75 years later: WWII “Tallboy” Bomb dropped on Poland explodes
Dropped by the RAF in 1945, WWII “Tallboy” Bomb explodes in Poland in 2020
According to a Polish Navy spokesman as reported by BBC News, the largest unexploded World War Two bomb ever found in Poland has detonated during the defusing process, a Polish Navy spokesman said.
Prior to the detonation, about 750 residents had been evacuated near the port city of Świnoujście
During WWII, the Royal Air Force (RAF) dropped the Tallboy ("earthquake" bomb) during a April 16, 1945, raid to sink the German cruiser Lützow. At that time, the city of Świnoujście was German-occupied and Swinemünde.
617 Squadron carried out the attack. Despite intense flak, 15 aircraft managed to bomb the target with Tallboys or with 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs. One near miss with a Tallboy tore a large hole in the bottom of the Lützow and she settled to the bottom in shallow water. One Lancaster was shot down, the Squadron's last loss of the war.
One of the bombs remained sunk near Świnoujście in the middle of main shipping Piast Canal for 74 years, unearthed during the preparatory works for deepening of the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway in September 2019. The bomb was embedded at a depth of 12m and only its nose was sticking out. Operations to defuse and remove it were undertaken in October 2020. It exploded during defusing, but without causing any injuries.
The Tallboy or "Bomb, Medium Capacity, 12,000 lb" was an earthquake bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis and used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.The bomb was 6m (19ft) long and weighed 5.4 tonnes, nearly half of which was its explosives.
You may also like:
*As an Amazon Associate, Military Trader / Military Vehicles earns from qualifying purchases.
Established in 1993, Military Trader is dedicated to the collecting preservation, restoration, study, and display of historic military artifacts. Spanning interests from military uniforms to medals, or helmets to ordnance and weapons, Military Trader is your best source for in-depth techincal articles, artifact profiles, product and hobby news, current values, and show and auctions calendar.
