Nazi arms dump unearthed in Kaliningrad

Bomb disposal teams uncovered 3,000 shells in a day

Soldiers have discovered several thousand German artillery shells dating back to 1941 buried at a military base in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The Russians are saying that this is the largest such find since World War II and that it may take several months to make safe.

Russian soldiers at work

The arsenal was found next to the chemical warfare warehouses of the Russian Baltic Fleet at Kaliningrad which lies between Poland and Lithuania, Russian TV said.

Russian soldiers were digging out stones for repair work when they found the wartime shells.

'Drastic consequences'

Bomb disposal teams uncovered 3,000 shells in a single day and believe there are up to a further 10,000 more at the cordoned-off site.

Sapper-instructor Valery Zhukovsky said "if they had detonated, and keep in mind that chemical substances are stored here, the cloud would have caused drastic consequences."

The Russians are not saying exactly what gases and chemicals they have in store at the site, Polish Television said.

Russian bomb disposal experts are carefully checking all the shells removed as they think the Germans may also have stored chemical warfare shells at the site.

The well-preserved fragmentation shells of German manufacture bear clear markings and a 1941 production date.

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