

Munich Detonates WWII Bomb - jennyjitters
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/08/munich-detonates-one-its-many-wwii-era-bombs/56313/

======
rootinier
Interesting that this made it to the front page of Hacker News.

------
donretag
Pardon my ignorance, but how involved was Munich in the entire WWII conflict?
It was not too close to the front (especially to the west) and the closest
bordering nations were allies.

~~~
demallien
Munich is the home of BMW, and a major industrial centre of the southern part
of Germany. As such it was a desirable target for the Allied war effort.
According to Wikipedia, 42% of the city was destroyed during the bombing
campaign:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II#The_Battle_of_Britain_and_the_Blitz)

------
hendrik-xdest
Here is a better recording: <http://vimeo.com/48399328>

------
jschuur
Weird. Here's a story about a WW2 bomb near Amsterdam's airport from today
too:
[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/europe/netherlands-a...](http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/europe/netherlands-
airport-bomb/index.html?hpt=hp_t3)

------
racknine
Another one at Amsterdam Airport, must be the season, like the mushrooms:

[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/europe/netherlands-a...](http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/europe/netherlands-
airport-bomb/)

------
jlgreco
I am guessing either this type of bomb wasn't designed to create shrapnel, or
they removed the casing beforehand somehow?

~~~
hendrik-xdest
They did not. I've read in a German newspaper today that a piece of the metal
casing has been found 300 meters off, near one of the main roads of Munich.
They coated the bomb in straw and sandbags to minimize the shrapnel as best as
possible, though.

~~~
cstuder
The straw was there to prevent shrapnel damage. Unfortunatel the straw ignited
and started fires in a couple of surrounding buildings.

You can find a lot of pictures in german newspapers and magazines, i.e.:
[http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/bombenfund-experten-
spreng...](http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/bombenfund-experten-sprengen-
blindgaenger-fotostrecke-86715.html)

