Sappers Neutralize and Remove World War II Aerial Bomb Near Szczecin A6 Junction

Sapper operation at the Kijewo junction

Military sappers from the 5th Engineering Regiment in Szczecin-Podjuchy carried out an operation on Monday, 21 September 2026, to remove an unexploded aerial bomb from the Second World War. Workers found the munition on Friday, 18 September, in a forested area near the Kijewo road junction and Szosa Stargardzka, where construction is currently underway on new junctions for the S10 expressway on the eastern entry into Szczecin. Specialist personnel initiated the recovery procedure shortly after 10:00 on Monday morning, operating in an isolated position that allowed the crew to extract the munition safely. The recovery and loading phase lasted 20 minutes before military vehicles transported the ordnance away from the area.

“After twenty minutes, the sappers managed to secure and transport the unexploded ordnance. Traffic at the Kijewo junction and Szosa Stargardzka street has been restored.”

Bomb classification and detonation site

Military specialists at the scene identified the recovered munition as a German-manufactured SD 50 fragmentation and demolition aerial bomb dating from World War II, with several emergency reports recording its overall weight at approximately 250 kilograms. Because of the size of the warhead, authorities designated a safety perimeter of 850 metres around the recovery zone to protect nearby infrastructure and passing motorists from potential blast effects. Military logistics teams directed the transport convoy toward the military training centre (CSB) in Drawsko Pomorskie, where sapper units scheduled a controlled detonation for later in the day. Sapper patrols noted that ongoing ground excavations for the S10 road project may uncover additional wartime explosive remnants in surrounding tracts of land.

“The sapper patrol at the site determined that it was an SD 50 fragmentation and demolition aerial bomb of German manufacture, dating from World War II. It will be detonated today at the Drawsko training area.”

Road closures and traffic diversions

The removal operation required temporary road closures across key arterial routes connecting Szczecin with regional highways. The General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) shut the A6 motorway in both directions between the Szczecin Podjuchy and Szczecin Dąbie junctions from 09:30 until approximately 11:00. Police and municipal services also halted traffic along Szosa Stargardzka, a key section of national road DK10, between Andrzej Struga and Professor Tadeusz Żuk streets. Police rerouted motorists travelling from Stargard through local municipal streets, including Profesora Żuka, Bałtycka, Tczewska, Irydowa, Goleniowska, Gierczak, Krzywoń, and Gryfińska toward Hangarowa street. Drivers on the A6 travelling from Goleniów and Kołbaskowo were redirected through Dąbie and the Rondo Żołnierzy Wyklętych roundabout via Batalionów Chłopskich and Granitowa streets.

Public security warnings

Prior to the recovery effort, the Government Centre for Security (RCB) distributed mobile text alerts on Monday morning to residents in Szczecin as well as Stargard, Goleniów, and Gryfino counties. The emergency notification warned recipients to avoid the danger zone around Szosa Stargardzka and the A6 motorway junction beginning at 10:00. The Szczecin Municipal Crisis Management Centre coordinated road management plans and confirmed that total road closures took effect minutes ahead of the sappers lifting the explosive device. All transit routes reopened to normal vehicular traffic as soon as the sapper convoy departed the site.