“Across the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, around 1,500 to 2,000 bombs are found every year – about 200 of which are high-yield.”National World War II Museum’s website“Our task today was to defuse three large bombs with impact fuses, and my team and I did a great job… We can now say that the bombs have been defused and are ready for transport.”
Bombing history of Cologne#
Royal Air Force zone map of Cologne, War Office, 1943-1944. Image source: British Library.Operation Millennium
This aerial image of Cologne is from November 1944. The area to the west of the river, almost all coloured in dark blue, indicates the city centre. Image source: Imperial War Museum via BBC.
The First 1000 Bomber Raid#
Image showing the spires of the cathedral standing amid the ruins of Cologne, Germany, 1945. Image source: War History Online.
Image showing Destroyed bridges in Cologne 1945. The bombs were defused in the park at the bottom of this image. Image source: War History Online.
What should I do if I encounter an unexploded bomb during construction?#
