Please help identify pins and mortar box type

[Jean-Loup]

It is very important for me to identify the following objects to be able to understand a battle that occured where I live. I found all the pictured objects in a place where incoming troops from the First Special Service Force where ambushed by the germans in a mortar attack. A small arms fight ensued.
I suspect the round objects must be the tops and bottoms of the german mortar boxes. Can anyone confirm this. The pins may be from Us grenades, but I would like confirmation of this as well.
The shell splinter is american; but has anyone ever seen anything like it. There are lines on the shell splinter like the lines on grenades, so that it splintered into nice square pieces. Does anyone know what type of shell this would be from?
Please only help identifying the objects if you actually know about the subject. No guessing please, I have already done enaugh myself. Once again, it is very important for me to identify the nationality and origin of all these relics.
Thanks for any help.
JL

[Jean-Loup]

Apparently remains from mortar shell containers used by the germans? Can anyone confirm? They seam to be similar to US type boxes, exept there is no writing on them. I found about 40, and none had writting.

[Jean-Loup]

Here is all the info I have about the little battle: "An enemy mortar round hit in the middle of of the leading battalion inflicting 17 casualties. One battalion deployed but was unable to reach the river due to small arms resistance."

JL

[Bill Grist]

Items

Here is all the info I have about the little battle: "An enemy mortar round hit in the middle of of the leading battalion inflicting 17 casualties. One battalion deployed but was unable to reach the river due to small arms resistance."

JL

JL, The three round items with carter pins go to US hand grenades more than likely MK. II frags, or WP White Phosphorus .. BILL

[Jean-Loup]

Thanks for your reply. But I think the grenade pins are made of thinner metal then the ones pictured. It could be an impression caused by the rust thow. Unfortunatly I dont have any ones in good condition to compare. Could you tell me if the following mesurements correspond?

Lenght of pin: 4.9 cm
Diameter of round part:3.1 cm

Thanks
JL

[Bill Grist]

same

Thanks for your reply. But I think the grenade pins are made of thinner metal then the ones pictured. It could be an impression caused by the rust thow. Unfortunatly I dont have any ones in good condition to compare. Could you tell me if the following mesurements correspond?

Lenght of pin: 4.9 cm
Diameter of round part:3.1 cm

Thanks
JL

They are the same.. I'll post some US mortar rounds and the totally different types of arming pins that they use.. I have carriers for the rounds also.. The round items look like rusted botoms or tops of the mortar round carriers.. BILL

[Jean-Loup]

OK, thanks for your help. About the tops and bottoms of the mortar round carriers, they are not the typical US type with writting imprinted on them, and a bulge in the middle. Logicaly they should be german, but I have never herd of them using cardboard round carriers.

JL

[Jean-Loup]

Here is a quick plan of where I found the items. After a 500m straight stretch of road, several foxholes, and then a sort of big foxhole are dug just at the first curve. It seems like a typical ambush position to me. The little black dots represent the tops and bottoms of mortar boxes I found. So I suspect there must have been a mortar in the big hole.

Come on guys, cant anyone recognise these mortar boxes? Maybe italian material used by the germans? I really have to find out for sure wether they are axis or allied material.
JL

[Jean-Loup]

Come on guys, someone on this forum must know what these mysterious mortar boxes are...

JL