Roy Kaiser shared some interesting information about the bombs that were dropped on Tokyo in Part 1 of Reflections on Unexploded WWII Bombs in Japan and today he talks about three different disposals that he participated in as a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team based out of Ikego Army Ammunition Depot in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Tanashi, Tokyo, January 1969

A 500lb HE bomb was found with a M123 chemical long delay anti-withdrawal fuse. The Japanese Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) asked the asked the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit from Ikego Army Ammunition Depot to take on the job of rendering the bomb safe. It was determined that blowing up the bomb in place with a full scale detonation was not the best way to go because the bomb was located next to houses, a railway station and a hospital.

The commanding officer, Lt Lanier, recommended that a sand bag barricade be built around the bomb to reduce damage to the area in the event of a full-scale detonation or contain the damage that would result from a partial detonation. It took 60 men from JGSDF, 10 hours to fill 8,000 sand bags and erect the barricade based on the specifications of the American EOD team. Roy said “I was amazed when I saw the sand bag barricade. It was big!”

The Assistant EOD Supervisor of the 97th SFC Albertson, a WWII EOD veteran who had retired and returned to active service, mentioned that sometimes the personnel fusing these bombs were in a hurry and failed to insert the locking pin in the adapter booster. This was a long shot but the team though it was worth investigating. Lt, Lanier and Roy climbed over the sand bag barricade and studied the bomb for a few moments. It was apparent that the bomb had been moved at some point and had not detonated so they decided to see if there was a locking pin. They applied gentle pressure to adapter booster in a counter clockwise direction, expecting to meet the resistance of the locking pin, but there was no resistance. It turned out that SFC Albertson’s long shot was right, there was no locking pin, and the adapter booster with fuse came right out of the bomb. It took just a few minutes render this 500 lb bomb safe!

Inokashira Park, Tokyo, 1969

Shortly after disposing of the Tanashi bomb the EOD team was told of another UXB that was in the process of being excavated in Inokashira Park about 20 minutes by train from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station. It became a concern after another bomb in the park had detonated for no apparent reason. Excavation of the bomb was complicated by the fact that the site kept flooding with water. The JGSDF engineers excavated and 15 foot hole, reinforced it with metal pipes and set up a system to pump water from the excavation site.

A few days later the area was evacuated and the EOD team went to work. First they discovered that someone had sawed off the arming stem adapter plug, which is one of the ways the EOD team identifies the type of bomb they are dealing with. Roy tells us that this and the jackhammers that were used around the bomb were “bad things to do” and says that it was fortunate that these efforts did not cause the bomb to detonate. He went on to say that “Since the bomb had been subject to so much rough treatment during the excavation without detonating, and the successful experience with the Tanashi bomb we thought a procedure from a WWII disposal manual was worth a try.”

Roy was at the control point that had been set up some distance from the bomb and was in constant contact with the technicians at the bombsite via wired communications. This time the adapter booster was locked in and it took about 2 hours, several modifications of tools and several trips back and forth between the control point and the bomb site before the adapter booster and fuse were successfully removed and separated from the bomb. The adapter booster, still containing the fuse was well sand bagged and transported to Ikego Army Ammunition Depot where the fuse was remotely removed from the adapter booster and the adapter booster was destroyed. A few days later, while stored under a sand bag, the fuse functioned, setting off the detonator.

The Bomb that Did a U-turn

The third UXB disposal that Roy participated in was pretty much routine and occurred some time prior to the incidents above. The only notable thing about this disposal for Roy was that the shaft dug to access the bomb went down and then off to one side in order to expose the tail of the bomb for disposal. The bomb had penetrated the ground, somehow made a U-turn, and was pointed toward the surface!

The cost to dispose of the Inokashira Park bomb was $38,892 in 1969 which is over $220 thousand US dollars today and Roy explains how today the decision to dispose of a bomb that has survived more than 50 years of earthquake activity, surrounding construction and the daily rumblings of train and automobile traffic boils down to economic practicality and requires the careful consideration of the cost involved in the excavation and disposal versus the risk that the bomb will detonate. Roy says that “Let sleeping dogs lie” is often the chosen approach until, for one reason or another, the unexploded ordinance becomes a present day problem as it did with the Chofu bomb that was the inspiration for the Unexploded WWII Bombs In Japan- How Many Are Out There? article.

Roy doesn’t believe that there should be a excessive concern surrounding unexploded bombs that still remain in Japan and says that the JGSDF EOD teams have proven their skill and professionalism in rendering safe and disposing of unexploded ordinance time and time again. He goes on to remind us that the Japanese are not alone, Britain and Germany also have the same problem resulting from the bombings that they were subject to during WWII. Recent conflicts have brought a modern era UXO problem of cluster bombs and land mines to several other countries. Roy considers his 15 year career in EOD a “walk in the park” when compared to exceedingly more dangerous environment faced today by EOD personnel in Vietnam, Afghanistan an Iraq where they are often shot at, targeted by a roadside bombs, and have secondary bombs set up to detonate in the vicinity while the EOD team is responding to an incident. He says that EOD personnel have become prime targets and their job is much more difficult and stressful that when he did it back in 1969.

I would personally like to thank Roy for sharing his insights into the fascinating subject and tip my hat to all of the current and retired EOD technicians out there, in Japan and elsewhere, whose dangerous work allows all of us to go on with our daily lives safely.

Lastly, Roy reminds us all that if we ever come across an UXB, we should consider it armed and very dangerous. Do not disturb it and call local authorities immediately.

(Images courtesy of Roy Kaiser)

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