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| Europe |
| WW2 bomb forces 45,000 to evacuate Koblenz |
| 2011-12-04 |
| In the western German city of Koblenz, tens of thousands have left their homes as experts prepare to defuse a massive bomb from World War II discovered in the Rhine river. City officials said Sunday that some 45,000 residents living within a 1.2 miles radius from the bomb site had to evacuate for the day. Officials say seven nursing homes, two hospitals and a prison are also being evacuated. It's one of Germany's biggest bomb-related evacuations since the war ended. The RAF 1.8 ton bomb would cause massive damage if it exploded. It was found last week next to a 275-pound U.S. bomb after the Rhine's water level fell due to lack of rain. Both bombs are to be defused. On Sunday, all road and rail connections to Koblenz will be blocked. Trains have not been able to stop at the main railway station since early Sunday morning and access roads into the city will be closed. Shelters with 12,000 beds have been set up in schools. Hundreds of sandbags have been laid around the section of the riverbed where the bomb lies. On Sunday morning the remaining water will be pumped out from the area. Once the bomb site is dry, the work to defuse the explosives will begin. The second, smaller US bomb will be defused at the same time. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #2 I understand the big bomb was safely defused. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-12-04 18:59 |
| #1 The US military has remembered Koblenz ever since its post-World War I occupation by General John J. Pershing. Pershing was not a believer in "coddling" the troops, and he blamed the two epidemics his army had suffered, "clap" and influenza, on idleness and interacting with the local population while idle. So, in the quiet of Koblenz, at the time called Coblenz, he ordered that all soldiers were to undergo 8 hours of close order drill daily. This did not endear him to the soldiers. Pershing was immortalized by the National Society of Pershing Rifles, that to this day, endeavors to teach ROTC cadets drill & ceremonies, with antiquated and inert rifles, so that they can perform decorative activities at civilian functions. More militant cadets are encouraged to join a parallel organization based on US Army Ranger training, which teaches them to be deadly, not pretty. This more reflects the opinions of General Pershing's subordinate officers during the Philippine Insurrection. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-12-04 08:35 |