P-59A Posted January 2 #1 Posted January 2 While researching Camp Bouse I came across a 1943 map that showed three bombing ranges and one massive aerial gunnery range. We took off today in search of the gunnery range. If you zoom in on the first photo you will see what is left of two wood stakes sticking out of the desert. Back in the day those stakes were taller and had colored cloth between them. Next to the stakes is the faint imprint of the Jeep that set the stakes up.
P-59A Posted January 2 Author #2 Posted January 2 This is a very large target area and those targets were moved around. The aircraft had to look for them, so not much stuff is at any given area. I did find one .50 shell. Everything was found arounbd those stakes. One odd thing is all of the bullets were AP.
P-59A Posted January 5 Author #3 Posted January 5 We went back out to a different area yesterday and found more stuff. This time I actually took more photo's of exactly it looks like when I see it. Most of this is on the ground, but I have to use a metal detector because it all blends in with the rocks. Again you will see a wood stake marking the area.
P-59A Posted January 5 Author #5 Posted January 5 We went out again yesterday deeper into the site looking in different places and found two more areas. Note the wood stake in the first spot. The other place did not have a stake. I found a total of four shells in the two areas.
SSG Mac Posted January 17 #6 Posted January 17 Where about in Calif are you located? I am in Lakewood
P-59A Posted January 24 Author #7 Posted January 24 I went out again and found 4 more areas. Not everything has wood stakes associatged with them. The sites have acommon thread and I am now looking at areas that fit the mold. We did find one area that had reminents of the target marker on the ground. That is what the wood and nails are with that fabric that was under the stakes.
danimal03 Posted January 25 #9 Posted January 25 Nice photos and relics yet again. Thank you for sharing!
P-59A Posted January 25 Author #10 Posted January 25 1 hour ago, danimal03 said: Nice photos and relics yet again. Thank you for sharing! When you get some free time...
P-59A Posted January 27 Author #11 Posted January 27 After I uploaded the last trip I was going over my gear and found I was missing my radio. I went back to that last place I was at today and found my radio and a few more items. My radio popped off my harness when I was loading my 4x4 to head out for home.
P-59A Posted January 28 Author #12 Posted January 28 Went back out today for a few hours and found a rather large area. Below that black rock is a .50 shell sticking up a little bit.
P-59A Posted January 28 Author #13 Posted January 28 I noticed an annomoly when I photographed everything together. A few, not all of the .50 cal cores had a magnetic property to them. It was not a strong property, but it was an attraction none the less. I asked a retired engineer about this and he came over to look at them. The next day he told me what his thoughts were on this annomoly. He told me it was possible that if the rounds were fired in a North/South direction or an East/West direction it was possible for them to become magnatized if the kenetic energy from impact heated the core to a very high temperature. This is so far out of my wheelhouse. Has anyone else noticed this?
P-59A Posted January 29 Author #14 Posted January 29 I went to the exact same area today and worked an area I didn't get to yesterday. I found two more shells. Shells are so hard to find!
Gyrene1978 Posted January 29 #15 Posted January 29 Surprised the steel links have survived that long. I was at China Lake Naval Weapons Center once and came across a heap of .45 ACP cases, well rusted. That was close to 50 yrs. ago. I remember thinking "Someone had a good time right here on this spot." Probably with a Thompson or M3.
P-59A Posted January 29 Author #16 Posted January 29 2 hours ago, Gyrene1978 said: Surprised the steel links have survived that long. I was at China Lake Naval Weapons Center once and came across a heap of .45 ACP cases, well rusted. That was close to 50 yrs. ago. I remember thinking "Someone had a good time right here on this spot." Probably with a Thompson or M3. The links seem to fair better when they on the surface. Since I found that web site listing the makers marks on WW2 links I have been paying close attention to them. I haven't stated this before, but the links at the top of my photos are unreadable. The ones below that are clearly marked and most all of those were found on the surface. The unreadable ones were buried or near washes. It's the same for those cores. The buried ones are rusted up pretty good and the surface ones look good. If you look at the stuff I found at Camp Bouse the steel .45 cases were on the surface and look not so bad for having been out doors for 80 years. Those were found like you described, someone blasting a mag off in one spot. That site talking about WW2 links listed around 27 company's that made them in lapping periods of time. Each company could of had 50 or more machines stamping them out and each machine stamped the makers logo and a number or letter for the actual machine that stamped it. Right now I have around 200 links that are different from the other, A company logo with a dozen different machine's marks along with around 20 other company logos with thier different machine marks. I also have some logos that do not show on the two sites I used for identification. Both of those sites stated thier could be logos not recorded that could have changed over time from a known company.
Gyrene1978 Posted January 29 #17 Posted January 29 8 hours ago, P-59A said: listing the makers marks on WW2 links Initially, I'm surprised the links are marked. After a few seconds, I guess I'm not. I was surprised years ago when I first learned that Garand clips are marked. I'm sure the gov wanted to be able to ID a mfg that might have put out defective or out of spec stuff.
P-59A Posted January 29 Author #18 Posted January 29 3 hours ago, Gyrene1978 said: Initially, I'm surprised the links are marked. After a few seconds, I guess I'm not. I was surprised years ago when I first learned that Garand clips are marked. I'm sure the gov wanted to be able to ID a mfg that might have put out defective or out of spec stuff. I had no idea those were stamped too. That also makes sence. I spent almost 30 years looking for military aircraft crash sites in the Mojave. I visited over 140 of them. The majority were WW2 era crash sites. I have a few places in the books to look for and at, Palen pass is one of those places. Pattons troops made four or so full on "assaults" of the pass complete with air strikes, Arty bombardment and troop movments. The defenders would occupy the high ground after the strikes in fox holes and fighting possitions ringed in barbed wire waiting for the assault. People I know have found neat things in the pass. As a kid I would hike the Civil War battlefields like Lookout Mtn, Reseca, New Hope and Kennisaw hopingto find something. I never did, so this is as close as I can get to that.
P-59A Posted February 3 Author #19 Posted February 3 I went back out today and found more stuff. The sites that list the makers of .50 links show 21 makers. After today I thought I was 3 shy of the 21. I went back to the two sites looking at the Fedders stamps then checked the listings for the company's names and found 35 company's listed. The Nebraska Crash site link had a hidden list to open up. Booooo! I have a few links that do not line up with the photo's they show, so that may be what's up.
P-59A Posted February 3 Author #20 Posted February 3 These are the two links on links. https://share.google/RyBEmkQZxQnjXmON4 https://share.google/JNYSEVWC9bbPJgv1c
P-59A Posted February 3 Author #21 Posted February 3 I went back out today and found two .50 cal shells. The first photo center you can just see the neck sticking out of the berm of the wash.
P-59A Posted February 5 Author #23 Posted February 5 I am also well on my way to having at least one link from every maker and examples from the different machines used by each maker. I am missing only three of the known stamps from the makers. I do have links with unknown makers marks.
P-59A Posted February 14 Author #24 Posted February 14 Working off the other areas that were coverd the next rise over turned out to be worth the time. The intact round punched in like a lawn dart at a 45 deegree angle. The head stamp was about 2 inched below the surface
P-59A Posted February 14 Author #25 Posted February 14 Working off the other areas that were coverd the next rise over turned out to be worth the time. The intact round punched in like a lawn dart at a 45 deegree angle. The head stamp was about 2 inched below the surface
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