday by a Los Angeles County sheriff's bomb squad, which determined it contained no explosives, said Deputy Stephen Lee said Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.

"It's under investigation and at this time there are no suspects," said Deputy Merlyn Poppleton. No one was injured in the incident.

The FAA and the sheriff's department believe the shell was dropped by an aerial prankster, although no one reported seeing the aircraft, said Deputy Wes Slider.

The 22-pound missile landed at about 4 p.m. "with a resounding crash" in the backyard of Fred Simons, 79, leaving an oblong-shaped hole, Slider said.

Neighbors reported hearing a whistling sound before the shell landed, he said.

The sheriff's arson and explosion detail cautiously excavated the rust-colored, nine-inch projectile, Slider said. "The absence of an explosion raised concern that the missile might be live when it came to rest," Slider said.

SOURCE:
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Cruz, California
Tuesday, January 3, 1984, Page 11

 

[EnolaGaia]

From the Independent article cited above:

This fall echoed a similar event in Naples, Italy, on 7 February 1958, when an artillery shell, dated 1942, with a cross and eagle design, fell from the sky.

I'm unable to locate any documentation on this 1958 Italian incident. It's been mentioned, usually in conjunction with the Lakewood story, in paranormal / Fortean publications.

I found one of these recycled mentions in which the "cross and eagle" is explicitly stated to have been a German military insignia.

 

[GNC]

Sterling work, @EnolaGaia - but were WW2 Nazi shells usually decorated with military insignia like that?

 

[EnolaGaia]

Sterling work, @EnolaGaia - but were WW2 Nazi shells usually decorated with military insignia like that?

In general, no - at least not often, and not usually involving inscribed / engraved markings. It would be more likely that any Nazi insignia applied to shells would be painted. I can't find an example of WW2 German shell casings that included such symbology among the manufacturing marks on a shell casing's bottom (base face).

In any case, the Nazi insignia stuff relates to the Naples incident, and I haven't been able to find any documentary evidence for it beyond its being mentioned as an aside in reporting the Lakewood incident.

 

[GNC]

It does make the incident sound like a prank as suspected, if there was Nazi insignia on it. Though how it was propelled or dropped without a plane is a mystery too.

 

[EnolaGaia]

There might be an alternative explanation for the insignia on the mystery shell from the Naples incident. It could have been trench art applied to a spent or dummy shell taken or kept as a trophy.

This isn't as wild a supposition as it may seem. I found two examples of spent WW2 artillery shells (i.e., casings) decorated with German insignia as war trophies (by Germans).

SOURCE:
http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/germa...rtillery-shell-casing-opinions-please-134371/​

 

[GNC]

Yes, good find, another instance of possible pranking. Was there a shell missing from a Lemmy-style collection at the time?

 

[EnolaGaia]

Yes, good find, another instance of possible pranking. Was there a shell missing from a Lemmy-style collection at the time?

If there was such a missing item, it probably went missing in Italy.

It does make the incident sound like a prank as suspected, if there was Nazi insignia on it. Though how it was propelled or dropped without a plane is a mystery too.

If the alleged Naples incident happened just like the Lakewood incident, that might well be the case.

I guess we'll never have any clues until / unless someone locates documentation on the Naples incident. If it was merely a transient news item (like the Lakewood case) I suspect the source documentation would be Italian.

 

[tagemoss]

i suppose the shell could've fallen through a hole in whatever and then dropped out years later...

naaa.....

 

[AgProv]

The details about the "shell" weighing 22lbs and having no explosive content is interesting: this fits the specification for the standard US Army 85mm weapon; which in its anti-tank form would be a solid lead or metal composite round with no internal explosive and would weigh exactly 22lbs once fired from its casing. 85 - 88mm, or 3.45", was a universal calibre for artillery; the British 25 pounder field gun had a muzzle diameter of exactly 88mm, for instance, but the shot weighed 25 pounds, as per label. And the eponymous German 88mm shell was 10.20kg, or 22.5 lbs. given the location for this one I'd suspect the US Army 85mm calibre, though! Also: apart from the technical info on the headstamp, German artillery shells never carried engraving or stamped markings. They would have been painted for quick recognition and additional info would have been stencilled on. This would have been kept to the point and a necessary minimum - but sometimes this did incorporate the German eagle-and-swastika, stencilled prominently on the side of the casing. (Stencilled, never engraved)

 

[EnolaGaia]

One thing that struck me about the Lakewood incident is that multiple witnesses noted the object "whistled" as it fell.

This made me wonder if it may have been a mortar round (which sometimes has fins or vent holes that might cause whistling) rather than a cannon shell.

 

[maximus otter]

In general, no - at least not often, and not usually involving inscribed / engraved markings. It would be more likely that any Nazi insignia applied to shells would be painted. I can't find an example of WW2 German shell casings that included such symbology among the manufacturing marks on a shell casing's bottom (base face).

The Germans were extremely methodical in quality control and marking of weapons and equipment. The organisation responsible employed tens of thousands of trained Inspectors and their subordinates.

Here are some of the typical markings on a German WWII projectile:

More info here.

maximus otter

 

[EnolaGaia]

... Here are some of the typical markings on a German WWII projectile ...

Yep ... I've checked similar diagrams and reviewed dozens of photographs of actual shells. Except for the trophy shells mentioned earlier, I never found any specimen that included the German cross and / or eagle among the stamps / marks.

 

[maximus otter]

Yep ... I've checked similar diagrams and reviewed dozens of photographs of actual shells. Except for the trophy shells mentioned earlier, I never found any specimen that included the German cross and / or eagle among the stamps / marks.

Each Waffenamt Inspector was issued with his own, unique, metal stamp, which he applied to approved equipment. The Third Reich variant produced marks like this:

(Here seen on an item of leather equipment).

maximus otter

 

[EnolaGaia]

Each Waffenamt Inspector was issued with his own, unique, metal stamp, which he applied to approved equipment. ...

Yep ... I was looking for that kind of mark, but as I stated above I never found an actual shell inscribed / stamped with either a full 4-digit year or the eagle insignia.