A German Hand Grenade From World War I Made It To A Hong Kong Chip Factory After It Blended In With A Shipment Of Muddy Potatoes From France
In 2019, workers in a potato chip factory in Hong Kong discovered that a shipment of potatoes from France contained a German hand grenade that dated back to World War I.
The object was about the same size and shape as a potato, so it easily blended in with the rest of the muddy vegetables.
The hand grenade was detected in potato-processing machines at the Calbee Four Seas Company factory in Hong Kong, China. It was about three inches wide, weighed around two pounds, and was thought to be in a potentially unstable condition.
“We identified it as a German-made weapon believed to have been used during the First World War,” said Wong Ho-hon, the assistant district commander from the Hong Kong Police Force.
“It was likely to have been shipped in from France with the batches of potatoes because we found it covered in mud and dirt.”
The bomb was likely buried on a French battlefield that later became a potato farm. Officers with the Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau detonated the grenade outdoors at the factory site. They put it into a hole in the road and sprayed it with a high-pressure water jet to safely trigger an explosion.
According to the United States Navy, using strong water jets to set off bombs from a distance is a method that demolition experts have employed since the 1990s.
To detonate a bomb without triggering an explosion, powerful water jets are shot at exposed wires to break a critical circuit and render it inactive.
During World War I, infantry soldiers used many types of grenades. The spherical Hong Kong grenade appeared to have originated from Germany, even though German soldiers usually opted for the stick grenade at the time.
Pixavril – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
It is impossible to tell how much of a threat the grenade posed due to its advanced age and rusty, damaged condition. The dormant weapon may not have even been a hazard, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
There are likely dozens of dangerous, unused weapons buried underground, just waiting to be unearthed. But nobody knows where these relics will turn up next.
In 2016, munitions disposal experts were called out 300 times to take care of 25 tons of bombs on French soil where the Battle of the Somme was held.
“As soon as you start turning the earth up, you find them. At this rate, we have another 500 years to clear the area, so the work is far from over,” said Michel Colling, a munitions disposal expert.
Also in 2019, a similar find to the Hong Kong grenade was made by a couple from Florida. Officials learned about the explosive artifact after the couple brought it to their local Taco Bell. Bomb experts safely detonated the grenade, which was from World War II.
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