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Lady Cop Pioneer100© Member  BAH HUMBUG
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WWII bomb detonated in London
 LONDON, England (CNN) -- A neighborhood in east London was getting back to normal Saturday after British Army engineers detonated a large World War II bomb unearthed this week on a building site, officials said.  Army engineers covered the bomb with sand to minimise the risk of an explosion. An Army bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion on the 2,200-pound German warhead at 5:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. ET) Friday, London's Metropolitan Police said. Video of the blast showed brown dirt, debris and black smoke shooting into the air when the bomb went off. There were no reports of any injuries or damage to surrounding property after the blast, the police and Ministry of Defense said. The public was allowed back into the industrial neighborhood by Friday night, authorities said. Two subway lines and a rail line in the area, which were shut down after construction crews discovered the bomb Monday, were running normal service Saturday, transportation officials said. London's transit authority, Transport for London (TfL), said the police and army gave permission for its engineers to check the tracks less than an hour after the controlled explosion. The tracks were clear of debris and damage and services resumed at 7:13 p.m. (2:13 p.m. ET), TfL said. Contractors preparing a waterway near the site of the future Olympic Park discovered the bomb Monday. The Ministry of Defense said the bomb, which measured four feet by two feet, was the largest one found in the capital since 1975. The bomb was "enormous," said Simon Saunders, a spokesman for the British Army's London district. At one point during the week the bomb started ticking, which suggested a timing device, Saunders said. Disposal experts put strong magnets next to the bomb to shut down the clockwork and the ticking stopped, he said. It's not uncommon for World War II-era bombs to be unearthed in Europe. In London, which suffered the aerial bombardment of the Blitz, bombs are uncovered two or three times a year, Saunders said. The London Blitz lasted from September 1940 until May 1941. German bombers attacked the city every day or night for the first two months, but the worst night was the last -- May 10, 1941, when 3,000 people were killed in London, according to the Museum of London. Much of the Blitz focused on east London. In all, more than 20,000 people were killed in the Blitz, short for "Blitzkrieg," the German word for "lightning war."
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shirohniichan Original500© Member  Obscurius per obscurum
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That's one thing we in the US and Canada have never had to deal with-- being bombed in time of war. Sure, there was the Revolution, the War of 1812, and some other pre-20th century wars, but we've never had to face aerial bombardment in the modern era. After reading about the Blitz, I have become an Anglophile. The "indomitable British spirit" is wonderfully appealing. The rest of Europe had been invaded or caved in to fascist forces, and the Brits stood up and said "nein" to the Fuhrer. At the time they thought there would be an invasion at any time and that they would be fighting Nazis on the beaches, in the cities, and all across the islands. As Churchill said, Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old." You have to tip your hat in respect to that kind of determination to fight evil. So, although I cannot pledge allegiance to the British crown, I certainly give Britain due respect.
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Lady Cop Pioneer100© Member BAH HUMBUG
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Shiro, i have always greatly admired Churchill, and that is my favorite quote. 
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cynicalninja Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member  Smiling Shinobi
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A common British trait is "just getting on with it" especially in adversity. While other nations might react with weeping and wailing or with hatred and anger we treasure our indomatible will to not let tragedy effect our day to day lives. It is this will that drives us on no matter how hopeless or dangerous the future may be. When I asked both my grandmothers about the blitz and the bombings in general they generally react with a shrug of their shoulders "we just got on with it" they say. We have been repelling invasions for centuries and even when conquered refused to fully submit as the Romans, vikings, and Franks found out to their cost.
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