A World War II-era incendiary device, weighing 33 pounds, was safely removed from Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, home to U.S. European Command headquarters, April 8, 2024, after its discovery in a grassy area near Bowman Field. (U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — A World War II-era incendiary bomb was discovered Monday at Patch Barracks, home to the headquarters of U.S. European Command, military officials said.
The 33-pound device was safely removed from a grassy area near the post’s Bowman Field, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart said in a statement. The military said it is investigating the circumstances around the weapon’s unearthing.
The bomb was reported shortly before 1 p.m. to military police, who secured the scene. A German explosive ordnance disposal unit removed it by 3 p.m., the garrison said.
No evacuations were required given the small size of the device, but school buses were rerouted as a precaution, the Army said.
The discovery at Patch Barracks comes after a find last week nearby U.S. bases in Bavaria, where two American WWII bombs — weighing roughly 1,000 pounds each — were removed from an old train station in Amberg.
World War II-era bombs are still routinely found in Germany, where some 5,000 munitions are disarmed annually.
In 2022, five construction workers at Patch Barracks were briefly hospitalized when an unexploded WWII-era phosphorus bomb was accidentally struck, releasing some of the poisonous gas.
The garrison cautioned members of the military community to be aware of their surroundings, including in urban areas like Stuttgart, which were heavily bombed during the war.
“If you come across an item you suspect might be [unexploded ordnance], make sure not to touch, move or disturb it in any way,” the garrison said in a statement. “Maintain a safe distance, instruct others to do the same and immediately report the finding to the MP Desk.”
