Giant World War II Bomb in Poland Blows While Being Defused

The largest-ever World War II bomb found in Poland recently detonated as Navy divers attempted to diffuse it. The bomb, referred to as a “Tallboy or “Bomb, Medium Capacity,” weighed 12,000 pounds; half of which was explosives. Luckily, all of the divers were out of harm’s way when the gargantuan explosive went off.

ReutersOpens in a new tab described the Whoops-a-booms-y in a recent report, which comes via DiggOpens in a new tab. According to Reuters, the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) dropped the bomb in 1945 near the port of Szczecin, in an attack on a German cruiser. It lied there, dormant, until September 2019, when workers deepening the waterway near the port discovered it. (Unfortunately, no signs of either the One Ring to rule them all, nor GodzillaOpens in a new tab, were reported along with the discovery.)

Guardian News

“All mine divers were outside the danger zone” when the Tallboy blew, Second-Lieutenant Grzegorz Lewandowski, the spokesman of the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla, told the state-run news agency, PAP. He added that the deflagration process—or the process of slow-burning the bomb—turned into a detonation.

In the Guardian NewsOpens in a new tab video up top, we see the gigantic bomb’s blast send water high into the air; perhaps even hundreds of feet, although that’s speculation. The enormous blast also leaves behind a swirling, milky gray residue in the water. One that may be toxic, although that’s unclear as well.

“The object can be considered as neutralised, [and] will not pose any more threat,” Lieutenant Lewandowski said. Which means that the 750 nearby people evacuated for the deflagration-turned-detonation can now return to the area. Although it’s fair if locals remain a little jittery while hanging out near the water. It does seem that what people can buildOpens in a new tab is a whole scarier than what pops up in most horror and sci-fi films, after all.

Feature Image: Guardian NewsOpens in a new tab