Doku: Kampfmittelräumer im Einsatz | Real Stories Deutschland

They defuse unexploded bombs. There are still moments of danger, so there are always surprises because of the forest files, it's crazy what you somehow activated, so especially when you have to deactivate it, you are looking for a needle in a haystack. Then, of course, it's completely dramatic and endangered when the firefighter discovers that not only are the long-duration chemical centers modern munitions, but that unexploded bombs from World War II don't have as much explosive power, but they also They are highly explosive. They remain extremely dangerous and are found in large numbers in the sons of Germany and Austria during the Third Reich, Austria was a target of Allied attacks in World War II, especially Lower Austria, the largest federal state in the east of the republic. alpine.

Heavily contaminated with ammunition In Sierndorf an der March, the Vienna ammunition rooms examine a former battlefield on behalf of a farmer. The cleaning point is located directly on the border with Slovakia. In April 1945, intense fighting occurred along the border river. Soviet and Wehrmacht troops Matthias Weisinger prepare the survey vehicle, the GPS is especially important, it helps me find the trouble spots that I have probed or that I have recognized. This could be done in retrospect if it were not for the evaluation I have made. The GPS finds my trouble spots again and then just erases them.

The tablet records the measurement data automatically. Later, Matthias can evaluate the results on the laptop, let's just say that the laborious work is progressing quickly. Between 20 and 25,000 square meters, if there are two of us and we take turns, we manage between 40 and 50,000 square meters per day. Stefan Pleiner founded the company together with his colleague Markus Wolf and explores the field with one-handed probes. This means that the ordnance rooms can sort out smaller surface scrap just before Matthias sweeps the probe truck across the meadow. The only difference is that Matthias has five of these probes side by side at a distance of 50 cm and we only have one by one, so we can immediately detect the acoustic signal and then he only has to look at a part of the field as part of the evaluation.

The men have already searched at a depth of three meters. They should clear the field of possible weapons. of war. That's all set. The only thing I'm missing is this field about 200 meters towards the train tracks and then we'll see what we can find there and see if we can find what we're looking for. discovers that everything is clear perfect Matthias Weissinger starts the two meter wide vehicle. In the first section there are about 46,000 square meters of surface before him, Matthias and his companions have already found many explosive devices in front of an artillery munition. Therefore, explorers are confident that there will be more.

When the probes come together, they will react to magnetic pulses from the ground. For example, an aerial bomb at a depth of about three or four meters will reach the surface with a value of around. 20 to a maximum of 30 nano Tesla, knowing that we are actually looking for aerial bombs. Of course, the sun will set in such a way that 20 to 30 years of Tesla would mean a total deviation, unlike a hand grenade. which will have the same signature as an aerial bomb at a maximum depth of 10 to 20 to 30 cm. The Weinviertel of Lower Austria was particularly strategically important for the attacking Red Army, as were in April 1945 the last crude oil fields of the German Empire.

We are here, both sides in conflict struck the decisive blow, which is what matters when searching with the exploration vehicle, Matthias Weissinger knows that the distance between the tracks can be avoided, that there is a large overlap, that we do not give up any meter that everything we have to do can be evaluated and recorded and when we now drop something between the tracks and the meters, for example, if there is something under them in the ground, the gun rheumatism only knows when they have unearthed the respective object. The measured values ​​only give a first indication: Matthias continues searching with Stefan Pleiner's exploration vehicle: can he find the first foundations?

If the remains of a World War II grenade were intact, it would be dangerous to collect them. up because the slightest vibration could trigger the ignition back there, so we'll be ready, kids. It is placed on top, so it is completely on the surface, obviously it must have spread during the flight. If a piece of ammunition is found, usually more of this grenade remains, only the so-called tail remains, which causes the projectile to lose stability in flight. The grenade is egg-shaped at the front and has obviously already been destroyed by the projectile. explosion and in the rear this tail unit then separates during the explosion and then just flies somewhere in the rear, we see that at the end they are the detonator, where at the end the one who sticks the needle of the detonator into the sparks then comes out and through that The pipe slanders the grenade and when it hits, it becomes concrete and the splinters fly and very often you can still find these tail units of these grenade launchers they can probably be recognized as Russian by the characteristic noses. , men still find live ammunition, even in Brandenburg they have Soviet troops leaving their mark.

One million rounds of ammunition were found there in 2018 alone, more than in any other federal state. In Wendisch Rietz, on Scharmützelsee, it is particularly clandestine. Anyone who wants to carry out construction work here must first ensure that the ground is free of ammunition so that the forester can intervene. Toni Yachtner and his colleagues had no unpleasant surprises during the upcoming wood felling. Explosive devices have been searched in a forest. This area is not without danger, but the explorers approach the work in a very relaxed way. There is a good reason why they would like to finish it in a short time, but sometimes that is not possible because.

This is the recovery of explosive devices and this too must be clean and sensible, so the strength is in the calm. The artifact cleaners only look for the so-called skid paths along which the heavy wood harvesting machines will later move. They can start the scouting work, the men have to make the final preparations, I cross-country ski and have to make sure I don't find anything overflowing. The detectors have to find

real

ammunition. You have to call the state to blow it up. Ammunition disposal service. They themselves are not fireworks and cannot carry ammunition because the explosives could detonate.

Accidents because people do not take their ammunition home with the experts. Ammunition rooms help prevent these types of accidents with their work. The men are extremely conscientious in their search, so in every attack we

real

ly dig because there may also be small ammunition, so you have to search in any case, especially here because Brandenburg was the scene of many battles when the Soviet troops moved. to Berlin In the last days of the war, an ammunition train exploded at the Wendisch Rietz train station. Unexploded ordnance flew uncontrollably through the area. Toni remains calm, the squad leader can trust his teammates.

Things get serious when the bees attack. now there is something in the front and sparks fly look how it can be transported, it cannot be transported and if not, let's call the initial backups and they will decide everything else. World War II ammunition is heavily used in the area around the Scharmützelsee. Explosive objects are being searched. very often, but Toni Yachts prepares the other areas for exploration among the trees, the explosive rooms do not create more than one hectare per day in our alleys because we do not need to search for the rest yet and before following the points. here The points here first I have to measure the point to clean it so as not to hit the detonators in the ammunition because the blocks show my colleagues where they have to probe at a distance of 20 meters the devoured backs are released even after ten years Tony sometimes Find unknown things to fear.

He's not afraid of such surprises, but not when you've known for years, you know, you do it, I say, and then you approach it accordingly. Maybe it's time to say something when you find something. What no one has ever seen, and you don't want it to be ammunition or not, is whether Toni and his team can find anything that looks like ammunition today. The city of Kiel is one of the most bombed cities in Germany. A few kilometers to the west, in the northernmost state, is the headquarters of the explosive ordnance disposal service of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The search for unexploded bombs usually begins. Using aerial photography assessment, Cayennensen is tasked with searching for unexploded ordnance in an area. If he doesn't find anything, he can rebuild the area. It happens that in the photographs we see damage that we cannot see in the aerial photography. Yes, it could be that the roof is still intact but the wall of the house is destroyed, it's hinted at a bit here, but it could also be that the bomb has crashed into the wall of the house and the roof is. Still intact, we couldn't see it from above, so these photos have immense value for us.

In addition, the anti-aircraft police documented each of the 90 bombing raids on Kiel during World War II. This report was written on August 26-27, 1944. It is all documented here: the time of the attack, the wind and weather conditions, and how many planes flew, how many bombs fell, and what type of bombs there were. The damage was recorded with an address and it is also written here what type of damage there was. In this case incendiary bombs fell, so the houses burned especially. Aerial bombs with so-called long-lasting detonators are dangerous because they can. Even today it detonates at any moment.

The pre-tensioned firing pin is held in place by a celluloid plate. Acetone leaks out of a glass capsule and corrodes teeth. This is one of 90 communities in Schleswig-Holstein with an aerial photo. The evaluation is mandatory for all builders. The first bombs in the city disappeared at the beginning of the war. This is an image from 1941. Up here you can see damage to the houses, the roof is burned and you can see the first chimneys. here, but otherwise the area is still relatively clean. Let's jump to 1944 as an example, where we can already see much more destruction.

There were already three or four attacks in the area, bombs were added again and again, funnels. They have been added and now we can start searching for unexploded bombs. The Allies dropped more than 500,000 bombs on Kiel during the war. 80% of the city was destroyed. In the end, 167,000 people were left homeless. In the end the area was left: it is full of funnels and unexploded bombs. Meanwhile there were military installations there that were again destroyed by bombs, so we also have to wait for ammunition scattered with weapons and weapon parts, so it is a quite wild area, we can take a look.

The people of the March encountered German and Soviet troops in the west, who had power and weapons, it was in the east that the Red Army encountered the March even decades later. It is estimated that there are still around 10,000 unexploded bombs in Austria, as well as large quantities of combat ammunition. Stefan Pleiner and his team observe a deep area. Ordnance manufacturers had never had an object like this in a pound before, of course. a little disappointing because simply because of the signature, because of the measurement value of the depth display, of course now it would have been perfect for an artillery, unfortunately there is only a cable with an indefinable part at the bottom.

It was obviously very deep. It wasn't worth digging three or four meters deep, but with the mini excavator it would be a slightly bigger task. Unfortunately, we know that this time it is not an explosive device and that is why we protect ourselves again to cause it. the least possible damage to the field and we will see what the next point brings up, that there are actually remains of battles on the old battlefield. They know that the artillery rooms are already in the neighboring field. They have protected large quantities of ammunition. For them, each dog is an issue.

This point of suspicion was a disappointment, so the artillery cleaners dig the hole again. Meanwhile, Matthias pushes the 15-kilogram survey vehicle across the field. Later, when he evaluates the data collected on the computer, he will find metal underground. One thing he would not reluctantly discover, that is, mines. I wouldn't be so happy if he started talking about grenades or the usual suspects like yours truly, but. Mines, for one, are difficult to detect and really unforgiving, so they will make a big difference. Matthias Weissinger and his colleagues have a great responsibility if they do so. The farmer must be able to trust that nothing explosive is hiding in the ground.

So far Matthias has never overlooked anything. The artillery room has found a way to deal with the pressure, make mycolleagues do the same and maintain certain disturbance values ​​and what they would do, so we usually check it twice three times before it is released for something. , just to make sure Matthias isn't done with the area yet. In the afternoon he will start digging and then it will become clear if there is still live ammunition hidden in the ground. The area around the Scharmützelsee in the east of Berlin is not only a popular place. local recreation area, but also World War II ammunition depot.

Ammunition cleaners scout a patch of forest for the next wood felling. In Wendisch Rietz, if the explorers find ammunition, then it can be stressful. Long-lasting chemicals are found to be quite common. In total, Brandenburg is considered contaminated with ammunition, but this forest is relatively clean according to the magnetometer. You can still find such a small piece. Klaus See is always prepared for the fact that there could be something explosive, not ammunition, so as an alternative projectile today it has only been scrap metal. There is no reason for men to rush there. It is no reason for men to be calm.

Toni Jachten trusts his colleagues because they know exactly what they are doing, everything else, besides digging, professor, do not do everything possible, but always carefully. , piece by piece, and it is best to understand it, not to dig directly into the value, but from the side or something, Rani investigates and now it is okay if this day is still so relaxed near Kiel. Aerial photo of the Schleswig-Holstein explosive ordnance disposal service searching for bombs. Colleague Jessica Holzeil looks at it again, so I think it's too angular here, so it's not as nice and round as the other one, or at the bottom there was something offensive before it was completely destroyed here, but from Somehow there is still something left from the expulsion, so that's it.

Here you can also clearly see that there is something there, the shadow just falls upside down, in any case, let's look at the size, as you have seen, such a funnel is significantly larger than an unexploded bomb, and then let's look at the shadow projected, so you can see yes, where the sun is coming from, how deep the shadow is. is, um, that's also a very good indication, for example, if the shadow is in a different position than it is now, for example in the funnels, then we know what's there or that it's a hill or something like that.

The fault is precise and then of course it's a circle. The reason is that it is square, the structure of the unexploded bomb itself or the ejection. The unexploded bomb may also have an ejection. The two geographers are sure they are on the trail of one. bomb The exploration team leaves. The builder pays 71 euros per hour. Aerial photographs are also available in the original. Each aerial photograph is purchased new and costs 91 euros. Here we have stored 27,000 analogue aerial war photographs taken. During the war, analog images were stored here in fireproof cabinets for proper preservation. Every year in Schleswig-Holstein 300,000 euros are spent on a new war, and then we will see the artists in the stereoscope, Kai. and Jessica take a closer look at the suspicious spots again.

In the original images, some points can be seen even better than on the computer: there are two superimposed images showing the same area but from a different angle and as we see. When viewing two superimposed images, our brain basically calculates the 3D image. Requesting an aerial photo evaluation in Schleswig-Holstein requires patience due to the large number of suspicious areas. The application can take up to 27 weeks. processed 2 3 happened relatively together. Yes, I would also say that we have already seen them on the monitor there and if we can confirm them here, we will include them as well.

Yes, it's also very good. What I also see here, is a really nice drop of shadows. The two are now certain that they have discovered unexploded bombs. Now we would digitally enter the points that we saw here on the map and then locate them exactly and then locate them. write to the client and say on yours The property is well located Unexploded bombs An exploration team will take a closer look at the marked points and possibly fire them. In the end, an unexploded bomb is not always found on the ground. They were already recovered during the war, so something was found, so that the work would not be completely in vain.

So to speak, and yes, it's a good feeling, but it's also crazy what you've somehow caused, especially when it has to be disabled, with all the evacuations and you know, a lot of people have to leave their houses and of course you always hope that everything is going well, of course, a little bit in the background, then if it is, a little bit of a break, you do it, but then you're happy that you found something and that there really was something in it. In any case, now your son continues looking for you. After the possible unexploded bomb in March, Matthias Weissinger no.

We still don't know if he will have such a successful experience today. The artillery room has completed its exploration tour. He can now check the computer to see if his probes have registered suspicious readings. The pressure of the probe with 21 is repeated over and over again. Then, it is exciting to see the result of the probe. Matthias opens the so-called color map, on which he can locate all measurement anomalies. The experienced poller can immediately see which points are particularly promising, since they always change quite well between red and blue. For example, which means that red is always the positive pole.

Blue is the negative pole. In this case, the positive pole, that is, the red one, will be higher than the negative pole, the entire object will be at an angle, which is what we have. here in the road area, which would be interesting because the grenades were found right in front of the road and that is also a relatively large value, so the difference between the object is relatively large and the object can be seen very clearly, Lo which means that we probably have a splinter of nail or something here, which we will see later, although the object is relatively large and therefore relatively interesting to us. 7 Suspicious points Matthias would like to take a closer look.

Look. Using GPS you can locate your positions exactly. Men waste no time and immediately go to the first point. The explosive ordnance clearers and the object head towards it carefully and then find it. Something harsh, a war uprising. , they passed it carefully with their hands. Now they are the splinters of the projectile. This helps at least in the same way as with the tail of the mortar shell. We still don't know if there is any ammunition. there are sheep or something, but there are At the end of the war, the men did not find any explosives, at least with ammunition, but these projectiles were extremely dangerous and have a certain weight, which means that the destructive power of the fragment alone , if it reaches a few thousand meters per second, it is of course enormously greater, so if you get hit Then, of course, it is completely dramatic, of course, again one of the men has stumbled upon what it's called a splinter nest, more and more grenade remains come to light to make sure there is no live ammunition in the hole, they continue searching for Stefan Pleiner, some of it falls into the hands of the splinters The last remains of the guide band Bullet residue on the outside of the grenade is clearly seen here.

The guide band is a coating made of soft metal that is attached to the shell of the grenade with a slightly larger caliber, where the fields and serrations are located, which are then They cut inside the tube. press this guide band when the grenade comes out and this is how the grenade rotates and when this guide band is cut, that is, these fields and features are visible on the guide band and then it means that the grenade has come out of the barrel and is accordingly , these are splinters from a fired tank or a tank that can jump.

Explosive grenades consist of a steel casing with an explosive filler and an ignition system. The grenade is activated by the impact of the shot. or the twist received by the guide band the impact of the detonator sets the detonations in motion when the grenade hits Wendisch Rietz on Scharmützelsee Toni Jachner and his colleagues take a break for the moment apart from the scrap metal, they have not discovered anything Nowadays - that's not unusual - a high frustration tolerance is important for your job in case of emergency you have to be wide awake again it varies from time to time what our job is also picking up scrap metal long breaks are not allowed With the winter temperatures they are on their feet from early in the morning getting tired, yes, that's it, go back a little, well, we have to go, the explorers go deeper and deeper into the forest in front of the leader Toni Yachtner.

The amount of ammunition Brandenburg has underground can only be estimated, as there are no records of this from the GDR era. This area could have been cleared before 1990, but in 2018 alone 31,000 grenades were found in Brandenburg. On hot summer days, ammunition is extremely dangerous, especially since some of the ammunition is not very deep in the ground. Today the horizon is approximately five meters away. Well, it can't be said that there may be ammunition now or not, so. We'll see when you have it quite deep, that's clear, but it's definitely not that deep, since 20 30 cm 50 cm or so so far the explorers haven't found any ammunition but they've made good progress.

In the afternoon Toni Yachtner inspects the daily work of his colleagues, he actually wanted to come today, mark the excavation points, there are missing objects that are too deep to be dug up by hand to document Toni the area they explored today and has almost reached the accommodation after work and then first at the table and first after work together the day is evaluated again and then I send my two master workers actually on their dangerous activities the three of them have to look at each other blindly Toni Yachtner has already experienced a lot and has many exciting finds to show.

One mission in particular remains in his memory. It was very interesting and fun. There were more than 1,200 that had grenades because they were tank-proof, it was all stupid, but. The show was still very interesting and a lot of steel helmets. Today there were no such spectacular finds. Toni and his companions didn't get much scrap out of the ground. Nothing explosive. Klausi was not so disappointed. In fact, you can always be satisfied if you haven't found it, but we also want to have done square meters, it is already finished, so far it is at the excavation points.

Otherwise, it's a good job. The explorers will return tomorrow and re-examine the terrain so that this Quentinental forest near Kiel is safe. The suspicions from the aerial photography have been confirmed. British 500-pound aerial bomb. The unexploded bomb must be defused. It is a model with an impact detonator that can be removed. The bombs are almost always found around Kiel. Kienast has to make the unexploded bomb harmless. Hauke ​​Seipp has already done his job. We just prepared the bomb. The rope was already there. We have the excavation pit. We have expanded the deactivation well. We have made an entrance so that people can come down.

We then place the bomb as is and then retreat. At the same time, the area around the cleaning site was evacuated and cordoned off. This task is coordinated in the operations center, which is now located in the Klausdorf Volunteer. Fire Department. Casual Kai leads the fire department operation. The main tasks are to support police forces in cordoning off outdoor areas. We are responsible for securing explosive weapons, which means that if something does not go as expected, we. Of course, we also need some attention. Of course, we have quick help and that's what we're here for, and if something doesn't go as planned we can intervene quickly.

That's why most firefighters present today don't do it. I don't know who personally knows that they're putting themselves in danger, so we're keeping our fingers crossed, I think you can say that pretty clearly. Exciting is the wrong word here. May everything go very well. After an hour and a half, the unexploded bomb is defused. In their place there are now holes that are covered with cloth. By plugging these holes we prevent the explosive from escaping. Ultimately it is dangerous as an explosive and secondly it is also toxic so it is also harmful to the environment that is why we plug it here too, now you can see the elements removed from the ignition chain, that is, this is the rear impact behind which you can see here, this is the contracts fuse the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the donor no longer exists because due to its danger we always explode it on the site we would have already been destroyed as I said this explosive inside this brown and yellowish color is called this is a sensitive explosive that is used as a booster charge for the TNT in the bombs, the bomb is now safe for transport, although there are still around 65 kilos ofTNT in the bomb, but once the detonators are removed an unwanted detonation is very unlikely.

Hauke ​​Seipp is always aware that he does not have an everyday object on the hook, but a weapon with the cafeteria. explosive power or something like that then you would be disrespectful, you can't lose respect even if deactivating it hasn't caused any major problems, Oliver Kienast is relieved that from time to time something can go wrong because unfortunately that's the way it is from the outside you can't see how the bomb. In the end it is what it is made of, so it may have hit the stone, which means it has a small dent that you don't even notice, but that ensures that the threads are compressed so the detonator cannot be removed, for example, I don't know what condition the explosive is in there, that means that pikates or something similar have formed, so there are still moments of danger, so we are surprised again, but these are things that you really know and in which you know how to react .

In the explosive ordnance disposal service, the bomb is only temporarily stored before being dropped. Finally, it is destroyed in a controlled manner, but Hauke ​​​​​​. You still have to safely carry the unexploded bomb, take a deep breath and have everything already safely removed, that's just after defusing, now it's uneven, it's still disposal, the danger has been averted and now everyone we can have relief. Weekend Those in charge of deactivating explosive devices really deserve the weekend. After all, Schleswig-Holstein has become a little safer again, about 900 kilometers to the southeast, the companions from Sierndorf an der March are not prepared for the end of the day.

The men want to see one last suspicious point: the indicated object is there. Too deep for the mini excavator division, the men have found something again. Matthias carefully exposes the object he found. Does it seem like there is something explosive? Here's another explosive grenade. If there is live ammunition in the hole, the men have to notify the government. Call a demining service. Splinters, splinter branches. Stefan still hasn't given up. An ammunition discovery is also something special for him. Matthias would have waited a little longer, it looked like rusty aluminum and it was on, mostly made of aluminum, but that's why it's hard to say what it really was, but it actually would have looked good.

A grenade hangs from it, but unfortunately the type of projectile can no longer be determined exactly. Those in charge of deactivating explosive devices once again verify that there is nothing explosive in this hole in the area. Generally there are many unexploded. bombs because in the last months of the war a lot of poor quality ammunition was brought in. Removing the many splinters is extremely difficult. The men give up and that's why we looked to see if there were any. any larger value hidden underneath, because that's not the case. There are probably only two in it for three games, but that's it, so it was definitely bought so the hole can be filled again.

All the suspicions of the day have been proven. have been investigated to the end the farmer can move freely here in the future fears that the weapons rooms expected more and that is why Stefan finished Pleiner has mixed feelings about the operation, of course, it would have been prettier and also more spectacular if it had been found something explosive in the course of our work, well, we found two two nests of splinters, it says two detonated grenades, yes, in principle it was not that bad, but the finds were not spectacular. It's a shame, but at least the goal has been achieved that we can still post it today, so we move on to the next construction site and yes, we'll see what the next areas bring.

There wasn't much to have here, but yes, the next find is definitely waiting. The munitions disposal team had only minor success today. The truly important discovery did not occur. Stefan and his companions can still be proud if the search for him has shown that the fighting of the last months of the Second World War left their mark here. Thanks to them, the ancient battlefield is looking for more. More than 70 years ago, it finally became completely free of weapons again.