A U.S. Soldier who fought in the battle for the Marne River in July and August of 1918 brought these spectacular military artifacts back to the United States. They are British Howitzer artillery shell fragments. The small piece of metal was a copper band around the shell. The larger shell fragment is 7 1/4' long, and 2" wide, and curved in the inside, and 5/8" thick. The smaller piece is made of copper and fit into the groove of the larger piece. This was a fiercely fought battle between the U.S., Britain, and France against Germany. The allied forces had many casualties.
The Marne River, located in northern France, rises in the Plateau de Langres and arcs northwest over a winding course of 326 mi. (525 km) to join the Seine River at Charenton-le-Pont, an eastern suburb of Paris. Navigable for more than 220 mi. (354 km), the Marne is connected by canals with the Aisne, Rhine, and Saône rivers. During World War I the Allies twice-repulsed German drives toward Paris at the Marne. Heavy fighting took place in the river valley again during World War II (1944).
