How did they clean up ww1 battlefields?

It was done by the soldiers themselves (engineers helped by Battlefield Clearance & Salvage platoons). In some operations like the Somme offensive these special platoons were ordered to “clean” the positions between reinforcements coming in.

How were battlefields cleaned up?

In Waterloo, local peasants were hired to clean up the battlefield: fifty workers with handkerchiefs covering their faces (through the stench) under the supervision of medical personnel. The dead allies were buried and the French burned. The pyres were burning for more than a week, the last days fed only by human fat.

How was World War 2 cleaned up?

As the Allies advanced upward and east from Normandy in 1944, a basic pattern for cleaning up battlefields was established. Tanks, other vehicles, and artillery were first moved to primary assembly points which were demined and clear of UXO (unexploded ordnance), usually railroad sidings, paved highway junctions, etc.

How long did it take to clean up after WW2?

Originally Answered: How long did it take to clean up after WW2? 76 years and counting. The most visible damage was cleaned up in a few years right after the war and most cities were rebuilt in a relatively short time, but people still find remains of the war every time.

Who cleaned up the bodies after a battle?

The survivors. That can either be an occupying force or those of the losing side of the war. After WWII, German citizens cleaned up the debris, bodies, and destroyed buildings. The Allied military tended to remove military equipment, either to be thoroughly destroyed or, when deemed necessary, taken away for study.

Who cleaned up the bodies in ww2?

The U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps improvised their own burial procedures, but the army—which suffered nearly four times as many deaths as the Marines and navy combined—took the lead in joint operations and bore the brunt of the grim task.

How did Europe clean up after ww1?

At the end of the war, the armies tried to identify their dead, opened mass graves and regrouped temporary cimetaries. The fighting zones were divided in squares and explored. As the armies (at least the French ones) demobilized their men, local companies took over the works.