Community effort diffuses WWII bomb at Army garrison in Grafenwoehr

By Nathan Van Schaik, Joint Multinational Training CommandMarch 23, 2015

Community effort diffuses WWII bomb at Army garrison in Grafenwoehr
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Community effort diffuses WWII bomb at Army garrison in Grafenwoehr
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Community effort diffuses WWII bomb at Army garrison in Grafenwoehr
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Community effort diffuses WWII bomb at Army garrison in Grafenwoehr
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (March 20, 2015) -- A World War II-era bomb was discovered at the Army garrison here, setting in motion a rapid response by Army officials and a German ordnance disposal team that prompted the community's safe evacuation and the bomb's eventual disposal.

The World War II-era bomb was recently discovered during construction at the site of a new elementary school near the main gate and adjacent to the garrison headquarters building.

The bomb was located about six feet deep and was estimated to be around 1,000 pounds, said Dirk Kellar, safety director at the Joint Multinational Training Command, or JMTC, headquartered here, which provides oversight for the land and training areas in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels.

This incident, which was was picked up by both NBC News and The Washington Post, demonstrated the safety precautions unique to construction on post. Anytime ground is broken on post, a digging permit must first be issued, said Keith Lear, safety manager for U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria. This case was no different.

Michael Saalborn, a first-responder and a safety specialist with JMTC, said that the German ordnance removal company EMC was searching the area for unexploded ordnance. "It's the first step prior to any construction," he said.

"We know it's a bombed area," said Harry Kordesch, a safety specialist with JMTC. "The survey is conducted to ensure that it's safe for construction and remove anything dangerous."

"Since this was identified as a World War II munition, the German Explosive Ordinance Disposal, or EOD, has jurisdiction," said Kellar, a reference to the explosive ordnance team. "This sort of thing is not uncommon," adding that another World War II bomb was discovered in 2004 and safely removed in the same general area.

In a country laden with unexploded ordnance dating back to World War I, German regulations require that construction companies use professional bomb safe organizations. But on American military installations, relations and responsibilities can become convoluted. While EMC could have removed and detonated the bomb on its own, the 702nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, headquartered here, took on the responsibility.

"Less risk to move and detonate here than to move it," said 1st Sgt. Jesse Krone, first sergeant with the 702nd EOD Company. "Once the bomb was defused by the ordnance company that discovered it, we loaded it and took it out to the impact area located here."

The 702nd EOD Company detonated the bomb at Grafenwoehr Training Area's Range 117, around 7:30 p.m. later that night.

What unfolded after the bomb's discovery was a paradigm in community relations. The German police and fire department, a Bavarian explosive ordnance disposal team from Nuremberg, the 702nd EOD Company, staff with the garrison, military police, criminal investigations, JMTC - all coupled with the cooperation of the entire military community - mobilized and deescalated the situation.

"The way we handled this unexploded ordnance discovery is a testament to the vital work our entire team does day in and day out," said Col. Mark Colbrook, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, noting the efforts, among others, of the Directorate of Emergency Services, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, safety office, public affairs and German first-responders. "The next step is to take best practices and lessons learned from this response and use them to improve our actions for next time. There is nothing more important to us than the safety and welfare of our community members."

"The garrison systems in place were not only highly effective, but were leveraged in such a way that we could fully utilize the capacities of all our German partners, which included the German police, fire department and Bavarian EOD," said Lt. Col. John Bergman, Grafenwoehr's top cop and director of emergency services.

"Our day-to-day interaction with our German partners was critical to the timeliness of our first-responders and the fast and safe evacuation," Bergman said.

The discovery of the unexploded bomb comes at an eerie time and is a dramatic reminder of our not-so-distant past. April 5th marks the 70th anniversary of when the allies bombed the training area of Grafenwoehr, then used by the German military and the surrounding area.

The attack on April 8, 1945, known as "Low Sunday," was perhaps the most disastrous of the campaign. Two hundred and three American B-17 bombers dropped nearly 200 tons of fire bombs over Grafenwoehr, according to local historian Gerald Morgenstern.

While safety measures are in place to protect the community from unexploded ordnance, one can play a part.

"If you or someone you know encounters a munition, remember the 3 R's: recognize, retreat and report," Lear said.

Related Links:

Army.mil: Europe News

U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria

Explosives: Know the 3 R's

World War II Bomb Prompts Evacuation of U.S. Base in Germany

WWII-era bomb leads to evacuation at U.S. Army base in Germany