I found this picture on the web and I asked the guy who had it where he got it from. Unfortunately, he does not remember. Does anyone know more about this photo? I think it’s awesome…there’s something about sitting on tons of explosives and talking about matters that probably have no relation to the war.
Mabe it is the Belgian partisans with the test V-1? I read about how the allies got sketches fom the Belgians.
The warhead is still there, but it looks like the fuse has been removed so it’s pretty inert like that.
The photo is most likely taken in the UK, judging by the upright poles in the fields. These were erected to stop German glider-bourne troops from landing, and so far as I know were only erected in the UK.
One of my Gliding instructors was a gentleman named Siegfried who came over to the UK as a Prisoner of War and given that his home was in East Germany elected to stay after the war (sadly he died a few years ago now). Having flown gliders prewar he went on to make one of the first postwar glider flights in the UK, landing out in a field. At this point, the farmer ambled up to him and said something to the effect of “Ooo Arr, it be a good thing you didn’t land here last week, we had spikes up to stop the Germans landing their gliders here” to which Siegfried gave the immortal reply (in a thick German accent of course - he still had one 60 years later) “It seems you haf taken zem away a bit too soohn”. Perhaps surprisingly the farmer didn’t even start prodding him with a pitchfork!
Thanks pdf27, I’m surprised what you can tell from a photo based on background material (in your case, the wooden poles). What is that “ball” looking thing?
It’s one of the fuel tanks - the fuselage is ruptured just ahead of the air inlet to the engine, and it’s come out (or more likely has been removed) through that gap.
These were erected to stop German glider-bourne troops from landing, and so far as I know were only erected in the UK.
They were erected in mainland europe as well, the allies had quite a few gliders damaged/destroyed on D-Day.
Millions of them were put into many fields throughout france and other parts of the continent.
The vehicle behind the bloke on the left looks like a Jeep with a canopy.
The bloke on the left seems to be wearing 1937 Pattern British gaiters with perhap an overcoat in the American style, and holding perhaps a pad on his right thigh, as a journalist interviewing someone would do. Or maybe he is wearing and holding bomb disposal gear?
The bloke on the right is holding some largish gizmo, which might be a firing device or whatever that’s been removed from the rocket.
The bloke on the right looks like he’s wearing some sort of rubber or smooth boots, perhaps to minimize the risk of static eletricity firing a fuse? Did UXB people have such boots and, if so, when?
The bloke on the right is wearing his beret in the British style, close to the skull and pulled down on the right.
Judging by the surrounding area, this must be a propaganda shot.
The V-1 probably is defused, but thre is no damage to the grass around the bomb. The bomb didn’t land there!!!
May have been used to show EOD types enjoying their work and keeping Britain safe. 
could have been taken down by wires?(the poles in the back)