# I live in a former (WWII) warzone. How likely is it that those old bombs are going to explode?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-a-former-wwii-warzone-how-likely-is-it-that-those-old-bombs-are-going-to-explode/663741>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 17, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-a-former-wwii-warzone-how-likely-is-it-that-those-old-bombs-are-going-to-explode/663741 "2013-07-17T11:10:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-a-former-wwii-warzone-how-likely-is-it-that-those-old-bombs-are-going-to-explode/663741/21 "2025-06-09T13:41:42Z")

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Every now and again someone reminds us Londoners of this (which we’d rather not think about):

> **[Britain’s doomsday ship is a sitting duck – 1,400 tonnes of explosives just...](https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/exclusive/ss-richard-montgomery-wreck-security-risk/)**
>
> A cargo ship's close pass by the SS Richard Montgomery wreck sparks fears the explosive WW2 ship could be a target for grey zone or hybrid warfare.

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**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-a-former-wwii-warzone-how-likely-is-it-that-those-old-bombs-are-going-to-explode/663741/22 "2025-06-10T02:49:48Z")

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> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> Did any of those British “Tallboy” "earthquake bombs not go off?  
> You would not like one to explode near a building!

I know the doper in question is long gone, and the post to which I am replying is 12 years old, but interestingly at the time ralph124c posed his question the answer may have been indeterminate.

But in 2020…

> **[WW2 'earthquake' bomb explodes in Poland during attempt to defuse it](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54522203)**
>
> The blast of the WW2 bomb in a canal in Poland was not unexpected and divers were unharmed.

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-a-former-wwii-warzone-how-likely-is-it-that-those-old-bombs-are-going-to-explode/663741/23 "2025-06-15T16:55:52Z")

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> [@Crazy Catlady](#):
>
> I’m considering Crazier Catlady.

How about “Sane” Catlady - with sane in inverted commas.

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