In an article by General-Anzeiger Bonn, the director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic, and Integration Studies (CASSIS), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie — a political scientist and historian at the University of Bonn — was interviewed as an expert on the historical background of the recent bomb defusals at the banks of the River Rhine in Bonn.
The record-low water levels of the Rhine, caused by the recent drought, had exposed unexploded ordnance from World War II. For example, a 125-kilogram incendiary bomb was found near Bonn’s southernmost bridge. On the evening of August 17, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit closed off an area of approximately 300 meters around the bomb’s discovery site near Heimkehrerweg/Von-Sandt-Ufer, in order to safely defuse the unexploded bomb. As a result, not only were bike paths and sidewalks closed, but boat traffic on the Rhine was also temporarily suspended.
Schlie explained to the General-Anzeiger that the repeated discoveries of unexploded ordnance near the Rhine can be attributed in particular to the final phase of the war in late 1944 and early 1945. For example, in early January 1945, American bombers attacked several bridges along the Rhine. Additionally, many German defensive positions were positioned along the Rhine, and a wide variety of weapons were used.