A WWII-era, unexploded bomb is revealed at a construction site for a new school near the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area on Wednesday. German authorities defused the bomb and U.S. soldiers later detonated the 1,000-pound bomb. (Courtesy of U.S. Army)
A WWII-era, unexploded bomb is revealed at a construction site for a new school near the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area on Wednesday. German authorities defused the bomb and U.S. soldiers later detonated the 1,000-pound bomb. (Courtesy of U.S. Army)
A WWII-era, unexploded bomb is revealed at a construction site for a new school near the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area on Wednesday. German authorities defused the bomb and U.S. soldiers later detonated the 1,000-pound bomb. (Courtesy of U.S. Army)
A WWII-era, unexploded bomb sticks out of the dirt at a construction site for a new school near the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area on Wednesday. German authorities defused it and U.S. soldiers later detonated the 1,000-pound bomb. (Courtesy of U.S. Army)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — German authorities removed an unexploded, World War II-era bomb from a construction site for a new school at the U.S. Army’s Grafenwoehr Training Area on Wednesday night.
“The 150-pound bomb likely never exploded because it had a damaged fuse," said Lt. Col Mike Burden, director of emergency services on US Army Garrison Bavaria.
German and U.S. military police evacuated a few hundred people living nearby after three workers discovered the bomb near the base Wednesday afternoon.
The bomb led Army officials to close Gate 3 and forced the closure of a portion of the B299 road, causing traffic delays.
Families living in the nearby mixed German and American community were taken to the local town hall until the bomb was disposed. The evacuees returned to their homes later that night, said Nathan Van Schaik, an Army spokesman.
“A German ordnance disposal contractor known as Kampfmittelräumdienst (KRD) Tauber — tasked by the state of Bavaria to manage unexploded ordnance — defused, excavated and disposed the bomb," Van Schaik said.
