50,000 evacuated due to RAF cookie
Personally, I'd have gently disposed of them ASAP.
Hope the Christmas celebration with their families was enhanced by their bravery.
Reminds me of the episode of Auf Wiedersehen Pet when they find an unexploded bomb on the building site.
Oz (proudly) "That's a British bomb!"
Herr Ulrich "Yes, it did not go off."
Oz (proudly) "That's a British bomb!"
Herr Ulrich "Yes, it did not go off."
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They weren't wearing proper bomb disposal protective clothing.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
I wonder what the evacuation area would have been for a bigger bomb, the 8000 or 12000?
As an aside, I read a translation of a German intelligence report. They correctly named the 12,000 lb bomb but did differential between the HC bomb and the Tallboy.
They said it could be dropped from low level, 50 feet or more or high level at 20,000.
As an aside, I read a translation of a German intelligence report. They correctly named the 12,000 lb bomb but did differential between the HC bomb and the Tallboy.
They said it could be dropped from low level, 50 feet or more or high level at 20,000.
I wonder if our "three musketeers" would care to write a short account of just how they accomplished this very dangerous piece of handy work?
OAP
Purely as an aside, I notice that fuze appears to be the preferred spelling on here, whereas I would use fuse myself. I have seen an old buttons where fusiliers was spelt fuzileers, but that was from about 1780. Has the 'z' spelling come back?
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Early in the "Blitz" (September 1940) a large German UXB was found close to the foundations of St.Paul's Cathedral. A Bomb Disposal team led by Lieutenant Robert Davies (RE) dug down, found it, dug it out and took it away in a truck for disposal (it does not seem to have been de-fused !!).
At the time, my Civil Service "Line Manager" had been a Sopwith Camel pilot as a Captain in the RFC. His comment at the time: "I'd give that. bloke a whole bucketful of VCs !" (Same applies to these three lads, IMHO).
Later, Davies was awarded the George Cross for it. (Wiki has the story: Google "Robert Davies (GC)").
Two months later, I volunteered for aircrew duties in the RAFVR (but I'd already made up my mind to do that anyway).
Danny.
At the time, my Civil Service "Line Manager" had been a Sopwith Camel pilot as a Captain in the RFC. His comment at the time: "I'd give that. bloke a whole bucketful of VCs !" (Same applies to these three lads, IMHO).
Later, Davies was awarded the George Cross for it. (Wiki has the story: Google "Robert Davies (GC)").
Two months later, I volunteered for aircrew duties in the RAFVR (but I'd already made up my mind to do that anyway).
Danny.
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TTN, wouldn't know, but for what it's worth as an RE when wearing the Combat Engineer hat and playing with bang I always used the spelling Fuze. But when wearing the Electrician RE hat I always used the spelling Fuse to describe a device used to prevent bangs!
Either way, the team that did that job certainly had some gonads. Wonder if we could claim on the warranty and get a refund from the fuze manufacturer as they didn't work as described back in 1944?
Either way, the team that did that job certainly had some gonads. Wonder if we could claim on the warranty and get a refund from the fuze manufacturer as they didn't work as described back in 1944?
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Going back to the fuse (or fuze), didn't this bomb have three? Were fuses particularly unreliable at that time or was it a "design feature". I have read that some fuses were deliberately set on a time delay to hamper clear-up operations. If that's the case here, this one worked especially well!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
One German bomb had an anti-tamper device which activated as the pistol was unscrewed. The RAF bomb disposal man calculated that if you could unscrew and extract the pistol faster than the pistol could activate the fuse . . .
Accordingly he loosened the pistol and then fastened a drive belt from his motorcycle to the pistol. The bike drive was engaged and the pistol flew out - so I was told
Accordingly he loosened the pistol and then fastened a drive belt from his motorcycle to the pistol. The bike drive was engaged and the pistol flew out - so I was told
TTN, yes you would be quite correct to use "fuse" for domestic electrical protection devices. However, explosive-train detonators and similar weapon initiators are generally termed "fuzes". Blame the Romans!
OAP
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TTN, wouldn't know, but for what it's worth as an RE when wearing the Combat Engineer hat and playing with bang I always used the spelling Fuze. But when wearing the Electrician RE hat I always used the spelling Fuse to describe a device used to prevent bangs!
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In his book 'Braver Men Walk Away', Peter Gurney -- who was Head of the Explosives Section of the Met's Anti-Terrorist Branch until retirement in 1991 -- refers to 'fuzes' throughout.
I seem to recall that even after the fuze is removed, 70 year old high explosive has a bad habit of becoming somewhat unstable.
So was removing the bomb from the site an issue? And what do they do after that - take it to a remote location and blow it up?
So was removing the bomb from the site an issue? And what do they do after that - take it to a remote location and blow it up?