I come from Osnabrück. Anyway, mostly British unexploded bombs are defused there every two to three months. In Germany this is normally the task of the “Kampfmittelräumdienst". Now you have to know that Osnabrück was one of the largest bases for the British army in Germany. In fact, a British officer stationed there had made it his mission to defuse all the bombs himself. The bombs, which were still movable, were even transported to the British Army compound. I would like to expressly thank the officer again at this point. Personally, I am also very happy that many Brits have found their new home in Osnabrück even after the army has left and have found their personal happiness in love with a German partner.
Yeah, it's definitely the same here in the South and Southeast of England too. Unexploded bombs being found usually about every 3 or so months. It is pretty scary, because you never know if you're near one or not. My house could be right on top of one, I just don't know. There have been several found in towns and villages near where I live that it's almost inevitable one will be found in my town eventually - especially considering there used to be a WW2 RAF airbase less than a mile from me, as well as a WW2 military hospital also near by. Another big one is unexploded grenades and mines from the war, often found in rivers and lakes by magnet fishers. I don't know which supply officer in WW2 thought "ah yes, let's remove all these excess munitions by dumping them in rivers, I'm sure that won't cause any problems in the future", but they're an idiot. Damn war. Even to this day, it's still ruining lives.
@@Perseus7567 After the war, a lot of explosives and chemical weapons were dumped in a deep trench in the Irish Sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland, effectively barring Boris Johnson's proposal to construct a bridge across there between the two British Isles to appease the Democratic Unionists.
@@Perseus7567 My parents' house in Osnabrück was actually built in 1937 and survived the war almost unscathed. So we know pretty well that no bombs fell in the immediate vicinity. The next unexploded bomb was about 800 m away and was defused a few years ago. In fact, my mother was also evacuated during the defusing. Incidentally, the house suffered the slight war damage not from the British but from a German anti-aircraft defense position. The explosion pressure from the cannon fire regularly tore off roof tiles. Fragments from the shells can still be found throughout the area today.
My Grandparents grew up in London during the Blitz and retired in Exeter. The day the bomb went off they said it was like brutal reminder of their childhood
Just watching the blast of that one bomb was a shock. I can't imagine what it must have been been like to live through multiple of those blast on a near daily basis.
My grandparents used to say "don't worry about the bombs, the only bomb you have to worry about is the one with your name on it;" which terrified their neighbours, Mr and Mrs Doodlebug.
Well done Dr Felton for stitching the Exeter explosion into a dull legal dispute - and making an intriguing, even gripping, tale. The mark of the true raconteur. Thank you.
Well to be fair, it's usually just to prevent external damage. It's not like the bomb is actually live still. I totally expect that museums make exceptions for arranged historian visits and stuff, as long as they're careful. It's just to stop that average American Karen getting all handsy with it.
You didn't notice the *? It adds (in small print mind you), "*Exceptions made for TH-cam creators who further the field of human knowledge and understanding with educational and interesting historical videos. Liberal use of dry British wit is also party to the no-touching exemption.". I see no conflict here.
I was living in Birks Grange halls just beside the field where the bomb was found at the time. My room was 60 meters away from it. It was a lockdown so not many students were in but all had to be evacuated and put in hotels for a week. The bomb squad put 40 tonnes of sand and concrete over it. Still it smashed windows, threw mud, and blew the roofs of houses 200 meters away. It was insane seeing the damage. The field is in-between the uni halls and a 24 hour esso. Being students we would make trips to that esso for drinks, cutting diagonally across the field and as I worked out with a friend the bomb would have been right under the path - barley a meter of so below our feet. Thousands of students walked over that each year since it fell and it could have gone off at any point. Great video as always Dr. Felton!!
Same here, but in the previous building in 1979 on that exact same site in a room on the corner closest to the site of the bomb. Most of the other buildings around the site seen in the video were not there then, and it was all fields and hedgerows.
They find unexplored WWII ordinance regularly off the coast near where I live in Somerset. There was one particular explosion which I felt in my chest from two miles away and sent all the birds flying. It’s always a bit risky going out on those mudflats. I believe that the bombs were dropped there if they hadn’t been used up in raids on Bristol, but might be wrong there as it seems like the wrong direction to me?
Now you younger generation got a history lesson on that to know what's it like for those people in 1942 had to go thru. This is just taste of it, imagine thousands of those bombs being dropped in your town. Horrible way to die that is war for you.
I’m also a student at Exeter University, and I was in first year accommodation when the bomb went off. We got evacuated to hotels in Dawlish and Bridgewater. Some people stayed there for more than a week. Luckily my accommodation (Mardon Hall) only got very minor damage so we could move back in a couple of days after. Excellent video as always Dr. Felton (:
When I was working on HS1 in Ebbsfleet (as an archaeologist) we were told that if we found an object that looked like a fire extinguisher, but with a point STOP and call a manager who would call the Bomb Disposal to take a look.
This was of immense interest to me because it happened in the grounds of a property (since demolished) called Glenthorne House which had once belonged to my paternal great-grandparents. My grandfather was born there in July 1890. That particular pair of great-grandparents died in the 1930s so luckily never witnessed the destruction of their once beautiful city.
In my city in Germany we still find bombs multiple times per year. All construction sites have to be probed before any work involving digging is allowed. Legally the situation is the same: WWII bomb damanges are considered a result of war. However, according to a recent news article, over here no insurance company has ever rejected a damage claim resulting from a WWII bomb: insurers accept such claims on a "voluntary basis" (they are worried of the "Flak" which would follow when denying such a claim, even though they have the legal option).
@@jacobchavez4549 The Polish who had committed atrocities against the German minority on Polish territory; the Britons and French who ignored Germany‘s diplomatical efforts in order to consolidate peace in Europe and an equilibrium of power since 1933; the French foremost for the dehumiliation of the Germans with the treaties of Paris after WW1; the Soviets for arming and pushing toward the border between Germany and SU that had been agreed upon in the Molotow-Ribbentrop treaty as the war had already been going on in Europe.
These bombs are still found in Serbia, especially in Belgrade, which was hit by an unusually heavy bombing campaign for such a weak country (Yugoslavia) in WW2. The last one they found was an SC250 carried by a Stuka, however many SC500 and SC1000 bombs remain buried to this day. A suggestion for Dr. Felton for a new video from me, a topic to look into - there is a very large fleet of still visible German ships, some with unexploded ordnance in the Danube river in the Djerdap ravine. It was sunk while retreating from Greece & Romania.
Would the same be said for the reverse do you know? I'm curious to see whether the German courts would rule a modern-day detonation an "Act of War" also, and who has to pay up.
I lived and travelled past that bomb for 2 years, from 2013 to 2015, as a student at the university of Exeter. I am amazed by what lied mere meters from my path to my courses, and horrified about what my parents would have gone through had the bomb gone off at the wrong time. Thank you, Mr. Felton, for this video, which I will surely show my friends!
4:05 "please do not touch" **TOUCHING** however, the doctor was not breaking any rules. clearly the sign meant "pleae do not touch the shinny yellow table". the bomb is ok to touch, it is not live. wait, it is live?
reminds me of the story of a British WWI veteran who had been exposed to mustard gas during the war & how when he died in 1960s (I think-) due to complications caused by the exposure to the gas, the doctor who signed his death certificate listed the cause of death as "killed by the King's enemies"
I read that story as well, it was mentioned in a history of chemical and biological warfare published in the eary 1980s titled "A Higher Form Of Killing." Excellent book! I still re-read it from time to time. I believe the poor man died from emphysema.
A truly frightening reminder that war can still cause damage and pain many years after it ends. As you said Dr. Felton, it was very fortunate that the equipment operator did not cause the bomb to explode as he unearthed it. That would have been an even worse tragedy.
I wonder what was on that site before they started digging it up? People must have been walking around in that area for years, completely unaware that there was a massive unexploded bomb right under their feet.
Yeah, and a truly frightening reminder of what morons humanity still consists of. We have the 21st century already but mentally we are all in the 12th. And that’s just looking at the Ukraine and the Middle East. Let alone the 200+ other places on this space rock which are presently also fought over for whatever stupid fcuk „reason“.
Bobschenkel7921A guy few years ago was digging in Germany with a backhoe and hit one and blew him the backhoe to bits and damaged homes for many blocks. WW2 isn't ancient history like many of these kids think, these bombs are just as deadly as many today
There was a TV commercial a few years back here in the US that had aliens attacking and destroying a neighborhood. The irony was that it was for an insurance company that no doubt would have characterized such an attack an act of war and would have refused to pay out on anyone's homeowner's policy.
WHY would they have not GENTLY put it into a PILLOW truck(something very padded I mean) and VERY slowly(like 1 mph like NASA does when it moves its rockets) moved it to an open area vs what they did? I mean they did damage ANYWAY....they could have picked a ROUTE that would have been the LEAST populated and taken it to a beach or something....
Mark I have been with You Many Many Years , So Many i forget how long but i remember when this Channel only had 30,000 Sub's & I was one of them I Used to Say What a Hidden Gem & So SO Many People That Truly *LOVE* History are missing out ... But this Bright & Shiny Gem was Found By So Many Now you have 2.09 *MILLION* Sub's more sub's than Many countries have people , So many people its hard to even Imagine that Number But You have NOT Changed a BIt Its still that Gem that Diamond of a channel but now the world gets to see it! Really happy for you buddy Can't wait to Watch this. Thanks for the Pace of Uploads too Mark You pump out so much Crazy Good Content! Thank You!!
I love it when you mention Norwich! I lived there for a few months in '89 and only being 20 didn't have nearly the fascination for history I do now but even then it was awe inspiring.
Was there during the detonation. Even though I was about 1,5 kilometers away, the sound was immense. You know that feeling of vibration in your body when you’re standing near the speaker in a concert? Well, the bomb detonation makes you feel that for 2-3 seconds.
Amazing. When I was working for the Fire Service in London in 2008, work was underway for the 2012 Olympic site along the bank of the Thames in Bow. A Polish man in a JCB came across a Hermann when clearing the site and apparently he was hitting the bomb several times with his digger bucket. I went along to supply fire fighting hose to the bomb disposal unit. I believe they flushed the explosives out and blew up the detonator which on its own created a massive explosion.
Indeed. There must still be literally LOADS in the mud in and around all towns and Cities, yet to be unearthed, as there are regularly found in N. Europe. Never mind buried in fields, river bottoms, woods, etc. . Crikey, what a deadly mess, still, nearly a century on from.
I remember when an unexploded German bomb was found on Portland. Its location required residents to be evacuated while the bomb was defused. One enterprising pub landlord argued that his real ale had a finite period when it was at its best, which coincided with the period of the evacuation, and it would have been past its best afterwards. He managed to get it officially written off but was not allowed to sell it for profit. So he sold it at cost until half an hour before closing time, when he gave it away free. So we all had a drink on Hermann Goring!
My mother lived in Bath, the unprotected City blltzed after Exeter in the Baedecker Blitz (though oddly omitted by Dr. Felton). The city was bombed over two nights.... the victims from the first night being moved to a large church, which was then destroyed on the second night of bombing. My mother remembered that, standing on the first-floor landing, she watched a German fighter flying so low (presumably photographing damage) that she could plainly see that the cockpit canopy was pushed back and the pilot had a leather flying helmet and his white silk scarf was fluttering in the wind!
5:09 OTBC !! Everytime I drive down Dereham Rd I recall your video on that traffic light junction where Norfolk Car Audio was... hadn't realised that you were local to me until then !
both the 1000kg of original explosives (degraded to a degree) and whatever charge placed against it to force detonation (50kg or so most likely of far more powerful explosives). The sand placed on top is mostly to reduce shrapnel damage to the surrounding area, not blast.
@@rickglorie I don't believe so. A lot of the power we see is forced up and out by the barricades. It would definitely cause a lot more damage with shrapnel and the initial blast if higher up would reach more buildings second stories but outside that the size of the explosion wouldn't differ from what was recorded. The energy mitigated was tiny and mainly just a cushion to catch shrapnel.
Don't except most insurances in the world war damages? (At least in Germany every insurance contract does it. I assume German insurances learned this the hard way. 😅)
@@gargoyle7863 I think the war exemption clause is pretty standard. Apparently the Communist insurgency in Malaya was called an "emergency" so British property owners can claim insurance.
@@SEAZNDragon How convenient. "Oh no, the land-owning class is in danger, we must bend the rules for the future of Britannia!1!" I just looked that up, and all I can say is wow. People always shit all over the US for being the World Police since the 1950s, but the British were on-par if not worse, they must've just had a better HR department or something. The poor Malayans didn't deserve that BS.
That may be true, but they probably wanted to set a precedent. If another incident like this occurs (Which it may well) they will be able to cite this case to avoid paying out. @@lairdcummings9092
Just imagine what dozens of these things did when they were dropped over 80 years ago. Its a stark reminder of how ugly that war was and how it still is today.
Great video. I’m from Exeter & remember when the bomb was discovered. My grandparents were living in Exeter when the Nazi’s bombed the city & told me stories of it when they were alive. Funny about Exeter Uni trying not to payout for the damage caused as they own around 1/3 of the land Exeter is built on so they’re not exactly poor…. They’ve also destroyed a lot of the beauty of Exeter with their ugly high rise student accommodation buildings they’ve recently built. Thanks for the video.
Now imagine being on board a ship targetted by one of these beauties! Remembering the loss of HM S Penelope at Anzio, 80 years ago this coming Sunday, 18 February. She survived many bombings but succumbed to a u boat's torpedoes with the loss of 415 souls. RIP brave matelots.
The moral of this story: read the small print. About thirty five years ago I was working in an office where the car park barrier was destroyed one day because a delivery driver managed to drive through it while it was down. I remember sorting out incoming post a few weeks later and there was a letter from the delivery company's insurance company saying they weren't going to pay out because it wasn't the driver's responsibility to check if the barrier was up before he tried to enter the car park. Which sounded a bit nonsensical to me when I read the letter. Never saw any subsequent correspondence though so can but wonder how it turned out. I was watching this on my computer with headphones on, and that sound at the start of second angle of the blast caught me by surprise so much it made me jump. Must have been much worse for those in the area at the time
I had friends who heard the blast from their homes. It was interesting walking past the damage a month or two later and seeing the HUGE crater it had left. Really puts things in perspective.
The incredible thing is that when this bomb was first found by the contractors on the site that the digger didn't detonate it.. judging by the size of the blast it could have killed quite a substantial number of people in and around the area if it's detonator accidentally triggered... at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum where I volunteer, we have a Hermann 1000lb bomb, diffused of course but it's not a party popper in size..
There was a near identical situation a few years back with a 500lb bomb being discovered under a hotel car park in Kingston upon Thames in SW London. It had been there since WW2, and only came to light when new flats were being built on the site. The Army decided to blow it up, but the resulting explosion damaged local houses, most of which were rentals to students at the university. They were rehoused by the the uni, but landlords were left with huge bills as insurers refused to pay out. At least one was made bankrupt and had to sell the property at a loss. The construction of the flats had to be halted as the concrete base slab was damaged and they had to partly demolish them and start again. Sadly, with the passing years there's going to be a lot more of these cases, as bombs buried for the best part of a century decay to the point where detonation is the only safe option.
It's staggering to think what the wartime generation went through, on a nightly basis. My grandfather was on ambulance duty the night the Luftwaffe came for the mighty shipyards of the Clyde, the "Clydebank Blitz". Legend has it that the wet roads confused the pilots, who mistook it for the River Clyde, causing them to destroy some 10,000 homes but miraculously not knocking out the huge and vital shipyards. For some reason my grandpa and his companion, sitting in their ambulance, decided to move it, they didn't know why. Moments after they drove off the house behind them vanished in an explosion, they would have been killed but for that sudden urge to move the ambulance. Despite the losses, the shipyard workers kept doing their vital bit for the war effort.
I heartily recommend the Britsh mini-series "Danger UXB", available on DVD. Very technically accurate depiction of the men, tools, and techniques of the EOD sections of the Royal Engineers. My uncle was a USAAC bomb tech sent to the UK just prior to the US entry to WWII, providing "tech support" to the RAF. Many of the stories he told me when I was a kid, were depicted in the series.
A 1000kg bomb was dug up last year on the Shell terminal near Hoogvliet, Holland. During construction works at night, an excavator found the device and the site was immediately closed off and personnel evacuated from that part of the plant. After E.O.D services examined the device, it was carefully extracted in the following week. Where they took it and destroyed it i couldn't say. Point is, people often underestimate how much is still buried underground, even on sites where factory and houses have stood for decades.
Just been on the phone to verify a few facts with my uncle who is 85 soon. My mother lived in exeter and was bombed out of her house in burns avenue , burnthouse lane in 1942. They were all in a morrison shelter in the house when the bomb hit in the back garden. My uncles trousers were on the fireguard drying for the next day. They couldn't find them next day but someone spotted them flying from the top of the chimney pot. My mother said that an apple tree in the garden was buried in a bed that was in the back bedroom. They were moved to a house on burnthouse lane afterwards. The family name was Goff.
My nephew was working in construction east of Berlin recently, one of the workers found a bunch of table legs and wondered why they were there, they realized they were grenade handles and had to get the army to remove them- and the found a bunch of complete ones in a wall
11:02. The smashed area on the left looks like New Hampshire’s Old Man in the Mountains. Which fell apart in 2000, a few months after I returned to Boston for what most would consider a 23+ year nightmare. Bookends? Ya never know. Thanks again, Mark.
At that time, I was living in student accommodation about 50 meters from the bomb. It was a surreal experience. We were evacuated, and given that Exeter is a small city and the evacuation radius was quite large, there were no spaces in any of the local hotels. We stayed at the Exeter airport hotel, which is a good six miles from the bomb. When they detonated the bomb, we felt it all the way from there. It was my birthday too, so I received a nice birthday gift from Goring.
Great video! Only Dr. Felton could make a court squabble over insurance payouts so interesting...with some help from the Luftwaffe, of course. It's a good example of the difference between legality and justice.
@@johnye4433are you sure there the “war clause” did not include language of “past, present, or future” wars? That was my thought. Also, using just the term “war” without any context for time could be broadly (and arguably reasonably) interpreted to include all war-related damages, not just future wars. Overall - I am interested to see the contract that was at issue in this matter. If I find the time, I will seek it out to find out what the contract stated.
@@Life_Is_Torture0000 agreed, but say a plan fell, the same could be said the government was responsible for safe skies, so I just thought the insurance should be responsible for what the expectation should uphold for no fault asked
@@m.w.6526 I think the war clause is for the same purpose as in natural disasters, that some risks could not be eliminated for their scale. Otherwise, what is the difference in blowing up a street from a bomb unbeknown or a gas leak from stolen truck
That's bloody terrifying to think how many unexploded ordinance there is around the world. I went to Cambodia a few years ago and that really hammers it home
One of these was found in Hornchurch near the site of the WW2 aerodrome, in the 1970s as I recall. They managed to make it "safe" and then triggered the detonator in situ, but the blast from that alone was enough to damage windows in the surrounding property.
Just goes to show that old ordnance is insanely dangerous and that, if you find it, LEAVE IT ALONE. There was a fellow a number of years ago who found a round from a Civil War 3" Ordnance Rifle in his back yard. He decided to show his friends, put it in the back of his truck and hit a bump. He survived fortunately . . . his truck, not so much. Excellent video Mr. Felton!
During my two years in Berlin starting in 2019, bombs were found frequently, Together with large amounts of smaller explosives like artillery and mortar shells and grenades they are typically rendered safe in situ and taken to a storage facility where they are detonated in massive explosions twice a year. Twice my apartment was in the danger zone of a large aerial bomb, which required me to evacuate for the day while it was defused and removed. One large British bomb was found in the river in Potsdam city center near a retirement home. It was detonated in place because the fuses were too corroded after decades under water.
When I was in West Berlin in the 80’s they were finding 250,000 items of ammunition (of all sizes) a year in West Berlin alone. When I went back to visit the Berlin police EOD team in 2003, they told me that they still believed there to be 3,000 unexploded aircraft bombs in the city.
See I was thinking of that early MASH episode where the NK bomb lands in the camp and Hawkeye and Trapper have to disarm It while Col Blake gives them instructions. Bob Newhart’s bit about the torpedo on the beach is pretty good too
Strictly fictional characters of course but Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz were right next to Colonel Hogan when he deactivated the bomb's fuse, they didn't run! General Burkhalter on the other hand got the hell out of there! I remember the episode well!
Is that the one where Hogan thought at first that it was one of his, a decoy bomb? Maybe the "Heroes" were planning a dummy bomb as part of an operation? Things got super tense when he and the gang realized that it was a live, air-dropped bomb!
Exeter resident here, the Uni campus is walking distance for me and I definitely heard the explosion back in 2021. On top of that, wound up having to put up a friend of mine who was one of those evacuated for the night - he got off relatively lucky though.
Bank of England sold NAZI gold after Britain had signed the Munich Agreement. The Queen was doing NAZI salutes. Wilhellm Canaris and Hans Oster were told by Number 10 that that they were too "ambitious and optimistic" in their fight against Hitler. They were asking for help every bloody week.
I live by the Jail on New North road, so a few hundred metres away. Was bloody loud even where I was, and that was with 40 tonnes of sand on it. Hate to think what it'd be like to be in a raid with a few of those coming down.
Can we get a History of Mark video? We'd love to hear about what got you into history. Obviously it's fascinating, but it's boring to most. Not only do you know how to make it accessible to the masses, you have an obvious passion for all forms of history.
This is a wonderful introduction video about hidden ,slept ,& and dangerous devices .Both Herman and Herss left those dangerous in Britain 🇬🇧 and Germany 🇩🇪.
This is yet another incredible video by Dr Felton, As a WWII enthusiast it sends a shiver up the spine to know that there are German WWII bombs still being found in residential town/cities. One as big as a Hermann is certainly a hackle raiser considering it's widespread destructive purpose. Having seen a 1000lb Hermann bomb up close at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum where I volunteer at plus with other sizes of it's kind, it's no wonder so many homes were evacuated and it's a miracle the excavation contractors on the site didn't detonate it by accident as it could have killed a number of people and seriously injured more around the blast zone as stated.. So it remains the historical fact now that Goring has had one last triumph against Britain..
One of my Grandmother's brothers was killed by a one ton, booby trapped, aerial land mine in London in around 1942 along with his Lieutenant and another of the team.
Unexploded aerial bombs, artillery and tank shells, landmines, even machine gun and small arms bullets are still haunting most of Europe today, almost 80 years after the end of WWII. In my home country, Hungary, there are still very much alive minefields from this war, and finding unexploded ordnance is common during construction works. Fortunately it is rare that anybody gets injured or killed, but I can recall a few cases when people performing the defusing were not so lucky.
My father was a member of a USAF bomb squad back in the 1950s. He said his unit used to go to Belgium for training in the detection, excavation, removal and defusion or demolition of those shells. Fortunately they didn’t do this very often because, he said, “those shells had been in the ground 40 years. There was a chance they’d cook off if you sneezed on them…” He never said anything about finding a poison gas munition even they knew they were there. Surprisingly, sudden loud noises didn’t bother him a bit…
Messines explosion back in 1955 after a power pylon was placed above long forgotten explosives and then hit by lightning they were placed by miners to blow up underneath the enemy and now their locations are lost to time
I'm surprised the British government did not compensate the damages. Of course the UK govt. isn't at fault for this but in the end it is responsible for protecting people against such events/ threats.
That's completely messed up. Imagine having to pay for the repairs to your own house because of this. Either the British or German govt should cover the cost.
Just read “Masters of the Air”, I thought I knew Waw2 history but I was surprised by the actual lack of neutrality by Switzerland. You should cover that.
they took the stolen gold , money and diamonds though .. lots of families were asked after war end to produce death certificates to collect the deposits for relatives to retrieve assets which the death camps naturally did not provide although they recorded for statistical purposes
Another outstanding and interesting piece by Dr. Felton. May I suggest that this topic of property financial loss for civilians may be the basis of a video on its own, for example, what happened to a person who had a loan or mortgage on their house ?
Michaelrichard: An interesting question. In the High Trees case decided by Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, the rental of the property in London was reduced for the duration ofthe war because of the Blitz. Once the war was over the rental reverted to its normal amount. In Northern Ireland, during the so-called Troubles, damage excluded under exclusion clauses had to be claimed from the Government under Criminal Injuries Compensation laws. I can't remember the exact details, or if there was a time limit involved in which the claim had to be made.
Does anyone remember the British mini series "Danger UXB", set during WWII and involving the dearming/disposal of some of the bombs mentioned here-one of which was a parachute mine.
I'd just like to point out at 04:05 you labelled the slide "sc50" but after much fact checking and Googling I've found out that it is in fact a Mark Felton.
I recall my girlrfiend being at city of london airport and was about to take a flight but a bomb from ww2 was found and all the flights were either cancelled or delayed. crazy it still happens
THANK YOU DR. FELTON YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT WW2. YOUNGER PEOPLE SHOULD SEE THIS SO THEY HAVE an understanding about what people had to deal with during that time!!!!
DR. MARK, Will you please cover the " Full & Complete Restoration" of U.S.S. TEXAS. As she's just about ready to be "REFLOATED" & any interesting Tidbits in her Career. Of course how she was saved the scrap heap & or A-Bomb testing that befell U.S.S. Nevada. Also "Her Haunting Ghist Stories", PLEEEAAASSSEEE !
That seems like kind of a wider scope than he usually covers. But there is a channel called Drachinifel that specifically focuses on naval history. Who I could see producing something like that. Also the battleship New Jersey youtube channel.
@@diamonddigs6206 Yes, I go to "Both" all the time. "History Hunter" has as well. Even with him climbing under Her aboard that "Floating Drydock" with his Bowtie on and an added Hardhat.
There are still experts that analyze the post-raid aerial photographs from allied bomb raids in Germany. What I found interesting is that they are looking at GAPS in the rows of craters from a line of bombs - that is the interesting spot to find a dud.
I remember reading about an aerial mine being dropped on Mill Road maternity hospital in Liverpool in May 1941, apparently the carnage was horrific with many Mothers and babies killed. I don’t know wether it is true but I seem to recall being told that the destruction was so devastating that a lot of the victims were not recovered and the site was just bulldozed over. Those aerial mines were reportedly a fearsome and deadly weapon.
When I first saw the video on the news my first thought was what it would have looked like when 10's of those things were hitting the ground along with a number of other ordnances at the same time. Insane.
I come from Osnabrück. Anyway, mostly British unexploded bombs are defused there every two to three months. In Germany this is normally the task of the “Kampfmittelräumdienst". Now you have to know that Osnabrück was one of the largest bases for the British army in Germany. In fact, a British officer stationed there had made it his mission to defuse all the bombs himself. The bombs, which were still movable, were even transported to the British Army compound. I would like to expressly thank the officer again at this point. Personally, I am also very happy that many Brits have found their new home in Osnabrück even after the army has left and have found their personal happiness in love with a German partner.
Yeah, it's definitely the same here in the South and Southeast of England too. Unexploded bombs being found usually about every 3 or so months.
It is pretty scary, because you never know if you're near one or not. My house could be right on top of one, I just don't know. There have been several found in towns and villages near where I live that it's almost inevitable one will be found in my town eventually - especially considering there used to be a WW2 RAF airbase less than a mile from me, as well as a WW2 military hospital also near by.
Another big one is unexploded grenades and mines from the war, often found in rivers and lakes by magnet fishers. I don't know which supply officer in WW2 thought "ah yes, let's remove all these excess munitions by dumping them in rivers, I'm sure that won't cause any problems in the future", but they're an idiot.
Damn war. Even to this day, it's still ruining lives.
My family used to live in Osnabrück before I was born, got to visit a few years ago with them. It's honestly a really nice place.
@@Perseus7567 After the war, a lot of explosives and chemical weapons were dumped in a deep trench in the Irish Sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland, effectively barring Boris Johnson's proposal to construct a bridge across there between the two British Isles to appease the Democratic Unionists.
@@Perseus7567 My parents' house in Osnabrück was actually built in 1937 and survived the war almost unscathed. So we know pretty well that no bombs fell in the immediate vicinity. The next unexploded bomb was about 800 m away and was defused a few years ago. In fact, my mother was also evacuated during the defusing. Incidentally, the house suffered the slight war damage not from the British but from a German anti-aircraft defense position. The explosion pressure from the cannon fire regularly tore off roof tiles. Fragments from the shells can still be found throughout the area today.
God bless, what a lovely comment.
My Grandparents grew up in London during the Blitz and retired in Exeter. The day the bomb went off they said it was like brutal reminder of their childhood
Perhaps it is also a timely reminder of what the poor souls of Ukraine are living through at this moment.
Just watching the blast of that one bomb was a shock. I can't imagine what it must have been been like to live through multiple of those blast on a near daily basis.
@@SEAZNDragon and this one had a barrier around it to minimize the blast effects, I wonder how much that helped.
@@HugeSweetTea the nazis attacking in ukraine from ruzia
@@stephengraham1153 Let's just say it's easy to tell where/who Putin gets his military tactics (some at least) from.
My grandparents used to say "don't worry about the bombs, the only bomb you have to worry about is the one with your name on it;" which terrified their neighbours, Mr and Mrs Doodlebug.
"Please, Fat Man was my father's name. Call me Little Boy."
Bombs are usually "to whom it may concern."
@snart2195 😅
Gold
Lol.
Well done Dr Felton for stitching the Exeter explosion into a dull legal dispute - and making an intriguing, even gripping, tale. The mark of the true raconteur. Thank you.
Well said, Old Boy! Well said!
Cringe.
@@klolwtf6973 Where's your TH-cam channel, fella? Can we check out your stories?
It's cringe, suing a company over a ww2 bomb lmao
@@xeon39688 I'm abundently clear that you have little to no knolwedge of the law.
4:02 the display says “please do not touch”
Dr. Felton: * proceeds to touch the bomb on display* 😂
Well to be fair, it's usually just to prevent external damage. It's not like the bomb is actually live still.
I totally expect that museums make exceptions for arranged historian visits and stuff, as long as they're careful.
It's just to stop that average American Karen getting all handsy with it.
Eh still funny.
Going to look like Greyfriar's Bobby, one day.
You didn't notice the *? It adds (in small print mind you), "*Exceptions made for TH-cam creators who further the field of human knowledge and understanding with educational and interesting historical videos. Liberal use of dry British wit is also party to the no-touching exemption.".
I see no conflict here.
@@skullsaintdead Oh yes that was definitely written on there, it was just too small to read.
I was living in Birks Grange halls just beside the field where the bomb was found at the time. My room was 60 meters away from it. It was a lockdown so not many students were in but all had to be evacuated and put in hotels for a week.
The bomb squad put 40 tonnes of sand and concrete over it. Still it smashed windows, threw mud, and blew the roofs of houses 200 meters away. It was insane seeing the damage.
The field is in-between the uni halls and a 24 hour esso. Being students we would make trips to that esso for drinks, cutting diagonally across the field and as I worked out with a friend the bomb would have been right under the path - barley a meter of so below our feet. Thousands of students walked over that each year since it fell and it could have gone off at any point.
Great video as always Dr. Felton!!
Same here, but in the previous building in 1979 on that exact same site in a room on the corner closest to the site of the bomb. Most of the other buildings around the site seen in the video were not there then, and it was all fields and hedgerows.
They find unexplored WWII ordinance regularly off the coast near where I live in Somerset. There was one particular explosion which I felt in my chest from two miles away and sent all the birds flying. It’s always a bit risky going out on those mudflats. I believe that the bombs were dropped there if they hadn’t been used up in raids on Bristol, but might be wrong there as it seems like the wrong direction to me?
@@notyrpapa it's possible they were air-dropped sea mines, that would be a very big bang
Vaporised because you had the munchies.
Now you younger generation got a history lesson on that to know what's it like for those people in 1942 had to go thru. This is just taste of it, imagine thousands of those bombs being dropped in your town. Horrible way to die that is war for you.
I’m also a student at Exeter University, and I was in first year accommodation when the bomb went off. We got evacuated to hotels in Dawlish and Bridgewater. Some people stayed there for more than a week. Luckily my accommodation (Mardon Hall) only got very minor damage so we could move back in a couple of days after.
Excellent video as always Dr. Felton (:
how typical, a British 'university educated' student - who can't spell 'Bridgwater'..
But he did start his sentence with a capital letter. Unlike some. 😀😀@@MarktheMole
Oof, the grammar in this comment is soul-tearing.
Who says I’m British?
Just astonishing how an almost 80 year old buried bomb could still pack that punch. Thanks again, Mr. Felton. Much appreciated
Watching all quiet on the western front you saw bodies exploded into the trees. Must have been horrifying.
Not ancient history kid, some of these ordinances are just as powerful as today. You do realize how thick the iron is on these bombs are no?
And just think that the explosion we see here, was dampened down with 400 tons of sand and the metal girders and the containment trenches.
When I was working on HS1 in Ebbsfleet (as an archaeologist) we were told that if we found an object that looked like a fire extinguisher, but with a point STOP and call a manager who would call the Bomb Disposal to take a look.
I work as an archaeologist in Germany and we have a EOD team surveying prior to all groundworks.
I worked on HS1 at Ebbsfleet as an archaeologist; Granby?
This was of immense interest to me because it happened in the grounds of a property (since demolished) called Glenthorne House which had once belonged to my paternal great-grandparents. My grandfather was born there in July 1890. That particular pair of great-grandparents died in the 1930s so luckily never witnessed the destruction of their once beautiful city.
In my city in Germany we still find bombs multiple times per year. All construction sites have to be probed before any work involving digging is allowed. Legally the situation is the same: WWII bomb damanges are considered a result of war. However, according to a recent news article, over here no insurance company has ever rejected a damage claim resulting from a WWII bomb: insurers accept such claims on a "voluntary basis" (they are worried of the "Flak" which would follow when denying such a claim, even though they have the legal option).
is Allianz one of them ?
@@readmylisp more like AXA
@Azure168That is even more bizarre when you consider that WW2 was not only caused by Germany. We are not responsible…
@@tireja252alright I’ll bite. Who else is to blame?
@@jacobchavez4549 The Polish who had committed atrocities against the German minority on Polish territory; the Britons and French who ignored Germany‘s diplomatical efforts in order to consolidate peace in Europe and an equilibrium of power since 1933; the French foremost for the dehumiliation of the Germans with the treaties of Paris after WW1; the Soviets for arming and pushing toward the border between Germany and SU that had been agreed upon in the Molotow-Ribbentrop treaty as the war had already been going on in Europe.
I live in Luxembourg which was a British ally occupied between 1940 and 1944. We routinely find allied bombs on construction sites.
These bombs are still found in Serbia, especially in Belgrade, which was hit by an unusually heavy bombing campaign for such a weak country (Yugoslavia) in WW2. The last one they found was an SC250 carried by a Stuka, however many SC500 and SC1000 bombs remain buried to this day. A suggestion for Dr. Felton for a new video from me, a topic to look into - there is a very large fleet of still visible German ships, some with unexploded ordnance in the Danube river in the Djerdap ravine. It was sunk while retreating from Greece & Romania.
On the other hand, in Germany it is routine to find allied Bombs when digging in the cities.
Germany was the aggressor.
Would the same be said for the reverse do you know?
I'm curious to see whether the German courts would rule a modern-day detonation an "Act of War" also, and who has to pay up.
@@johncox2865 but not the people of today
In Belgium and France, they still unearth shells from The Great War.
@@johncox2865who said they weren't 😂
I lived and travelled past that bomb for 2 years, from 2013 to 2015, as a student at the university of Exeter. I am amazed by what lied mere meters from my path to my courses, and horrified about what my parents would have gone through had the bomb gone off at the wrong time. Thank you, Mr. Felton, for this video, which I will surely show my friends!
4:05
"please do not touch"
**TOUCHING**
however, the doctor was not breaking any rules. clearly the sign meant "pleae do not touch the shinny yellow table".
the bomb is ok to touch, it is not live.
wait, it is live?
L
Only ze Germans know...
reminds me of the story of a British WWI veteran who had been exposed to mustard gas during the war & how when he died in 1960s (I think-) due to complications caused by the exposure to the gas, the doctor who signed his death certificate listed the cause of death as "killed by the King's enemies"
I read that story as well, it was mentioned in a history of chemical and biological warfare published in the eary 1980s titled "A Higher Form Of Killing." Excellent book! I still re-read it from time to time.
I believe the poor man died from emphysema.
A truly frightening reminder that war can still cause damage and pain many years after it ends. As you said Dr. Felton, it was very fortunate that the equipment operator did not cause the bomb to explode as he unearthed it. That would have been an even worse tragedy.
I wonder what was on that site before they started digging it up? People must have been walking around in that area for years, completely unaware that there was a massive unexploded bomb right under their feet.
Yeah, and a truly frightening reminder of what morons humanity still consists of. We have the 21st century already but mentally we are all in the 12th. And that’s just looking at the Ukraine and the Middle East. Let alone the 200+ other places on this space rock which are presently also fought over for whatever stupid fcuk „reason“.
Every spring in france they still uncover unexploded munitions from teh 1st and 2nd world wars. Frost heave pushes them to teh surface.
Bobschenkel7921A guy few years ago was digging in Germany with a backhoe and hit one and blew him the backhoe to bits and damaged homes for many blocks. WW2 isn't ancient history like many of these kids think, these bombs are just as deadly as many today
There was a TV commercial a few years back here in the US that had aliens attacking and destroying a neighborhood. The irony was that it was for an insurance company that no doubt would have characterized such an attack an act of war and would have refused to pay out on anyone's homeowner's policy.
I was there!!! My classmates' windows got shattered by the blast!!! Graduating this year, what a time that was
WHY would they have not GENTLY put it into a PILLOW truck(something very padded I mean) and VERY slowly(like 1 mph like NASA does when it moves its rockets) moved it to an open area vs what they did? I mean they did damage ANYWAY....they could have picked a ROUTE that would have been the LEAST populated and taken it to a beach or something....
@@NashonHanselman too risky. Literally that's it. Even with utmost precaution it could go off
Mark I have been with You Many Many Years , So Many i forget how long but i remember when this Channel only had 30,000 Sub's & I was one of them
I Used to Say What a Hidden Gem & So SO Many People That Truly *LOVE* History are missing out ... But this Bright & Shiny Gem was Found By So Many
Now you have 2.09 *MILLION* Sub's more sub's than Many countries have people , So many people its hard to even Imagine that Number
But You have NOT Changed a BIt Its still that Gem that Diamond of a channel but now the world gets to see it! Really happy for you buddy
Can't wait to Watch this. Thanks for the Pace of Uploads too Mark You pump out so much Crazy Good Content! Thank You!!
I love it when you mention Norwich! I lived there for a few months in '89 and only being 20 didn't have nearly the fascination for history I do now but even then it was awe inspiring.
Was there during the detonation. Even though I was about 1,5 kilometers away, the sound was immense. You know that feeling of vibration in your body when you’re standing near the speaker in a concert? Well, the bomb detonation makes you feel that for 2-3 seconds.
Amazing. When I was working for the Fire Service in London in 2008, work was underway for the 2012 Olympic site along the bank of the Thames in Bow.
A Polish man in a JCB came across a Hermann when clearing the site and apparently he was hitting the bomb several times with his digger bucket. I went along to supply fire fighting hose to the bomb disposal unit.
I believe they flushed the explosives out and blew up the detonator which on its own created a massive explosion.
Indeed. There must still be literally LOADS in the mud in and around all towns and Cities, yet to be unearthed, as there are regularly found in N. Europe. Never mind buried in fields, river bottoms, woods, etc. . Crikey, what a deadly mess, still, nearly a century on from.
I remember when an unexploded German bomb was found on Portland. Its location required residents to be evacuated while the bomb was defused.
One enterprising pub landlord argued that his real ale had a finite period when it was at its best, which coincided with the period of the evacuation, and it would have been past its best afterwards. He managed to get it officially written off but was not allowed to sell it for profit. So he sold it at cost until half an hour before closing time, when he gave it away free. So we all had a drink on Hermann Goring!
Excellent story.
My mother lived in Bath, the unprotected City blltzed after Exeter in the Baedecker Blitz (though oddly omitted by Dr. Felton). The city was bombed over two nights.... the victims from the first night being moved to a large church, which was then destroyed on the second night of bombing. My mother remembered that, standing on the first-floor landing, she watched a German fighter flying so low (presumably photographing damage) that she could plainly see that the cockpit canopy was pushed back and the pilot had a leather flying helmet and his white silk scarf was fluttering in the wind!
5:09
OTBC !!
Everytime I drive down Dereham Rd I recall your video on that traffic light junction where Norfolk Car Audio was... hadn't realised that you were local to me until then !
Unreal how big the explosion is.
both the 1000kg of original explosives (degraded to a degree) and whatever charge placed against it to force detonation (50kg or so most likely of far more powerful explosives).
The sand placed on top is mostly to reduce shrapnel damage to the surrounding area, not blast.
@@jwenting Would the explosion without the sand be even more violent, like when they fall from the sky and hit the ground? It's enormous.
That size bomb is currently being used on that small strip of land.......
@@rickglorie I don't believe so. A lot of the power we see is forced up and out by the barricades. It would definitely cause a lot more damage with shrapnel and the initial blast if higher up would reach more buildings second stories but outside that the size of the explosion wouldn't differ from what was recorded. The energy mitigated was tiny and mainly just a cushion to catch shrapnel.
Yet another fascinating nook and cranny of WW2 history presented by Dr. Felton. My favorite history channel.
I think it's standard procedure for insurance companies to deny claims just to weed out those who won't appeal
The bitterly amusing bit here is that Allianz probably paid more to defend their stance than the actual costs on payout would have been.
Don't except most insurances in the world war damages? (At least in Germany every insurance contract does it. I assume German insurances learned this the hard way. 😅)
@@gargoyle7863 I think the war exemption clause is pretty standard. Apparently the Communist insurgency in Malaya was called an "emergency" so British property owners can claim insurance.
@@SEAZNDragon How convenient. "Oh no, the land-owning class is in danger, we must bend the rules for the future of Britannia!1!"
I just looked that up, and all I can say is wow. People always shit all over the US for being the World Police since the 1950s, but the British were on-par if not worse, they must've just had a better HR department or something. The poor Malayans didn't deserve that BS.
That may be true, but they probably wanted to set a precedent. If another incident like this occurs (Which it may well) they will be able to cite this case to avoid paying out. @@lairdcummings9092
Fantastic as always Dr Felton , I recall this detonation in Exeter being on the news and I am still surprised how big the blast was .
Just imagine what dozens of these things did when they were dropped over 80 years ago. Its a stark reminder of how ugly that war was and how it still is today.
@@darthroden absolutely.
Great video. I’m from Exeter & remember when the bomb was discovered. My grandparents were living in Exeter when the Nazi’s bombed the city & told me stories of it when they were alive.
Funny about Exeter Uni trying not to payout for the damage caused as they own around 1/3 of the land Exeter is built on so they’re not exactly poor…. They’ve also destroyed a lot of the beauty of Exeter with their ugly high rise student accommodation buildings they’ve recently built.
Thanks for the video.
Now imagine being on board a ship targetted by one of these beauties! Remembering the loss of HM S Penelope at Anzio, 80 years ago this coming Sunday, 18 February. She survived many bombings but succumbed to a u boat's torpedoes with the loss of 415 souls. RIP brave matelots.
Thanks Dr Felton. Another brilliant episode. Best wishes from Australia
some of the sand landed here.
I just read about Rudel’s sinking of the Soviet battleship Marat using a 1000 kg bomb. Now I have some idea about the power of that explosion.
The moral of this story: read the small print.
About thirty five years ago I was working in an office where the car park barrier was destroyed one day because a delivery driver managed to drive through it while it was down. I remember sorting out incoming post a few weeks later and there was a letter from the delivery company's insurance company saying they weren't going to pay out because it wasn't the driver's responsibility to check if the barrier was up before he tried to enter the car park. Which sounded a bit nonsensical to me when I read the letter. Never saw any subsequent correspondence though so can but wonder how it turned out.
I was watching this on my computer with headphones on, and that sound at the start of second angle of the blast caught me by surprise so much it made me jump. Must have been much worse for those in the area at the time
It doesn't sound nonsensical to me. You're supposed to sue the driver instead.
The Type 2021 extreme delayed action fuze.
Thanks for the amazing content, Dr Felton
I was born in Exeter, but Lived in Dawlish. So glad they both survived both Wars.
I had friends who heard the blast from their homes. It was interesting walking past the damage a month or two later and seeing the HUGE crater it had left. Really puts things in perspective.
The incredible thing is that when this bomb was first found by the contractors on the site that the digger didn't detonate it.. judging by the size of the blast it could have killed quite a substantial number of people in and around the area if it's detonator accidentally triggered... at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum where I volunteer, we have a Hermann 1000lb bomb, diffused of course but it's not a party popper in size..
There was a near identical situation a few years back with a 500lb bomb being discovered under a hotel car park in Kingston upon Thames in SW London. It had been there since WW2, and only came to light when new flats were being built on the site. The Army decided to blow it up, but the resulting explosion damaged local houses, most of which were rentals to students at the university. They were rehoused by the the uni, but landlords were left with huge bills as insurers refused to pay out. At least one was made bankrupt and had to sell the property at a loss. The construction of the flats had to be halted as the concrete base slab was damaged and they had to partly demolish them and start again. Sadly, with the passing years there's going to be a lot more of these cases, as bombs buried for the best part of a century decay to the point where detonation is the only safe option.
And as housing demands/expansion continues....
Great video Dr Felton, my family in Exeter said it was a pretty intense day in the city on the day of the bomb being detonated by the bomb squad.
It's staggering to think what the wartime generation went through, on a nightly basis. My grandfather was on ambulance duty the night the Luftwaffe came for the mighty shipyards of the Clyde, the "Clydebank Blitz". Legend has it that the wet roads confused the pilots, who mistook it for the River Clyde, causing them to destroy some 10,000 homes but miraculously not knocking out the huge and vital shipyards. For some reason my grandpa and his companion, sitting in their ambulance, decided to move it, they didn't know why. Moments after they drove off the house behind them vanished in an explosion, they would have been killed but for that sudden urge to move the ambulance. Despite the losses, the shipyard workers kept doing their vital bit for the war effort.
Mark...you always come up with some of the most interesting stories about the war.
I heartily recommend the Britsh mini-series "Danger UXB", available on DVD. Very technically accurate depiction of the men, tools, and techniques of the EOD sections of the Royal Engineers. My uncle was a USAAC bomb tech sent to the UK just prior to the US entry to WWII, providing "tech support" to the RAF. Many of the stories he told me when I was a kid, were depicted in the series.
A 1000kg bomb was dug up last year on the Shell terminal near Hoogvliet, Holland. During construction works at night, an excavator found the device and the site was immediately closed off and personnel evacuated from that part of the plant. After E.O.D services examined the device, it was carefully extracted in the following week. Where they took it and destroyed it i couldn't say. Point is, people often underestimate how much is still buried underground, even on sites where factory and houses have stood for decades.
Best channel of all time..quality stuff always mark!
Just been on the phone to verify a few facts with my uncle who is 85 soon. My mother lived in exeter and was bombed out of her house in burns avenue , burnthouse lane in 1942. They were all in a morrison shelter in the house when the bomb hit in the back garden. My uncles trousers were on the fireguard drying for the next day. They couldn't find them next day but someone spotted them flying from the top of the chimney pot. My mother said that an apple tree in the garden was buried in a bed that was in the back bedroom. They were moved to a house on burnthouse lane afterwards. The family name was Goff.
My nephew was working in construction east of Berlin recently, one of the workers found a bunch of table legs and wondered why they were there, they realized they were grenade handles and had to get the army to remove them- and the found a bunch of complete ones in a wall
11:02. The smashed area on the left looks like New Hampshire’s Old Man in the Mountains. Which fell apart in 2000, a few months after I returned to Boston for what most would consider a 23+ year nightmare. Bookends? Ya never know. Thanks again, Mark.
@5:58 - Alright sir...now you're just flexing the power of your "pictures" folder....and I love it.
At that time, I was living in student accommodation about 50 meters from the bomb. It was a surreal experience. We were evacuated, and given that Exeter is a small city and the evacuation radius was quite large, there were no spaces in any of the local hotels. We stayed at the Exeter airport hotel, which is a good six miles from the bomb. When they detonated the bomb, we felt it all the way from there. It was my birthday too, so I received a nice birthday gift from Goring.
Mark, you have some of the most interesting presentations on the internet.
Does the Great Yarmouth Herring Bridge bomb of 2023 have any claim to the title? Fantastic video and keep up the good work!
Great video! Only Dr. Felton could make a court squabble over insurance payouts so interesting...with some help from the Luftwaffe, of course. It's a good example of the difference between legality and justice.
No, the war exception clause in the insurance was for post contract war, not for war danger left from prior war
@johnye4433 I'm no lawyer, so I couldn't say. But morally, the government should pay, because it's their sole responsibility to defend the nation.
@@johnye4433are you sure there the “war clause” did not include language of “past, present, or future” wars? That was my thought. Also, using just the term “war” without any context for time could be broadly (and arguably reasonably) interpreted to include all war-related damages, not just future wars.
Overall - I am interested to see the contract that was at issue in this matter.
If I find the time, I will seek it out to find out what the contract stated.
@@Life_Is_Torture0000 agreed, but say a plan fell, the same could be said the government was responsible for safe skies, so I just thought the insurance should be responsible for what the expectation should uphold for no fault asked
@@m.w.6526 I think the war clause is for the same purpose as in natural disasters, that some risks could not be eliminated for their scale. Otherwise, what is the difference in blowing up a street from a bomb unbeknown or a gas leak from stolen truck
That's bloody terrifying to think how many unexploded ordinance there is around the world. I went to Cambodia a few years ago and that really hammers it home
And 100,000s - and increasing - mines and unexploded ordnance in Ukraine, ongoing. That will take decades to clear as well.
Much obliged Dr Felton‼️ well researched, very well presented and as always, very well received ‼️
One of these was found in Hornchurch near the site of the WW2 aerodrome, in the 1970s as I recall. They managed to make it "safe" and then triggered the detonator in situ, but the blast from that alone was enough to damage windows in the surrounding property.
I've been learning so much from this channel.
Just goes to show that old ordnance is insanely dangerous and that, if you find it, LEAVE IT ALONE. There was a fellow a number of years ago who found a round from a Civil War 3" Ordnance Rifle in his back yard. He decided to show his friends, put it in the back of his truck and hit a bump. He survived fortunately . . . his truck, not so much. Excellent video Mr. Felton!
During my two years in Berlin starting in 2019, bombs were found frequently, Together with large amounts of smaller explosives like artillery and mortar shells and grenades they are typically rendered safe in situ and taken to a storage facility where they are detonated in massive explosions twice a year.
Twice my apartment was in the danger zone of a large aerial bomb, which required me to evacuate for the day while it was defused and removed.
One large British bomb was found in the river in Potsdam city center near a retirement home. It was detonated in place because the fuses were too corroded after decades under water.
When I was in West Berlin in the 80’s they were finding 250,000 items of ammunition (of all sizes) a year in West Berlin alone. When I went back to visit the Berlin police EOD team in 2003, they told me that they still believed there to be 3,000 unexploded aircraft bombs in the city.
I'm suddenly reminded of an episode of Hogan's Heroes, in which a stray RAF bomb lands unexploded in the middle of Stalag 13.
ah... yes the difusing scene later done so much less effectively in Nanny McFee 2
See I was thinking of that early MASH episode where the NK bomb lands in the camp and Hawkeye and Trapper have to disarm
It while Col Blake gives them instructions.
Bob Newhart’s bit about the torpedo on the beach is pretty good too
Strictly fictional characters of course but Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz were right next to Colonel Hogan when he deactivated the bomb's fuse, they didn't run!
General Burkhalter on the other hand got the hell out of there!
I remember the episode well!
Is that the one where Hogan thought at first that it was one of his, a decoy bomb? Maybe the "Heroes" were planning a dummy bomb as part of an operation? Things got super tense when he and the gang realized that it was a live, air-dropped bomb!
@@backwashjoe7864 Bingo! That's the one!
Fantastic video. I’m grateful for your work here.
Exeter resident here, the Uni campus is walking distance for me and I definitely heard the explosion back in 2021. On top of that, wound up having to put up a friend of mine who was one of those evacuated for the night - he got off relatively lucky though.
The just goes to show the full scale of both world wars, as such discovers are still being found throughout the world
Bank of England sold NAZI gold after Britain had signed the Munich Agreement. The Queen was doing NAZI salutes.
Wilhellm Canaris and Hans Oster were told by Number 10 that that they were too "ambitious and optimistic" in their fight against Hitler. They were asking for help every bloody week.
A nasty side effect as battles spread from armies on the field to civvy wipe out in other countries towns and cities.
Hello Mark, great video. Are you going to film the one they have just found in Plymouth?
I live by the Jail on New North road, so a few hundred metres away.
Was bloody loud even where I was, and that was with 40 tonnes of sand on it. Hate to think what it'd be like to be in a raid with a few of those coming down.
Can we get a History of Mark video? We'd love to hear about what got you into history. Obviously it's fascinating, but it's boring to most. Not only do you know how to make it accessible to the masses, you have an obvious passion for all forms of history.
So you are telling me that after 70 years Germany finally won the battle of Britain in a british court.
This is a wonderful introduction video about hidden ,slept ,& and dangerous devices .Both Herman and Herss left those dangerous in Britain 🇬🇧 and Germany 🇩🇪.
This is yet another incredible video by Dr Felton,
As a WWII enthusiast it sends a shiver up the spine to know that there are German WWII bombs still being found in residential town/cities. One as big as a Hermann is certainly a hackle raiser considering it's widespread destructive purpose.
Having seen a 1000lb Hermann bomb up close at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum where I volunteer at plus with other sizes of it's kind, it's no wonder so many homes were evacuated and it's a miracle the excavation contractors on the site didn't detonate it by accident as it could have killed a number of people and seriously injured more around the blast zone as stated..
So it remains the historical fact now that Goring has had one last triumph against Britain..
Best introduction music of any channel.
Drachinfel's was excellent until copyright scammers/Squatters fraudulently claimed it
One of my Grandmother's brothers was killed by a one ton, booby trapped, aerial land mine in London in around 1942 along with his Lieutenant and another of the team.
4:06: Doesn't the sign clearly say "Please do not touch!"?
Unexploded aerial bombs, artillery and tank shells, landmines, even machine gun and small arms bullets are still haunting most of Europe today, almost 80 years after the end of WWII. In my home country, Hungary, there are still very much alive minefields from this war, and finding unexploded ordnance is common during construction works. Fortunately it is rare that anybody gets injured or killed, but I can recall a few cases when people performing the defusing were not so lucky.
In a similar issue there are a lot of unexploded artillery shells from WW1 in fields from Ypres to Verdun not just high explosive but also poison gas.
My father was a member of a USAF bomb squad back in the 1950s. He said his unit used to go to Belgium for training in the detection, excavation, removal and defusion or demolition of those shells. Fortunately they didn’t do this very often because, he said, “those shells had been in the ground 40 years. There was a chance they’d cook off if you sneezed on them…” He never said anything about finding a poison gas munition even they knew they were there. Surprisingly, sudden loud noises didn’t bother him a bit…
Messines explosion back in 1955 after a power pylon was placed above long forgotten explosives and then hit by lightning they were placed by miners to blow up underneath the enemy and now their locations are lost to time
I'm surprised the British government did not compensate the damages. Of course the UK govt. isn't at fault for this but in the end it is responsible for protecting people against such events/ threats.
I love and follow all your excellent educational videos Dr Felton
Wow. Great information!! After all these years, what power that bomb still had. Thanx for all I have seen of your videos.
Superb video Mark ,so interesting..thanks again
That's completely messed up. Imagine having to pay for the repairs to your own house because of this. Either the British or German govt should cover the cost.
Ther was a BBC series years ago called “Danger UXB” that was excellent.
Currently being repeated on the Talking Pictures channel in the UK. Great series.
Just read “Masters of the Air”, I thought I knew Waw2 history but I was surprised by the actual lack of neutrality by Switzerland. You should cover that.
He has.
The Swiss have never been neutral,.....they've always been fanatically pro-Swiss.
January 2023 he made a video about Swiss units on the Eastern front
they took the stolen gold , money and diamonds though .. lots of families were asked after war end to produce death certificates to collect the deposits for relatives to retrieve assets which the death camps naturally did not provide although they recorded for statistical purposes
Fascinating I learned something new, thank you for the post
Another outstanding and interesting piece by Dr. Felton. May I suggest that this topic of property financial loss for civilians may be the basis of a video on its own, for example, what happened to a person who had a loan or mortgage on their house ?
Michaelrichard: An interesting question. In the High Trees case decided by Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, the rental of the property in London was reduced for the duration ofthe war because of the Blitz. Once the war was over the rental reverted to its normal amount.
In Northern Ireland, during the so-called Troubles, damage excluded under exclusion clauses had to be claimed from the Government under Criminal Injuries Compensation laws.
I can't remember the exact details, or if there was a time limit involved in which the claim had to be made.
Does anyone remember the British mini series "Danger UXB", set during WWII and involving the
dearming/disposal of some of the bombs mentioned here-one of which was a parachute mine.
Every episode was based on a real event.
Yep. Anthony Andrews being a posh officer, Maurice Roeves as the plucky Geordie ? NCO and Judy Geeson as the love interest. Never rated her tbh.
I'd just like to point out at 04:05 you labelled the slide "sc50" but after much fact checking and Googling I've found out that it is in fact a Mark Felton.
Mk. F
I recall my girlrfiend being at city of london airport and was about to take a flight but a bomb from ww2 was found and all the flights were either cancelled or delayed. crazy it still happens
And that is why she voted for Brexit
Thanks!
Thank you, professor. Fascinating!
Thanks for your awesome videos, I find them all fascinating. I would like to learn about the falaise pocket and hill 262!
Don’t get too close Dr Felton
Absolutely fascinating, Dr. Felton. Thank you.
Fun fact, spamming the 'rewind 10 sec' button in a mark felton video gives you windows xp nostalgia
THANK YOU DR. FELTON YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT WW2. YOUNGER PEOPLE SHOULD SEE THIS SO THEY HAVE an understanding about what people had to deal with during that time!!!!
DR. MARK, Will you please cover the " Full & Complete Restoration" of U.S.S. TEXAS. As she's just about ready to be "REFLOATED" & any interesting Tidbits in her Career. Of course how she was saved the scrap heap & or A-Bomb testing that befell U.S.S. Nevada. Also "Her Haunting Ghist Stories", PLEEEAAASSSEEE !
That seems like kind of a wider scope than he usually covers. But there is a channel called Drachinifel that specifically focuses on naval history. Who I could see producing something like that. Also the battleship New Jersey youtube channel.
@@diamonddigs6206 Yes, I go to "Both" all the time. "History Hunter" has as well. Even with him climbing under Her aboard that "Floating Drydock" with his Bowtie on and an added Hardhat.
@@diamonddigs6206 Thank You of course I still appreciate it !
I love y enjoy your work Mark. Happy Valentines Day all Ok here. Keep up the great work. Love Briton🇬🇧
There are still experts that analyze the post-raid aerial photographs from allied bomb raids in Germany.
What I found interesting is that they are looking at GAPS in the rows of craters from a line of bombs - that is the interesting spot to find a dud.
I remember reading about an aerial mine being dropped on Mill Road maternity hospital in Liverpool in May 1941, apparently the carnage was horrific with many Mothers and babies killed. I don’t know wether it is true but I seem to recall being told that the destruction was so devastating that a lot of the victims were not recovered and the site was just bulldozed over. Those aerial mines were reportedly a fearsome and deadly weapon.
Thanks for the blast of a video on Valentines Day Mark!
When I first saw the video on the news my first thought was what it would have looked like when 10's of those things were hitting the ground along with a number of other ordnances at the same time. Insane.