New map of German UXBs

Kyt · Jul 13, 2008

Maps showing the likely locations of thousands of unexploded bombs dropped during World War Two have been created for the first time.

New map reveals locations of unexploded World War Two bombs - Telegraph

Up to one in ten bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe failed to detonate leaving a deadly legacy which still lies under the nation's streets and fields.

The new map will be used by builders to tell them the risks from unexploded bombs where they are working. Members of the public will also be able to access the map, which identifies 21,000 locations where there could be unexploded bombs.

Experts have studied aerial photographs taken by the RAF after the war and maps created by insurance companies to assess the extent of the bombing damage.

They have been able to pinpoint sites across the UK where unexploded munitions are most likely to be concealed. The cities with the highest number of sites are London, Plymouth, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham.

David Mole, from the Landmark Information Group, which has compiled the charts, said: "Bombs were dropped in sequence and the photographs and maps show where buildings have been demolished. From that we can work out the patterns and where there is most likely to be unexploded ordnance.

"In between the areas that were cleared by bombs are pockets that were untouched. Looking at them now, 60 years later, with detailed images of the pattern of destruction around them, you know there is a very good chance there is a bomb in the vicinity."

The online maps are available for all major cities and areas of the countryside where bombings took place.

Unexploded German bombs are still unearthed across Britain, with relative frequency, in gardens, fields, allotments and building sites, where their sudden discovery can cause lengthy and expensive disruptions.

Last month, work on the Olympic site, in east London, had to be halted, after the discovery of a 1,000kg unexploded device. A survey has found that the site could contain as many as 200 devices.

If a bomb is suspected in an area, specialist firms are able to use electromagnetic equipment to scan for buried metal that may be ordnance. They can also sink probes into the ground to search for deeply buried devices.

At the Weld Arms, a thatched pub in East Lulworth, Dorset, a 50kg bomb was unearthed last year while a new patio was being laid in the beer garden.

Krista Pall, who works at the pub, said: "It was a pretty big surprise. We don't know if there are any more around but if we find another, at least we won't be quite so surprised.

Many of the bombs dropped over Britain by the Luftwaffe were faulty and failed to explode when dropped.

Historians believe many were sabotaged by workers in occupied Europe who were forced to produce them for the Germans.

Some devices were timed to go off some time after hitting the ground, in order to maximise their disruptive and destructive effects.

However, the clockwork mechanisms jammed in several cases.

Their impact created shallow craters and they were then covered up by earth disturbed by nearby explosions or later construction work. The bombs can become inert over time, but when disturbed, the timing mechanism can restart.

Terry Charman, senior historian at the Imperial War Museum, in London, said: "It was often sheer carelessness in their manufacture that meant they didn't explode. In some cases, there was perhaps sabotage as well.

"There is still great interest when these things turn up, because for so many people it is still a living memory. Bombings were far more widespread than just in London."
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Kyt · Jul 29, 2008

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/3547902.Why_you_are_more_likely_to_dig_up_old_WWII_bomb_in_Essex_/

PEOPLE are being warned to watch where they dig because a new map shows you are more likely to find an unexploded Second World War bomb in south Essex than in other parts of the country.

The area from Thurrock to Southend is considered a high risk zone for bombs by a risk mapping company.

Zetica uses geophysics to provide risk assessment maps to building developers, but now the public can also check if they live in a hotspot area using an online map.

Zones are assessed by the density of bombing hits. In a high risk area, this means 50 plus bombs per 1,000 acres.

There is no doubt south east Essex, bordering the River Thames, was seen by the German Luftwaffe pilots as a strategic trade target.

On the other hand, it is also true Essex just had the misfortune of being the county on route to London.

Mike Sainsbury, managing director of Zetica, who took two years to produce maps for every UK county, said: “From Southend through to Thurrock you have a zone where German pilots would tip and run.

“They didn’t want to encounter the flak from the anti-aircraft batteries in London, so would drop their bombs earlier.

“There were the strategic sites too, from Shoeburyness through to the oil refineries in Thurrock.

“It is to be expected a number of bombs were dropped in that area.”

Historian Richard Smith, vice- chairman of Purfleet Heritage Centre, recalls the Purfleet refinery being bombed on September 7, 1940. He said: “They hit two of the tanks and there is a picture from the time which shows the smoke coming up from them.

“Ford factories would have also been targets, as were the anti-aircraft guns at Coalhouse Fort, in Tilbury, and at Horndon on the Hill.”

But for the ones that didn’t explode, he added: “There must still be lots of them lying around.

“A couple of years ago someone came into the heritage centre with a combustion engine from a V2 rocket, so they are still out there.”

Richard believes there could be another important reason why unexploded bombs landed here.

He explained: “There were a number of attacks using V2 and V1 doodlebug rockets.

“These landed on Essex as the Germans used to make them using slave labour.

“Because of this, workers would tamper with the navigation systems, or ensure the bombs didn’t detonate so it would not complete its mission or hit its designated target.”

The Zetica map is based on local authority records and Ministry of Defence files and reports on the German Luftwaffe.

The map refers to the types of bombs which could still be hidden, categorising them as high explosive, anti-personnel or incendiary devices.

The latter are considered the least dangerous. Mr Sainsbury added: “A lot of them didn’t even penetrate the ground and it’s very unlikely they would operate today.”

High explosive bombs were dropped in high numbers and anti-personnel devices included mines. Mr Sainsbury warned: “For every ten bombs dropped, it’s estimated one didn’t explode.”

Two years ago, Southend councillor, Brian Kelly, urged the council to carry out an archaeological dig on the old college playing fields in Lifstan Way, Southend, before flats and houses were built.

“This was because a German Junker 88 aircraft had crash-landed there on August 30, 1940.

The homes are now built, though, and fortunately no unexploded bombs have been dug up.

Mr Kelly, who was a navigator in the RAF for two years in the 1950s, said: “I called for the dig because the plane that crashed still had part of its bomb load on it.

“A number of bombs were found in the wreckage, but I didn’t know if all of them had been found and destroyed.

“I would expect there to still be a number of unexploded bombs yet to be found.”

To request a copy of the online map visit Zetica - an industry leader in Site Investigation Solutions > Homepage
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New map of German UXBs

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