See the ‘Spectacular’ Controlled Explosion of a WWII Bomb Found in Munich
- Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:29pm by
Liz Klimas
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A bomb from World War II found in Munich, unable to be defused, was detonated in a controlled explosion Tuesday night.
The 550-pound bomb was found buried about three feet underground on Monday by a construction crew, according to Spiegel Online. Prior to detonation, 2,500 people in the area were evacuated, vehicles removed and streets closed. Even those outside the evacuation area were told to stay inside, if possible.
Luckily for onlookers the officials decided to detonate the bomb at 10 p.m., giving it the best view as the blast went up into the night sky.
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
(Image: YouTube screenshot)
Watch the explosion for yourself:
Spiegel reports no injuries occurred in the detonation, although almost all the windows in the immediate vicinity were shattered:
The explosion was heard across the city. Clumps of hay, from the bails authorities stacked around the site in an effort to reduce the explosive concussion, caught fire in the blast and drifted onto surrounding rooftops. The blazes were quickly extinguished and damage was minor, the fire department said.
“It looked quite spectacular,” a fire department spokesperson said according to Spiegel.
This footage uploaded by the Associated Press includes the blast and a look at the aftermath and cleanup:
Officials speculate this will not be the last leftover bomb in Munich:
Tens of thousands of unexploded bombs are thought to still lie undiscovered in German cities, leftover from the Allied bombing raids that demolished the country’s metropolitan areas in World War II. Officials in Munich estimate that there are some 2,500 bombs buried in the Bavarian capital alone. There have been four significant discoveries of unexploded ordnance in the city this year. Just one week ago, officials in Nuremberg succeeded in defusing a similar 250-kilogram bomb.
Experts say that the undiscovered bombs in Germany become more dangerous with each passing year. Last year, a former bomb disposal chief told SPIEGEL ONLINE that “unexploded bombs are becoming more dangerous by the day through material fatigue as a result of ageing and through erosion of safety elements in the trigger mechanisms.”
In a similar instance Tuesday in Warsaw, a 1.5 ton bomb was found, resulting in the evacuation of 3,000 people while it was defused.
(H/T: Gizmodo)
This post has been updated to correct word use.
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Ron Staiger
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:35amEvery spring, along country lanes separating farmer’s fields in France, you can see a small horse-drawn cart stop perodically to pick up stacked, badly-corroded WW1 artillery shells (some filled with gas) that farmers have gathered after they were pushed up by the frost or uncovered by their equipment. Germany will go through the same thing for decades to come.
Report Post »rsanchez1
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 12:01amWow, with bombs like that, no wonder they needed all of our help to rebuild.
Report Post »Melvin Spittle
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 8:46pmAmazing how far both Germany and Japan have come. We destroyed them, got rid of the idiots that ran the country and were instrumental in providing the road-map forward to the post war nations they are today. This is one of the reasons we as a nation are exceptional. It is through our common moral values that take a nation that was our enemy and turned them into valued trading partners and economic powerhouses. We did not take their land nor subjugate there people for we knew the value of justice: The criminals were dealt with and the people given freedom and mercy they did not have under their leaders. As Colin Powell eloquently stated: We only took enough land to bury our dead. Does anyone besides the current administration doubt the superior moral fabric of our nation that through the will of God we are blessed?
The historic reminders of the horrors of war cause me to reflect on why our men and women answer the call to arms, many giving all because they believed in what we stood for as a nation. There are times when diplomacy fails and war is the only solution to deal with a cancer that may not be a threat now, but will surely kill us if left to spread. God bless our nation and wake up those that are sedated by lies and the false morality of supposed “Social Justice” that would DIVIDE and enslave us all.
It will take faith, sacrifice, and strong character. Most of us have it, but need to wake up from the seduction, roll up our sleeves, and thank God for our blessin
Report Post »ronin_6
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 7:35pmThat was just one. We dropped thousands. I’ve been under fire, motored, hit by ied’s of similar size but can you imagine what it must have been like to be a German citzen back then? Good God!
Report Post »They SMEAR what they FEAR
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 8:26pmI hear you man, IDF sucks – hate it big time – but I can’t even imagine getting 500lb dropped around me for hours on end.
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:57pmWAR: “The continuation of the diplomatic process by other means.”
Report Post »They SMEAR what they FEAR
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:15pmDang!!! We’re still bombing Germany! That sucks…sorry guys
Report Post »MightyMouth
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:33pmSorry dude but they had it coming!
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:07pmJust a lasting memory for the Europeans. If you mess with us, you will be reminded of our victory for a long, long time.
Report Post »meeester
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:05pmWe didn’t build that war.
Report Post »GlintoftheScythe
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:24pmNice to see the war crime continue some seventy years after the acts were committed.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:46pmHey, we didn’t start it, we just helped end it.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:18pmThis was a “controlled explosion”… I’ll bet the glass manufactures hope there are more of these!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:24pmCapitalism at its finest; find a market, meet the demand with a good product for that market.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:16pmI betcha we pick up the tab…
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:05pmWe Better not…
We left them a nice 550 lbs. Bomb that they could have used for anything, and they just waste it by detonating it?? If anything, we should send them a bill…. For not returning our usable merchandise..
Report Post »They SMEAR what they FEAR
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:18pmYou may be right there…used to be that if a US Military element or person destroyed a tree, say in a vehicle accident, you had to pay for it.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:13pmIf Ron Paul’s people were running the country, that bomb would’ve never ended up in Germany.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:18pmTeleporting back to pre-war days is a trip dood. You RPers should give it a go.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:19pmor was that sarcasm. LMAO
Report Post »Lordcsmith
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:12pmWell, that is the point of war: to make it so horrendous that we’ll never want to do it again.
Report Post »ronin_6
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 7:36pmWell that hasn’t worked.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:06pmOh wow people love all the glitter in front of them. Most people will not be willing to accept the last Great Awakening.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:57pmImagine hundreds of those raining down on your head! Sucked to be a German in 1945.
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:43pmI bet that woke the neighbors cat!!! Several towns over!
Report Post »HeRoe
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:02pmYeah – Check out the guy in the apartment window in the middle right of the screen as the bomb goes off. Doesn’t seem like he knew what was going on.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:41pmHitler didn’t think that whole thing thru, did he?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:33pmActually, I have watched similar occurances on AFN while on my three tours from ‘81 through ’93.
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