Unexploded bombs still a danger in Europe

[scotty1418]

Its a great series, accurate as they could make it, with some margin. Its a far cry from the film Hurt Locker in my opinion. The thing about those guys in the beginning was that there was no course, there were no SOP's, there were no fancy robots like today and all the early methods they developed the hard way! If the guy on the other end of the headset said he was doing step 7 based on the info they had for that particular item and boom then that's all they knew.."He was at step 7 and then...". To get to step 8 they learned as they wen and the Germans changed the goal posts regularly, as our people did too on their end. It was very much a war of scientist against scientist in order to get the EOD guy and cause as much damage, disruption and confusion as possible. One final thing, many people just look at the BD sleeve Badge as just a badge saying that this is a BD Officer or team member etc, it is so i am told actually a Battle Honor just like a Regimental Flag designed by Princess Anne if I am correct because they got no special regognition, for the work during the Blitz, and is worn to present day.

Pete

P.S If anyone can tell me where to get "10 seconds to Hell" about the German EOD teams i'd love to see it!

Indeed! The show demonstrated this 'learning on the fly' concept extremely well. Is there any information about the German side of it with American bombs/fuses? Did we get equally devious/crafty with new fuses dropped over the Reich?

[pete]

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Just speaking about air dropped here and not other ordnance....Yep, we did get just as nasty...and it also continues to modern UXB too in the same fashion but a million times more complicated and deadly in doing their job or to get rid of.

Pete

[Death-Ace]

That must wake ya up early in the morning to dig up UXBs! Surely it gives one an adrenaline rush! Well, here's to the safety of those teams dedicated to the destruction of the last sounds of WWII. Imagine if they blew up some for a WWII reenactment. Something tells me that'd gain a large amount of viewers.It's true about the modern ones...wonder how many remain in the Philippines.

[Hans Zeug]

HE177 bomload.

Hi,just reading yesterday on an aviation forum about a crashed HE177 that is buried with it's full bomb load and one crew member on a gulf course at Lamberhurst (England). Each year a special golf tournament is held followed by a special lunch in memory of the fallen airman.Rather touching I thought.

[Grossfuss]

UXB's

Hi,
A few years ago I was involved in a couple of digs for aircraft and fulfilled a life-long ambition - finding a UXB!
One of these digs was the site of a Ju87 that crashed at Chidham, near Bosham on the Sussex coast.
This site had been dug back in the 70's and the engine and the central bomb were recovered back then.
Our digger reached the bottom of the original hole and little was to be seen save a few empty drink cans. We then opened the hole out to one side and a few feet down first found the remnants of the magnesium tail fins of two of the wing-mounted 50Kg bombs. Traces of red paint suggested they would be 50 SD's. Careful probing with the digger revealed both of these and then the RAF were called in! Sadly they were cracked open with a controlled explosion and all I have is part of the casing of one bomb (Ian who organised the dig had the better bomb) and a very corroded piece of fin.
Prior to arranging the dig we were walking round the field with detectors, without much success, and just using Mk1 Eyeball (no detector) Ian bent down saying "here's a good bit!" and it was the silver back and edging of the EK1 of one of the crew - just lying on the top after nearly 60 years in a ploughed field.
Good hunting,
Grossfuss
P.S. The 50 Kg SD and 250Kg SD bomb casings from a council yard at Winchester are another story!

[pete]

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Guys i gotta say it just so that i did, please do not try to do any of this stuff yourself. You are taking a huge and unnecessary risk! I know some of you guys have other opinions but the fact is that All "digging" as it is called around here is hazardous in the first place but even more so for untrained personnel, i.e all non EOD people. There's people that have been doing this for years and feel quite safe and confident in their own mind but that's not the point.

Pete

[BergführerKiser]

I remember living in Frankfurt...working in the old IG Farben building...during the 1980's, and they were always digging up bombs. When they started construction of a new runway at the Frankfurt Airport, they uncovered a World War I mustard gas dump!!! Just a few km's from where I was living at the time.

[Chad1]

ordnance

A few years ago a guy accidentally killed himself trying to deactivate a shell he dug up from the Civil War. I think it was in Virginia or one of the Carolinas. Even after 150 years in the ground, a black powder shell could still get you.

[coco bandy]

Last week a Dutch guy from Breda found a Spreng mine in his back yard right behind the backdoor, lived there for several years what if it exploded

If you ever found explosives from ww2 the best thing to do is inform the police.