Tens of thousands evacuated after huge wartime bomb found in German city

BNO News ^ | Oct. 27, 2011

[Free ThinkerNY]

BERLIN (BNO NEWS) -- German authorities on Thursday evacuated more than 20,000 people after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered in the city of Halle, officials said.

The unexploded 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) wartime bomb was discovered by a man digging a ditch. At least 20,000 people, including all 500 patients at a local hospital, were forced to evacuate the area, the German dpa news agency reported.

Local police chief Bernd Wiegand said everyone within a radius of 800 meters (0.5 mile) was ordered to evacuate. Six schools and the city's hospital had to close as a result.

[Don Corleone]

Looks like the ‘election’ of a National Socialist is still having consequences. Word to the wise.

[muawiyah]

Digging a ditch ~ by hand I hope.

[Yaelle]

At first I thought this was one of those WWII threads using old headlines.

[NonValueAdded]

Will Lt. Brian Ash please pick up the red courtesy phone?

Danger UXB

[aruanan]

To all those German students who got a day off from school: you’re welcome!

[Fantasywriter]

I hope this isn’t a stupid question, but why didn’t it go off when it was dropped? If it managed to hit the ground from a plane w’out exploding, is that any indication it could be a dud?

[MaxMax]

Yea it’s a dud, go ahead billy-bob dig er up and I’ll hold yer beer.

[SkyDancer]

Ludwig, I found ze problem, ziz vire ist not con

[US Navy Vet]

There are MILLIONS of tons of unexploded ordinance from WW I and II in Europe and all over Asia. See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Zone_%28World_War_I%29

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Free ThinkerNY.

The unexploded 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) wartime bomb was discovered by a man digging a ditch.

Good thing his pants were already dirty.

[af_vet_rr]

I hope this isn’t a stupid question, but why didn’t it go off when it was dropped? If it managed to hit the ground from a plane w’out exploding, is that any indication it could be a dud?

There are a lot of unexploded bombs from World War II in all of the theaters. They still find them in England, Japan, mainland Europe, Russia. Hell, we still find unexploded ordnance here in the US from WWII.

[cyclotic]

You beat me to it. (Oct-21-41)

[Calvin Locke]

Problem with the fuse, or, they missed yanking the safety pin, best guesses.

[US Navy Vet]

In the “Strategic Bombing Survey of 1947”, they estimated that 60% of the Bombs dropped in Europe were either off-target or did not explode.

[TADSLOS]

LOL!

[Fantasywriter]

Thanks, af; I had no idea there was that much unexploded ordinance. It’s a miracle more of it doesn’t result in casualties (unless it does, and I just haven’t heard about it).

Thanks, CL; that is very enlightening. So what you’re saying, if I understand it, is that the bomb is unlikely to be a dud. Hmm. Does sitting for so long in the rain and dirt, etc., make it less stable (or is that a question that goes from clueless to worse)?

[gorush]

[Doogle]

faulty fuse...

[txhurl]

You know, the haughty English harp on us for not using the metric system but they go around describing everybody’s weight in ‘stones’. WTF.