Thousands of people have to temporarily leave their homes in Hesse year after year because legacies of the world wars are still being discovered in the ground. The amount of bombs and grenades found has recently increased again. Why is that?
Darmstadt (dpa/lhe) – Year after year, the legacy of past wars occupies specialists. Bombs, grenades and detonators were again discovered in heaps in Hesse in 2022. According to a preliminary balance sheet by the Darmstadt regional council, which is responsible for defusing such explosive finds throughout Hesse, around 90 tons were seized by the end of November. Last year it was around 72 tons at this point.
“After the restrictions resulting from the 2020/21 pandemic, the amount of finds has increased again due to the increased construction activity and the possible clearing of munitions-contaminated forest areas on our behalf,” said the regional council at the request of the German Press Agency. In 2019, 130 tons were rendered harmless or seized.
The explosive ordnance clearance service had to defuse bombs 24 times – 6 had to be blown up, the regional council said. In total, there were almost 400 missions by the end of November. The projectiles were often found simply by accident or at the already known clearing sites, during construction work or during the preparations for this.
Thousands of people had to leave their homes again this year so that duds could be rendered harmless. In October, 20,000 people had to leave their homes in Frankfurt alone to defuse a 500-kilogram aerial bomb from World War II. In Bischofsheim in the Groß-Gerau district, there were 3,500 in the same month.
Anyone who wants to work as an ordnance clearer in Hesse needs a certificate of competence in accordance with the Explosives Act. Applicants must have specialist knowledge of clearing and ammunition technology and know how the ammunition works and works.
In addition, they must be informed about the use of ammunition in the First and Second World Wars and have experience in defusing, destroying or transporting such ordnance.
Two of these fireworkers are currently working at the regional council itself, and one position is vacant. There are also helpers who are employed by a contractor.
