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gmanders777
Jan 8, 2005
U.S. Bomb From World War II Found Buried on Grounds of German Hospital; Town, Patients Evacuated
The Associated Press


BERLIN (AP) - Some 5,000 residents of a Berlin suburb were evacuated from their homes Saturday while explosives experts defused a 550-pound U.S. bomb believed dropped during the last months of World War II, police said.

Much of downtown Potsdam was sealed off and hundreds of stores and businesses were closed to allow for the removal of the bomb, which was found during excavation work on the grounds of a hospital.

Nearly 500 of the hospital's patients were brought to a gymnasium for about six hours while disposal experts defused the bomb, police said. Other residents waited in schools and other gymnasiums.

Potsdam is the capital of Brandenburg state, which surrounds Berlin, and is the former residence of Prussian kings.

Based on historical records, city officials believe the bomb was dropped in April 1945, about a month before the war's end.

Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, unexploded bombs dropped during Allied air raids across Germany are still discovered and disposed of.

AP-ES-01-08-05 1337EST

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBWZ355Q3E.html

# Go Back To The Story
Marine
QUOTE(gmanders777 @ Jan 8 2005, 02:06 PM)
Jan 8, 2005
U.S. Bomb From World War II Found Buried on Grounds of German Hospital; Town, Patients Evacuated
The Associated Press
BERLIN (AP) - Some 5,000 residents of a Berlin suburb were evacuated from their homes Saturday while explosives experts defused a 550-pound U.S. bomb believed dropped during the last months of World War II, police said.

Much of downtown Potsdam was sealed off and hundreds of stores and businesses were closed to allow for the removal of the bomb, which was found during excavation work on the grounds of a hospital.

Nearly 500 of the hospital's patients were brought to a gymnasium for about six hours while disposal experts defused the bomb, police said. Other residents waited in schools and other gymnasiums.

Potsdam is the capital of Brandenburg state, which surrounds Berlin, and is the former residence of Prussian kings.

Based on historical records, city officials believe the bomb was dropped in April 1945, about a month before the war's end.

Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, unexploded bombs dropped during Allied air raids across Germany are still discovered and disposed of.

AP-ES-01-08-05 1337EST

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBWZ355Q3E.html

# Go Back To The Story
*

They still find unexploded ordnance in Britain too.

When I was stationed in Plymouth back in the 80's they had two occurances of construction workers stumbling on to German bombs buried for over 40 years.

The stuff is still live too.
noonanda
QUOTE(Marine @ Jan 9 2005, 07:20 AM)
They still find unexploded ordnance in Britain too. 

When I was stationed in Plymouth back in the 80's they had two occurances of construction workers stumbling on to German bombs buried for over 40 years. 

The stuff is still live too.
*


Every year in france there are people who die or are injured by ordance dating back to World War 1.

Where has there never been a war, so I can move there and not have to worry about unexploded ordanance tongue.gif
pennsylvaniagal
I was watching a television program the other evening - it was about WWI.
The battlefield in France has been preserved, primarily because there is so much unexploded ordnance that there's alway the danger of it going off. It is fenced in, flagged and posted. One needs special permission to enter the fenced off areas.

Guess this is one way to keep land "untouched".
noonanda
QUOTE(pennsylvaniagal @ Jan 12 2005, 02:00 PM)
I was watching a television program the other evening - it was about WWI. 
The battlefield in France has been preserved, primarily because there is so much unexploded ordnance that there's alway the danger of it going off.  It is fenced in, flagged and posted.  One needs special permission to enter the fenced off areas.

Guess this is one way to keep land "untouched".
*


They occasionally also find gas bombs still loaded with mustard gas or phosgene. That has got to be a crappy job having to dispose of 90 year old munitions.
Would definately hate to be French EOD (Explosive Ordanance Disposal)
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