US troops on EOD duty for World War II bombs
- John Mayers
- Jun 23
- 1 min read
Papua New Guinea World War II EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) operations. If this is part of the ongoing multi-national unexploded ordnance (UXO) recovery efforts in the South Pacific, it typically details:
Operation Render Safe: The long-standing, Australian-led multinational mission (frequently featuring U.S. Marines, Navy personnel, and partners from New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the UK) to safely locate, evaluate, and detonate dangerous, decaying World War II-era bombs and shells.
The Persistent Danger: Explaining how over 80 years after the war, unexploded dropped bombs, artillery shells, and sea mines still pose active, deadly threats to local construction, farming, and communities across Papua New Guinea and neighboring Pacific nations.
Recent Deployments: Tracking current disposal missions, training exercises alongside the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF), and the total weight or count of munitions successfully cleared to protect native populations.
Excellent find, thank you John. I’m not at all surprised at the large amount of WWII ordnance still found in the Gazelle Peninsular (Rabaul/Kokopo area). What was also greatly interesting was reading that they used LIDAR to 3D map and locate the WWIi tunnels, an amazing job. I hope we get more information about the extent and results of this exercise. Appreciate you locating this interesting article.