Amid the chronic shortages of life's essentials, WWII left vast quantities of discarded and damaged war material lying around France after the battles had passed. Local people were invited to help themselves to whatever they might feel could be useful, but handling this material was not without risk, and discarded ammunition, booby traps and above all mines would cause tragedy to military and civilian alike for years, even at sea. Between 25 August 1944 and 31st December 1945 in Calvados alone over 300 men, women and children died in this horrific manner, while another 1,000 civilians died of the terrible wounds sustained in the bombing campaign. In May 1995 a 100-kg (220-lb) unexploded bomb was found in Vire, buried 1.5m (4.5 feet) into the ground. This picture shows a field full of wrecked motorcycles, everyone today a collector's dream, but everyone telling its own tragic story.
