Three Germans killed by WW2 bombs, six injured

[The Straight Story]

Three Germans killed by WW2 bombs, six injured

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Three people working to defuse a second world war bomb were killed and another six who were involved in the job in central Germany were injured Tuesday, reports AFP. The news agency says four bombs have been found in Berlin in the past month, pointing to the frequency with which old bombs, still live, are found in the country. The deaths come as Jordan’s Prince Mired has been drawing the attention of world leaders to the dangers of landmines left from old wars, in his role as the Ottawa Convention president’s special envoy on the universalization of the Mine Ban Convention (see GenevaLunch feature interview with Prince Mired, 2 June 2010).

http://genevalunch.com/blog/2010/06/02/three-germans-killed-by-ww2-bombs-six-injured/

[aquart]

1. Sins of the fathers.

There may be a more dangerous job on the planet, but what would it be?

[Old Troop]

2. It happens in Germany, France and Britain with great frequency, but

I've never heard of a case in Japan. Why?

[The Straight Story]

3. Cause the Ninjas in Japan cleaned them up - and no one saw them do it

[ThomWV]

4. Because we firebombed Japan.

And the duds burned up and exploded in the insuing firestorms from the ones that went off.

[Historic NY]

5. they still clearing WWI bombs too.

[Enthusiast]

6. Some still containing poison gas.

There was an interesting article on it back in the 1980s. I believe it was in Smithsonian. France is especially afflicted with WWI ordinance, which is to be expected. I believe the article stated that over 100 people are killed annually in France from WWI and WWII ordinance, but that was clear back in the 1980s.

[old mark]

7. A man in the US was killed in 2008 while cleaning up a cannon ball

from the Civil War that he dug up somewhere. It was not the solid iron ball, but an explosive round, packed with black powder and iron pieces of shrapnel. He was hosing it off in his driveway and that 1860's powder charge exploded and killed him.
Here is a link to the story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353998,00.html

Evidently it is very difficult to get these 140 year old munitions to explode, but every once in a while they do.

I guess none of the "modern" wars is finished with us yet...

mark

[hobbit709]

8. Actually, black powder gets unstable as it ages.

Old black powder is almost as touchy as nitro.

[old mark]

11. I have fired original black powder rifle cartridges made in the 1880's in a

trapdoor Springfield rifle. I was surprized they worked at all but they were still potent and all of them fired...It was a real experience with the old 500 grain bullet, too-like getting hit in the face with a board.


mark

[Enthusiast]

12. When should I throw away

my containers of black powder? How old is old? How should they be disposed of? When you said it gets about as touchy as nitro I thought I better do something as it is about seven feet from my head right now.

[hobbit709]

13. I guess I should have said extremely old

Especially if it has gotten wet and then dried out like from buried or sunken.

[Enthusiast]

14. Thanks.

I might have some 12 to 15 years old. My front loaders all shoot far better groups with authentic black powder than with the modern Pyrodex. I don't need no 'splosions'. :nuke: :hi:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Explanation?

I understand the mechanism of dynamite becoming unstable with age, but that's the first I've heard about black powder.

[unhappycamper]

9. On the plus side, cluster bomb technology was not available in the 40s.

Can you imagine a (carpet) cluster bombing of Germany? It would be the world leader in legless men, women and children. Ask the folks in Cambodia and Vietnam.

[MrScorpio]

10. We used to find those things all the time in Germany at my old air base

As a matter of fact, various wooded areas were declared off limits due to old WWII era unexploded ordinance.

Still dangerous after all these years.