So, I thought that i would upload a few pix for reference.
Explosion at IJzendijke
On October 20 , 1944, a severe explosion on a farm near the village of IJzendijke ( Zeeuws-Vlaanderen , Netherlands ) killed 47 and injured 37 British and Canadian military personnel. It was one of the largest accidental explosions of the Allied campaign in Northwest Europe during World War II .
The explosion took place as part of Operation "Switchback", part of the Battle of the Scheldt , in which the "Breskens pocket" was intended to be cleared of Germans. This would make extensive use of the special armored vehicles ( Hobart's Funnies ) of the British 79th Armored Division. AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) tanks were allocated in addition to Crabs (Sherman tanks converted to mine clearing) and Crocodiles (Churchill tanks fitted with flamethrowers). The intention was to connect a so-called Conger Device , a mine clearance device , to the AVREs .
A Conger operated with a pressurized hose containing nitroglycerin.
Probably while filling the Congers , more than a ton of nitroglycerin exploded on October 20 , reducing nearby farm buildings to rubble and destroying several armored vehicles and trucks.
The human toll was high: 42 dead and 42 injured, including six fatalities whose identities were unknown and sixteen others missing and presumed dead. In the following days, five more of the wounded would succumb. This brought the balance of the disaster to 47 dead and 37 injured. The 284th Armored Engineer Company, one of the twelve assault tank units of the 79th Armored Division, was particularly hard hit. She lost more than half of her men.
The exact cause of the disaster has never been ascertained. Although an official investigation was conducted shortly afterwards by the 79th Armored Division, no report was ever published. Several theories circulated, but routine manipulation of the nitroglycerin - in close proximity to freshly delivered ammunition and gasoline - was the most likely cause. A direct consequence of the disaster was the non-operational deployment of the Conger . Although developed as an alternative to the Snake (a mine-blowing steel pipe), the Conger proved too dangerous and later on, Crabs (flail tanks) were used for mine clearance.
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Cheers
Tim
