Um, so the 1 thing that occurred to me that nobody has yet brought up is the question...
If the guy was wearing pants, how did it get up there without tearing his pants to shreds? The only way I can think of that the shell got up that far that he’d need help was if he was already naked from the waist down.
And what was he doing walking around naked around artillery shells?
Something tells me I really don’t want to know.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Just go with the made up story. Don’t go opening cans of worms.