250 kg bomb found in Kladow: Evacuation for 90 residents!

250 kg bomb found in Kladow: Evacuation for 90 residents!

At noon June 11, 2025, a forester in Kladow discovered a 250 kg British World War II bomb. The discovery took place around 12:20 p.m. in a forest near the Breithornweg, which caused the police to initiate immediate measures. However, a defusing of the detonator on site does not appear to be possible, which is why the forensic technicians are planning a controlled demolition of the bomb. A blocking circuit was set up around the site with a radius of 500 meters, and around 90 people are affected who have to be evacuated. In particular, the Breithornweg and surrounding allotment garden systems as well as a therapeutic aid device are affected by the evacuation measures.

The problem of blind companions is unfortunately not an isolated case in Germany. Despite the end of the Second World War over 75 years ago, several thousand world war bombs are discovered annually. For example, in 2018, almost 3000 duds were found in North Rhine-Westphalia. These bombs usually not exploded and can come to light during construction work. When discovering, the immediate environment must usually be evacuated, the blocking area can be between 50 meters and one kilometer depending on the size of the bomb.

challenges in defusing

When an unexploded man is found, the way of the contestation is required to identify the type of detonator in order to be able to plan the defusing. Typically, there is a flying bomb of a detonator and a bomb body filled with TNT. The danger arises when detonators and explosives are connected. Simple detonators may be removed with a pipe pliers, while more complex detonators require special devices in order to cut them down safely. If there is delays in the evacuation of the blocking area, this can significantly endanger the defusing.

Almost 80 years after the end of the war, new ordnance are discovered every day in Germany. In 2024, 1,606 bombs were even found in North Rhine-Westphalia and made it harmless, which represents an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2023. This increase is due to the increased construction activity. The ordnance disposal services were in use a total of 35,567 times in 2024, an increase compared to 32,162 missions the year before. These services are increasingly involved in more infrastructure projects, which increases the probability of discovery.

In 2024, 182 bombs with a weight of 50 kg and more were discovered and twelve bombs were blown up at the site. While self -detonations have occurred regularly in the past, the security practices and technologies for defusing have now been significantly improved. Nevertheless, the correct handling and defusing of blind passers remains a complex challenge for the responsible authorities.