During the Second World War, it wasn’t just the aircraft that delivered devastating blows to the enemy. As the Allies sought to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany both sides engaged in artillery exchanges that proved as devastating and as destructive as the bombs dropped from above. Artillery, from mortars to howitzers, was also one area where Germany may have had a slight advantage, but both sides had a range of weapons that allowed them to pound their enemy.

This is an incredible piece of a World War II artillery shell fragment. This museum-grade artillery fragment shows the death that rained above soldiers as artillery was fired on both sides. This fragment comes off of a large shell-casing and was fragmented upon impact or explosion. This medium-sized shrapnel fragment measures a deadly 3.5 inches in length.