Large parts of Dresden to be evacuated after 250kg WW2 bomb found

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

Source: BBC

Much of the centre of the German city of Dresden will be evacuated on Wednesday, after the discovery of a large unexploded British World War Two flying bomb. The 250kg (551lb) device was discovered near the former Carola Bridge, which collapsed in the Elbe River in 2024. The fire brigade in Dresden says this is the city's largest evacuation to date for such an incident, affecting around 18,000 residents, tourists and commuters.

Much of the old town will be cordoned off by 09:00 (08:00 GMT), including some of the city's most famous buildings - the iconic Frauenkirche Lutheran church, the Residenzschloss Palace and the Semper Opera.
...
Dresden was attacked by British aircraft on 13 February 1945. In the days that followed, the British and their US allies dropped nearly 4,000 tons of bombs in the assault on the city. The ensuing firestorm killed 25,000 people and ravaged the city centre, once known as the Jewel Box because of its Baroque and Rococo architecture. Four other bombs were found during demolition work on the Carola Bridge last year.


Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1781gr5n9go

---

Makes you wonder about the future of Tehran and Beirut, assuming there is one.

[FakeNoose]

1. If the bomb hasn't detonated in 80+ years, why do they think it's dangerous now?

[TommyT139]

2. Age makes it more likely

I was curious too.

Aging, unexploded ordnance from the Second World War are becoming more sensitive to impact as the years pass. That’s because one of the explosives inside them is becoming more sensitive with age than previously thought, creating a greater risk of unexpected detonation of these bombs whether they are, storage facilities or uncovered near homes.

https://taskandpurpose.com/history/unexploded-bombs-world-war-2/

[artemisia1]

11. Also, the fuses are more sensitive due to degradation. /nt

[AZJonnie]

5. I would guess they want to mess with it to make SURE it's never going to blow up

So they evacuate the vicinity before working on it (I'd imagine with robots?) to disarm it, or failing in that, it blows up, but there's nobody around to be hurt

[Shellback Squid]

10. 40 years ago it was quite common to find old WWII bombs and sea water mines still floating

[James48]

7. We are still finding dangerous ordinance from WWI.

80 years old is still very dangerous and can be set off simply by probing around near it. Thats why, when one is found, they evacuate people around it. It can still be dangeroys and could still explode.

[area51]

12. You reminded me of the

WWI artillery shell found in Memorial Park in Houston last year.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. Beat it with a hammer! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

[TexasTowelie]

3. I learned a lot about Dresden after I graduated from college and the wind ensemble that I was in

performed this musical piece.

However, the wind ensemble at my university played the piece as "performance art" with red lighting during the portion where the shelling is occurring and then suddenly cutting to black (no lighting) when the big bomb is dropped near the end. It was an emotionally moving performance that gripped the entire audience.

[Nictuku]

4. How interesting that I just watched the new Nuremburg movie on Netflix

I'm learning a lot, as this all happened before I was born. My mom was 3.

So much seems relevant to current events.

Nazis were tried for firing on unarmed boats.

Russell Crow is amazing. So is Rami Malek. I highly recommend if you haven't seen it and are interested in this historical topic.

[msongs]

6. bury it under a mound of dirt and detonate. advice based on my years of demolition lol nt

[Shellback Squid]

9. "4,000 tons of bombs in the assault on the city" a great many were incendiary bombs, 40% or so

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden

[NBachers]

13. Man killed by exploding Civl War shell in 2008

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/140-yr-old-cannonball-kills-civil-war-fan/

[Jose Garcia]

14. So it goes