standingwellback / 22nd December 2015

If I had a hammer

….I’d use it to explode an IED. Lots of Birmingham Screwdrivers being used here. Bizarre.

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About

This blog has evolved into a review of historical and modern explosive devices, and responses to them. Links are drawn between historical activity and similar activity in the world today. Mostly I focus on what are now called IEDs but I have a loose personal definition of that and wilingly stray into discussions of more traditional munitions, the science and technology behind them, tactical employment and EOD responses. Sometimes it’s just about interesting people in one form or another.

There are some themes that have developed. These include examination of trends in targeting (for example Railway attacks), device type (for example Shipborne IEDs), technology development (for example initiation systems or rockets), and other themes such as Sabotage in World Wars or geographic themes. Have an explore using the categories below.

Comment is welcome and encouraged but I do monitor it and reserve the right to delete inappropriate stuff. Guest posts are always welcome. Avoid any stuff that makes the enemy’s job easier for them.

A note on moral perspectives. Throughout this blog there are descriptions of all sorts of people using IEDs, explosives, or suffering the consequences. Some of the people using IEDs are thought of as heroes by some and terrorists by others. One person’s good guy fighting for a cause is another person’s evil demon. It’s complicated, and history adds another series of filters too. All of us too live in a narrative made up around however we were brought up, what we were taught and what we learned along the way, rightly or wrongly. So if you sense moral ambivalence, one way or the other, well, I’m guilty and I’m not perfect. By and large though, I have unapologetic sympathy for those dealing with the devices, whether they be soldiers, cops, or whatever, even those who are part of Nazi or other nasty regimes. That’s the cool thing about EOD techs – we don’t really care who the enemy is.

If I had a hammer

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