EOD-Trials Lubtheen

The demolition area at the range in Lübtheen, Germany, was an excellent location for so called "Low Order" procedures on ordnance. After trials on the ranges in Hammelburg and Altengrabow we choose this range in the year 2000 as our permanent range to perform our trials. Since that time untill 2007 there have been 17 trials with participation civil and militairy EOD-Specialists from several countries. Next to the low order and demolition procedures we also could test the effects of all kinds of ordnance.

The goal of low order procedures is to open ordnance with other explosives. This is a safe and quick way to work if ordnance is equipped with long delay and/or anti disturbance/influence or other time demanding fuses.

The results that we want to reached are that:

The body is opened and acces to the explosive charge is possible;
The body is opened and the explosive charge has burned or deflagrated;
The body is seperared in two parts, f.e. to seperate the tail from the body;
The body is desintergrated in many parts.

When performing these procedures you always should consider the possibility of a detonation. A minimal safe distance of 1500 metres was always beween the position of the ordnance and the activation position.

The Trials:

The ammo team did collect every morning one or two truckloads full from the depot of the German civil EOD, were all the ordnance was stored. The ordnance was later on unloaded at a special field storage place at the range. After that, one piece of ordnance was deliverd to each of the nine positions. Every position had three pits.

When every position had what we called "target ordnance" (A detailled list of the used target ordnance will be listed in the article "results EOD-trials Lübtheen"), the teams could come to the positions. After a safety briefing the teams could go to their position to:

Identify the ordnance;
Measure the thickniss of the ordnance;
Make a plan to attack the ordnance.

As attack ammunition they had standard and alternative charges to choose out.

Some of the standard charges were:

A flexible lineair cutting charge called BLADE;
Lineair hollow charge containers DM-120, DM-130 and DM-140;
Explosive formed projectiles like Lambada, Balderick and the Dutch devellopped A-shell and EFP;
Special formed charges like HL-21, SM EOD-20, SM EOD-33, SM EOD-67 and SEAFOX;
A special hollow charge to activate 5 metres burried ordnance, the HL-200;
Standard militairy and civil explosives;
Thermite hand grenades to burn out the explosive charge of opened ordnance.

For the alternative charges we used some items that were not planned for EOD-procedures. Some of them seem to be very effective.

Some of the alternative charges were:

Glass hollow charges;
Warheads of the RKG-3, AZ-58-K-100, PG-2, Dragon and WW II Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck;
Hollow charges with 22,36, 47 and 70 mm diameter;
Russian cratering charge KZ-5 and cutting charges KZU.

A detailled list of the used attack charges will be listed in the article "results EOD-trials Lübtheen". This is only accesable for EOD-specialists who received a special account. This account can be requested by the EOD-Thor Facility Center through eod-thor@t-online.de

When the teams had decided their method of attack they could receive their attack charges from the ammo team. After they had received this, they placed it on or at the wanted distance from the target ordnance. When all the teams had done this, the commander ordered the second team member to leave the area. They went to the activation positon at 1500 metres distance from the positions, the so called "Tea House". After an order from the commander the remaining specialists could connect the detonator to the cable. Under supervision of the commander they could place the detonator in the charge. After this was done, everybody assembled at the tea house. Here a last check was done by checking all the connections. The commander gave the sequence to activate the charges.

After activation of the charges a visual check was made and if it was safe the commander and nr.1 went to the positions for a final check. When the final check was done, they put out new target ordnance. Now the teams were ordered to come to the positions to check their results and to receive a new task.

Some examples:

A 240 mm mortar to be attacked with hollow charge lineair.

A 60 Lbs SAP warhead also with also a hollow charge lineair.

A 1000 Lbs GP bomb with a flexible hollow charge blade to seperate the bomb in two parts.

Attack charges SM EOD-22, HL-21 and Hl-200.

PG-2 warhead, Glass charge, electrical activated thermite hand grenades and preparing 10 dragon warheads for distruction.

A Russian OFAB-250-270 fragmentation Bomb for and after seperation and a USA WW II 1000 Lbs Bomb.

The highlight of every week was the HL-200, we called it "The mother of all charges". Every team was eager to get this task. The designated team placed the HL-200 Charge five metres above a burried 1000 Lbs bomb. It left a nice hole behind. "Zwo, Drei...... Wir sind Glucklich".

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