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Multiple World War II Bombs Found in Germany as Cologne Device Must Be Moved for Controlled Detonation

Technical problems with one fuze in a Cologne ten‑zentner bomb forced authorities to plan relocation and a planned explosion, underscoring continued public‑safety and transport disruptions from unexploded wartime ordnance.

Overview

  • In Cologne-Rodenkirchen, officials found a US ten‑zentner bomb with front and rear fuzes and discovered on Tuesday that one fuze could not be removed so the device will be moved to an uninhabited field for a controlled detonation.
  • The Cologne operation has triggered a 500‑metre evacuation affecting about 3,000 people and led to major traffic restrictions including a temporary closure of the A4 and multiple local road and public-transport reroutes.
  • In Rosenheim a separate 250‑kilogram bomb was found on a railway construction site and authorities set a 500‑metre evacuation zone that requires about 1,500 residents to leave while the bomb disposal service prepares for neutralization.
  • A 150‑kilogram US bomb uncovered at a Siemens Energy site in Nürnberg was evacuated within a 400‑metre radius and was successfully defused by a bomb-disposal expert, allowing workers and residents to return.
  • Emergency responses in all cases have relied on multi‑agency teams — bomb squads, fire services, police and municipal crisis staffs — and the incidents highlight that leftover WWII ordnance still forces large evacuations, care‑home transfers and major transport disruptions during construction work.