German explosive experts detonated the remains of a 550-pound (250 kg.) World War II bomb the other day. The American bomb was found by a construction crew in Munich on Tuesday evening. The crew was demolishing an old nightclub in the centre of the city in the Schwabing district. The explosion of the bomb was quite spectacular and generated a lot of interest internationally.
The remains of the bomb were deemed to
be too dangerous to be moved by explosive experts, so the bomb was
detonated where it was discovered. Over 3,000 residents had to be moved
from their homes during the operation for safety reasons. The explosion
of the bomb shattered windows and set small fires to other buildings
that were close by.
It is estimated that the Allies dropped about two million tons of bombs and explosives on Germany during WW2. Germany was carpet bombed by the allies for many years during the war. Tens of thousands of unexploded bombs are believed to still be lying under ground in many urban areas in Germany. In past years, some German explosive crews were killed while trying to move unexploded bombs.
Many other European countries also experience unexploded WW2 bombs. In Hungary, bombs are discovered from time to time in Budapest and smaller cities across the country. In recent years, several bombs from the Second World War have been discovered and detonated by Hungarian military explosive crews.
István
