Haul of WWII explosives detonated

photo - www.podkarpacka.policja.gov.pl

Operation Detector managed to locate 18 bombs, as well as 43 other types of explosive devices, including hand grenades and mortars.

The action, which was organised by the police's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBS), took place in the vicinity of Blizna in the Subcarpathian region, where the occupying German regime had run a training base for testing missiles.

The area was a frequent target of bombardment towards the end of the war.

Police officers, foresters, fire-fighters and sappers from the Polish armed forces all took part in Operation Detector.

The explosives had been considered an ongoing hazard, both to unsuspecting mushroom-pickers scanning the woods, as well as those consciously in search of WWII memorabilia.

“Carrying such items is very risky,” police spokesman Pawel Miedlar commented to the Polish Press Agency, adding that technically, even the possession of such materials is against the law.

The current haul was ultimately detonated by sappers from the 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade.

It was the fourth such operation in the region in recent years, with previous actions pinpointing former German ammunition magazines, among other dangers. (nh)