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History Club
Military history and past events only. Rants or inflamitory comments will be removed.
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Wackiest WWII weapons
hellbent11
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Posted: Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 12:25 PM UTC
What is the craziest weapon of WWII that you've heard of and known to be true?

For me it would have to be the bat's with fire bombs stapped to thier legs. The U.S dropped canisters of bats that had small incindiary devices strapped to thier legs over Japan. The idea was that the bat's would roost in eaves and other parts of buildings and when a timer went off the device would start a fire causeing continued chaos for days and days after a raid. WIld huh?
jabo6
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Posted: Monday, June 26, 2006 - 04:26 AM UTC
The japanese developed wooden bombs to carry plauge infested fleas they supposedly tried them out on the chinese and they worked. dont know if its true or not, saw it on the history channel .some special unit stationed in china that did all their germ warfare stuff.
Pak_40
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Posted: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 01:34 AM UTC
Hi,
The German Krummlauf device, the StG 44 attachment for shooting around corners
The Goliath- wire guided mini-tank explosive device.

Chris
GSPatton
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Posted: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 08:47 AM UTC
The PIAT - The recoil of a battery mule and the accuracy at distance of a thrown rock. Other than that a great weapon system.

The DD Tank - A sherman with a canvas "flotation" device. Almost all of thje DD tanks destined for Omaha Beach drowned in the Channel - so much for try to make a rock float.
bgazso
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Posted: Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 03:13 AM UTC
I heard somewhere that the Russians trained dogs to blow up German tanks by strapping an explosive on their back with a "paddle" sticking up so when the dog ran under the tank the paddle would pivot triggering the device.

Only problem was, when they set the dogs loose in battle for the first time, they did it just the way they did when being trained - they ran under Russian tanks. Ooops!
SkateOrDie
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Posted: Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 03:22 AM UTC
the french moped with a 75 mm gun mounted in/on it as I said in that topic: GOOD GRACIOUS GREAT BALLS ON FIRE!!!
no-neck
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Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 05:19 PM UTC
Ever heard of a Panjandrum? A large metal drum,filled with explosives and fitted with rockets in a circle at each end. The theory was ; drop the ramp on a landing craft, light the rockets, it zooms up the beach toward the seawall or other obstacle and explodes.
erichvon
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Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 05:29 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The PIAT - The recoil of a battery mule and the accuracy at distance of a thrown rock. Other than that a great weapon system.

The DD Tank - A sherman with a canvas "flotation" device. Almost all of thje DD tanks destined for Omaha Beach drowned in the Channel - so much for try to make a rock float.


Live firing of the PIAT was banned after WW2 as it was that unsafe.
I disagree on the DD tanks. The only reason why the Omaha tanks sank was they were launched too far out in rough sea hence they sank as water went over the flotation screens. They had been advised not to do it but ignored the advice. They worked fine everywhere else.

To me the weirdest weapon was the Minenraum. I for one would not want to drive any vehicle over mines to detonate them!
Halfyank
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Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 10:15 PM UTC
Ever hear about Pykecrete, and the HMS Habbakkuk? This was a proposed aircraft carrier made of a material that was a combination of saw dust and ice. The ships could have been up to 4000 feet long, and 600 feet wide. The stuff was so tough they'd pretty much have been impervious to bombs or torpedoes.

http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_Habbakkuk.htm

As to the DD tanks, I also agree they weren't so bad. One theory about the loss of the tanks at Omaha is that they not only launched too far out, but because of where they were launched, and the navigation point they were supposed to head toward, they were subjected to a strong crossing sea and that is what swamped them. If they had headed toward the waves, like the tanks at the other beaches did, they would have been fine.

Drader
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Posted: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 03:59 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Ever hear about Pykecrete, and the HMS Habbakkuk? This was a proposed aircraft carrier made of a material that was a combination of saw dust and ice. The ships could have been up to 4000 feet long, and 600 feet wide. The stuff was so tough they'd pretty much have been impervious to bombs or torpedoes.

http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_Habbakkuk.htm



Geoffrey Pyke's brother Magnus was a staple of popular science TV programmes back in the 70s. And didn't the Panjandrum appear on 'Dad's Army'?

David.
Grumpyoldman
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Posted: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 04:07 PM UTC
Just have to love this:

Quoted Text

Mountbatten took a block of Pykecrete to Quebec to demonstrate the idea to the Americans. He intended to show them the strength of Pykecrete as opposed to ice. He fired a revolver into a block of ice which, predictably, shattered. He then fired into a block of Pykecrete. The bullet did not penetrate the block, rather it ricocheted off the ice, and unfortunately struck the American Chief of Naval Operations in the process, but without injury.


Nothing like shooting the CNO to really impress him. :-) :-)
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