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Danger Uxb: The Heroic Story Of WWII Bomb Disposal Teams
Autumn 1940: the Front Line is now Britain itself. With invasion imminent, cities are blitzed nightly as for the first time a nation becomes the target of a campaign of aerial assault. And even after the planes have passed overhead, a deadly menace remains: thousands upon thousands of unexploded bombs. Buried under ground, their clocks ticking remorselessly, UXBs blocked supply routes, closed Spitfire factories and made families into refugees. Dealing with this threat soon became Churchill’s priority.
For the first time, Danger UXB reveals the story of this desperate struggle against the ticking clock. It was a battle of wits that pitted German ingenuity against British resourcefulness, told through four key figures in the new science of bomb disposal: Robert Davies GC, who saved St Paul’s Cathedral; Stuart Archer GC, protector of the vital Welsh oil refineries; the extraordinary Earl of Suffolk GC; and John Hudson GM, the horticulturalist who mastered the V1. An astonishing and compelling account of courage and self-sacrifice, this is the truth of how the Blitz was beaten.
For the first time, Danger UXB reveals the story of this desperate struggle against the ticking clock. It was a battle of wits that pitted German ingenuity against British resourcefulness, told through four key figures in the new science of bomb disposal: Robert Davies GC, who saved St Paul’s Cathedral; Stuart Archer GC, protector of the vital Welsh oil refineries; the extraordinary Earl of Suffolk GC; and John Hudson GM, the horticulturalist who mastered the V1. An astonishing and compelling account of courage and self-sacrifice, this is the truth of how the Blitz was beaten.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 31, 2013
The author has written a good story of the British bomb disposal teams during WWII.
It isn't a full scale history, more a measured and well structured account that will provide for anyone wishing to know in general about the men, techniques, rivalries and circumstances of disarming bombs in huge numbers of all sizes and weights. It is also light on technical detail: with sufficient information given but not enough to swamp the general reader or make for a dull story.
The ever present is the courage and ingenuity of the men tasked to dig, secure and then make safe devices. The number of George Crosses and George Medals awarded stands testimony - as does the number of deaths whilst undertaking disposal and recovery.
Mr Owen provides ample insight into the work through the stories of many of the men involved, particularly those who sat next to, under and on top of German bombs and mines. Nicely too there are mentions of wives, families and the letters between them. There is also controversy and men who fell from grace.
Throughout the author provides the background picture of the scientists and ministry men who helped design and test techniques and equipment; as well as fighting for more men, more equipment and more recognition (by the military in organisation and supply for the BD units). Not faceless bureaucrats but men who insisted in trying out their ideas first hand and serving alongside the BD men from the three services.
Rather unsurprisingly there are the inevitable inter-service rivalries with parties not sharing information on not only German munitions they had encountered and conquered but astonishingly even not sharing details on their own bombs, mines and charges (especially as later the BD units worked overseas where they met British munitions and had to defuze them).
All in all a good account of brave men who did a dirty and dangerous job that keep Britain moving during the war.
It isn't a full scale history, more a measured and well structured account that will provide for anyone wishing to know in general about the men, techniques, rivalries and circumstances of disarming bombs in huge numbers of all sizes and weights. It is also light on technical detail: with sufficient information given but not enough to swamp the general reader or make for a dull story.
The ever present is the courage and ingenuity of the men tasked to dig, secure and then make safe devices. The number of George Crosses and George Medals awarded stands testimony - as does the number of deaths whilst undertaking disposal and recovery.
Mr Owen provides ample insight into the work through the stories of many of the men involved, particularly those who sat next to, under and on top of German bombs and mines. Nicely too there are mentions of wives, families and the letters between them. There is also controversy and men who fell from grace.
Throughout the author provides the background picture of the scientists and ministry men who helped design and test techniques and equipment; as well as fighting for more men, more equipment and more recognition (by the military in organisation and supply for the BD units). Not faceless bureaucrats but men who insisted in trying out their ideas first hand and serving alongside the BD men from the three services.
Rather unsurprisingly there are the inevitable inter-service rivalries with parties not sharing information on not only German munitions they had encountered and conquered but astonishingly even not sharing details on their own bombs, mines and charges (especially as later the BD units worked overseas where they met British munitions and had to defuze them).
All in all a good account of brave men who did a dirty and dangerous job that keep Britain moving during the war.
January 24, 2018
A lengthy, comprehensive and near-academic tome on the efforts and leading figures of BD crews from 1939 until around 1948, with a few extra cases right up until almost the present day. Much of this book is extremely suspenseful as Owen writes very well indeed, and will be of particular interest to any readers from London (as the Blitz makes up the bulk of this book), or Grimsby, Liverpool, Manchester, Gt Yarmouth, Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, Sheffield, Swansea, Cardiff and Coventry which all get a mention for various reasons. The incredible bravery of these crews, and especially certain individuals, is well portrayed, imbuing the reader with newfound appreciation for what they managed to accomplish in such adversity. At times, this book can feel a little long-winded regarding interdepartmental wrangles, perhaps necessarily a little technical about fuzes and gaines, and a little mawkish when Owen becomes rather literary about fires and devastation. I wish the photos were printed on pages closer to the places where they are mentioned. Even so, this is a work of some standing and makes for a gripping read. 4.25/5
August 21, 2019
A history in need of a bit more editing work. It is obviously a collection of the diaries and recollections of various members of the UXB teams who worked so hard to defuse the German booby-traps that the Luftwaffe rained down on Britain for the better part of five years. Owen did a decent job of stringing together these disparate tales to create a fairly coherent chronicle, but there is no focus on a central figure or group that holds the whole together, apart from Chronos, i.e., time.
May 31, 2025
My father once told me he had attempted to volunteer for the RAF during World War II as a gunner. Being a fit young man who was a fireman on the railway, he was refused. The country needed its (coal-fired steam) trains to run, perhaps even more than it needed gunners. I'm really thankful they did, as I probably wouldn’t be here otherwise. However, one war time job that was even more dangerous than a gunner with the RAF, was that of dealing with unexploded bombs, especially in the early years of the war.
We are given an insight into the development of bomb and fuse technology in the pre-war years and the author doesn’t sugar-coat the ‘head in the sand’ attitude of the British Establishment to the issue. Germany, as in many things, had a head start with good engineers and scientists and a government willing to take risks and break international treaties to move forward.
The book relies heavily on the testimony, letters and diaries of those involved, so the book is not a purely scientific resume but takes us behind the scenes into the lives and deaths of the many brave men who formed the squads who dealt with UXBs. I found it fascinating but still heart-wrenching, nearly 90 years on, as I read their stories. How much harder must it have been to live through it at the time?
We are given an insight into the development of bomb and fuse technology in the pre-war years and the author doesn’t sugar-coat the ‘head in the sand’ attitude of the British Establishment to the issue. Germany, as in many things, had a head start with good engineers and scientists and a government willing to take risks and break international treaties to move forward.
The book relies heavily on the testimony, letters and diaries of those involved, so the book is not a purely scientific resume but takes us behind the scenes into the lives and deaths of the many brave men who formed the squads who dealt with UXBs. I found it fascinating but still heart-wrenching, nearly 90 years on, as I read their stories. How much harder must it have been to live through it at the time?
February 22, 2020
It must take a different type of bravery to risk your life to defuse of an unexploded bomb. Especially knowing that the enemy is deliberately building traps into them to kill anyone trying to defuse it.
April 14, 2021
A must read if you are an eod tech.
February 19, 2012
‘Danger UXB’ is a book about bomb disposal in Britain during the Second World War. Beginning with a brief description of the development of aerial bombing in warfare, it goes on to describe the formation of Bomb Disposal sections in Britain and the work they did from 1940 to 1944. There are also a few pages that compare British bomb disposal practices to those used in Germany, although I would have liked it if these sections could have been a bit longer.
Owen gives the book a very human voice by describing events through the lives of the various men who were involved, and it is rich with biographical information, not only of the men at the top of the chain of command but also of the regular men who served in the Bomb Disposal sections, and the civilians whose lives were affected by the Blitz. Owen makes it easy to understand the challenges and dangers that the Bomb Disposal sections faced, and sometimes employs a narrative style to put the reader at the heart of the action. It’s a good book and an interesting subject.
Owen gives the book a very human voice by describing events through the lives of the various men who were involved, and it is rich with biographical information, not only of the men at the top of the chain of command but also of the regular men who served in the Bomb Disposal sections, and the civilians whose lives were affected by the Blitz. Owen makes it easy to understand the challenges and dangers that the Bomb Disposal sections faced, and sometimes employs a narrative style to put the reader at the heart of the action. It’s a good book and an interesting subject.
June 1, 2015
The WWII exploits of bomb disposal experts are described in this book.
The descriptions of some the bomb disposal experts were fascinating but overall the book was dry / academic.
The descriptions of some the bomb disposal experts were fascinating but overall the book was dry / academic.
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November 11, 2018Interesting material, never knew that so many bombs did not explode- about one in eight ..
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews