Historic 470-Kg US WWII Bomb Safely Removed in Serbia’s Capital

Serbian authorities successfully removed a 470-kilogram (1,000-pound) World War II aerial bomb from a construction site in a central district of Belgrade on Sunday, December 28, 2025. The device, identified as a US-made AN-M44 bomb, was discovered during ongoing building work in the wider central area near a residential zone and shopping mall. Dropped during Allied air raids on German-occupied positions in 1944 as part of the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi control, the bomb remained buried for approximately 80 years before being unearthed.

The operation was carried out by specialist teams from Serbia's Ministry of Interior and bomb disposal experts. Prior to removal, the site underwent detailed reconnaissance, nearby residents were advised to evacuate if possible, and vehicles were cleared from the area to minimize risks. The unstable, decades-old explosive—containing roughly 250 kilograms of high-explosive charge—posed a significant detonation hazard during handling. After safe extraction, the bomb was transported approximately 180 kilometers (110 miles) to an army arms training ground, where it will be destroyed in the coming days.

This incident is the latest in a series of unexploded ordnance discoveries in Serbia, a country still dealing with remnants from multiple conflicts.

Recent examples include
- A nearly 300-kilogram century-old artillery shell removed from a site near the Serbian parliament in September 2024.
- A large bomb from the 1999 NATO bombing campaign was found in Niš, southern Serbia, in April 2024.
- A 242-kilogram WWII bomb cleared from a Belgrade suburb construction site in 2021.

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All previous finds were safely neutralized without incident. The frequency of such discoveries reflects Belgrade's history of heavy bombardment during World War II and the 1999 NATO campaign, leaving behind thousands of tons of unexploded munitions across the country. Authorities continue to urge caution during excavation and construction work in historically affected areas. The latest successful operation underscores the ongoing challenge of dealing with WWII legacy explosives in urban environments, nearly eight decades after the war's end.

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