The all-rounder cleans up.

17 November 2021: full closure of the A7 motorway in Hamburg’s Moorburg district. The reason: a 250 kg aerial bomb from the Second World War in an excavation pit directly behind the crash barrier. This was a case for the Fire Service’s explosive ordinance disposal service. After a tense three-quarters of an hour the unexploded device was disarmed, the emergency services gave the all-clear and traffic was able to flow again.

As nerve-wracking as such an operation might initially sound, it is part and parcel of day-to-day business for the crew of the explosive ordinance disposal service. The experts sometimes come out several times a day to defuse and remove one of the approximately 3,000 duds in the Hamburg urban area, or to detonate it in a controlled explosion. In most cases, the explosive legacy of the First and Second World Wars is revealed during civil engineering works.

To ensure that operations proceed smoothly and efficiently even in difficult locations, such as excavation pits, the explosive ordinance disposal service crew relies on the support of a real off-road expert: since 2020 the team has had a highly off-road-capable Unimog U 5023 at its disposal. When securing explosive devices, the emergency vehicle proves that its reputation as an "all-rounder" is no coincidence.

Several features of the highly off-road-capable Unimog make it the ideal solution for the challenges faced by the explosive ordnance disposal service. Since the team’s deployment site is usually not the road but construction sites and other difficult terrain, it needs a vehicle that sets standards in terms of off-road capability. With its differential locks, portal axles and high ground clearance, the Unimog does exactly that. The optional factory-fitted tyre pressure control system also ensures that mud, sand and gravel are no obstacle to progress.

The compactness of the Unimog chassis is a major advantage in the sometimes narrow streets of the Hanseatic city. On top of that, the all-rounder has a relatively low dead weight, which is a fundamental requirement for being able to cross many bridges. “If you’re looking for a truck that is highly off-road-capable, compact and relatively light, there aren’t many alternatives – and the Unimog is certainly the best,” says bomb defuser and diving operations commander Marc Neubauer. He and his colleagues from the clearance unit particularly appreciate the high engine power of their salvage vehicle when salvaging and transporting ton-heavy aerial bombs.

Once at the scene, the Unimog U 5023 really comes into its own. To meet the challenges of the present and future, it has been equipped with a number of special features for the explosive ordinance disposal service. A cable winch with 50 kN of tractional force helps in the unlikely event that the vehicle should become stuck. Schlingmann’s unique box body houses most of the special tools that the explosive ordinance disposal service needs in its daily routine.

But the Unimog is not only used as an equipment vehicle. To lift munitions, the Unimog carries an Atlas loading crane with a lifting force of 700 kg. Before the Unimog entered service, vehicles from other units often had to be requested to recover the heaviest duds. With this all-rounder the team is now self-sufficient, which immensely increases its efficiency in day-to-day operations.

To accommodate the specially made, hermetically sealable bomb compartment in which the recovered munitions are transported, several structural modifications had to be made to the Unimog. Thus the exhaust system was rerouted and the electronics were fitted with a special casing so that the vehicle received the "EX-II" approval for the transport of explosive substances.

"From the transport of personnel and equipment to recovery and the removal of explosive ordnance, the Unimog is fully utilised by us," reports Marc Neubauer. The rescue vehicle has, in two years of service, already repeatedly proven that it doesn't get fazed easily. "Every day it faces a new challenge. So far it hasn't disappointed us even once – and we are confident that this will not change in the coming years."

When it comes to the competence of their rescue vehicle, the team of the explosive ordnance disposal service is unanimous: "Every day we notice that the Unimog embodies the accumulated experience of many decades in the manufacture of off-road commercial vehicles. It's no coincidence that not only we, the fire department, but also many other authorities use the Unimog. And you never hear anything negative about it."

With increasing density and expansion of the urban area, the demands on the Hamburg fire department are steadily growing. When the fast-paced city must hold its breath for a moment, it needs a well-coordinated team of experts who can remove hazards efficiently and safely. The Hamburg explosive ordnance disposal service and its Unimog are such a team.