Posted on 06/02/2010 8:36:20 AM PDT by darkside321
Three people have been killed and six injured trying to defuse a World War II bomb in central Germany.
Workers building a sports stadium had earlier unearthed the bomb in the town of Goettingen.
It was not immediately clear why the bomb, reportedly weighing 500kg (1,100lb), had detonated.
Unexploded WWII bombs dropped by Allied planes are frequently found in Germany, though it is unusual for them to explode unexpectedly.
A special commission is investigating the causes of the explosion, while prosecutors are considering whether the team leader should face charges of manslaughter through culpable negligence, the BBC's Oana Lungescu reports from Berlin.
The blast happened an hour before the defusing operation was due to start.
Officials said the three men who died were experienced sappers, or combat engineers, who over 20 years had defused up to 700 bombs.
More than 7,000 people were immediately evacuated when the 500kg bomb was found. Several schools, a kindergarten and local companies remain closed.
Last week, another device was successfully defused close to the site.
In Berlin, four bombs have been found in the past two months, including one near the capital's main airport.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
No kidding. Check this one:
it is unusual for them to explode unexpectedly.
I guess if it was "usual", then it wouldn't be "unexpected", now, would it?
Good point, but I did say ‘most’, not ‘only’. :)
Not if it's really a 500kg bomb. Then it would have been Hitler's fault or maybe Stalin's fault. The Brits and US used English-system ordinance. The Germans and Russians used metric ordinance. So if the bomb were a 500 kg bomb it was dropped by either the Germans or Russians — probably the Russians during the Battle of Berlin. If it is a 1000 pound bomb it would be 470 kg, and be either American (Roosevelt's fault) or British (Churchill's fault).
Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau had the wisest comment
Francois: Do you know what kind of a bomb it was?
Clouseau: The exploding kind.
Having started the war I say it’s Hitler’s fault.
Don’t mention the war.
Will these deaths be officially considered casualties of WWII in the eyes of historians?
No, it's cool. It looks like the Germans have found someone to sue.
My brother-in-law was a Civil Engineer working for a county in Germany. He ran into an unexpolded bomb while checking on a water project in a North German city.
I don´t think so. But it´s still a tragedy that people had to die because of a bomb that was dropped long before they even have been born.
“it is unusual for them to explode unexpectedly”
surprising usually unflappable Germans who did not suspect ...
1) An unusually long fuse...
2) A whack on the nose with a spanner...
Regards,
GtG
Uhhh, it couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that IT WAS A BOMB!!!!
French farmers are still uncovering unexploded ordinance from the first World War when they plow their fields.
Regards,
GtG
Yep true!
How about this?
Civil War cannonball explodes, kills relic collector...
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_86607e91-89df-5e6f-9229-02d450ab0195.html
The town was subject to allied raids in 1944. Russians never fought there at all. When American forces entered Goettingen, the German army had already retreated from the town. There was no fighting in the town, so no german bombing either.
the bombing was reportedly very accurate and the old part of town was untouched. The rail yard was wiped out. This sounds American rather than British. My guess is that is was an American bomb,,, and whoever said 1000kg was not being specific. I doubt it was identified as a “mark 24, thousand pound bomb produced in backwater Tennessee in lot number 45753.”
Probably a cop working the area said “1000 kg bomb from WWII”, meaning it to be broad brush strokes to explain what it was for a typical 25 year old journalist.
I was in Wurzburg once. I was surprised at the details Germans can tell you about the bombing of their town. I was told the US Bombers destroyed the railyard are perfectly and the town thought it might be over. A few weeks later the Brits did a night raid and area bombed, destroying he whole city. They resented the British style and almost were understanding of the American technique. It was odd to hear.
Eighth Air Force did indeed attempt to bomb industrial complexes.
Bomber Command, however, frequently bombed with the express purpose of killing civilians and destroying non-industrial parts of cities.
and those unexpolded WWI shells arent safe either. There was even a guy killed last year while cleaning off a civil war cannonball. His grinder set off the explosives as he worked in his suburban driveway. Worked as advertised.
Ordnance == bullets, bombs, shells, etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.