– The unexploded ordnance was discovered on November 27 this year during earthworks connected with a construction project being carried out on the premises of the Border Guard Specialist Training Centre (OSS SG) – says Maj. Artur Pinkowski, press spokesperson for the 11th Lubusian Armoured Cavalry Division. – The bomb disposal patrol from Bolesławiec identified the find as an unexploded FAB-100 aerial bomb weighing 100 kilograms and manufactured in the Soviet Union. The bomb had two different types of fuzes, in the front and rear sections. It was also established that the bomb was 77 cm long, had a diameter of 27.5 cm and a weight classification of 100 kg.
And he adds:
At that time, the danger zone was determined to be 1,000 m and required the evacuation of nearly 12,000 people. Due to the epidemiological situation and the need to maintain safety, an evacuation on such a scale was difficult to carry out. This was especially true because the danger zone contained a COVID hospital, as well as many people with COVID at home or people undergoing home quarantine.
At the request of the authorities of Lubań and the services, Staff Sergeant Radosław Mazur, commander of the Bolesławiec Bomb Disposal Patrol, decided to reduce the danger zone and build a fragmentation-protection barrier, referred to in official announcements as a “sarcophagus.” The zone was set at 300 m.
Hesco Bastion fortification systems, railway sleepers, wooden and OSB boards, and 600 tonnes of sand were used to build the fragmentation-protection barrier. For nearly two weeks, 25 soldiers worked on constructing the “sarcophagus”; bomb disposal specialists from Bolesławiec and Krosno Odrzańskie were supported by soldiers from the 23rd Artillery Regiment and engineering machinery from the 11th Lubusian Armoured Cavalry Division.
Maj. A. Pinkowski:
On December 15, residents were evacuated without any problems from the endangered area adjacent to the OSS SG, including allotment gardens within a radius of up to 300 metres. All vehicles located outdoors were removed from the evacuated area. Meanwhile, within a radius of 500 metres of the Border Guard Specialist Training Centre in Lubań, people were prohibited from remaining outdoors.
At exactly 10:00 a.m., the bomb disposal patrol commanded by Staff Sergeant Radosław Mazur began carrying out the task. The unexploded ordnance was neutralized using a deflagration system, meaning the explosive material was burned out. The use of this method reduced the risk of detonation and the size of the danger zones.
The spokesperson adds:
The deflagration proceeded without complications, and the explosive charge did not detonate. Thus, the operation ended successfully as anticipated, and the unexploded ordnance was effectively neutralized.
Video of the operation can be viewed on the Facebook profile of 11 Lubusian Armoured Cavalry Division.