They were called "Wunderwaffe", which translated from German means "wonder weapon"... Nazi Germany's Ministry of Propaganda coined the term to refer to the latest military weapons that were technologically superior to the military arsenals of other countries. Most of these same weapons did not leave the prototype phase. They were either invented too late, or they would not have had a significant impact on the course of the war.
When the protracted war had already begun to ravage Germany, the Ministry of Propaganda, in order to increase morale, constantly mentioned these very "miracles of German science". But in fact, to create this type of weapon would require many years of design and testing. And therefore there was almost no hope that the Third Reich would have time to use this weapon in battle until the end of hostilities.
What is remarkable and terrifying is the fact that the Nazis had certain "know-how"to develop their weapons. And if the war had lasted longer, it is possible that the Nazi leadership used weapons in battle. The Axis countries could have won that war. Fortunately for the Allies, Germany could not finance the development."wonder weaponsAlso check out Article 10 Amazing Events of World War II.
15. Tracked self-propelled guns "Goliath"
The allies called them "floating gold washers"They began to be used in 1942 on all fronts. The mines were remotely controlled and bombs were attached to them. They were small and carried 70 kilograms of explosives at a speed of 9 km / h. This is not a bad figure when you consider the weight of the load, their weakness was that they were controlled by joysticks connected by a long cable.
The British soldiers realized they only needed to cut the wires. Thereafter "Goliath"was no longer used in service. About 4,600 copies were produced during the war. This invention turned out to be too slow and inconvenient for war. Now they can be found in military museums in Europe and the United States.
14. Cannon V-3
Like its predecessor, the V-1 and V-2 cruise missiles were "weapon of revenge"Nazi Germany. They were used to inflict damage on targets in Great Britain and were built on slopes. The V-3 cannon was based on the multi-charge theory, during testing of the guns in May 1944, a firing range of about 88 kilometers was revealed. Subsequent tests confirmed the ability of the shells to reach points at a distance of 95 kilometers.
But only two guns of this type were produced. In 1945, the remaining guns were used to bombard liberated Luxembourg. This type of weapon proved to be ineffective, out of 183 shots, only 142 landed, killing only 10 people and injuring 35. "Duplicate"the cannon in London did not fire a single shot.
13. Radio-controlled projectile "Henschel HS 293"
This anti-ship missile was probably the most effective weapon of war. She destroyed many military destroyers and merchant ships. 4 meters long and weighing almost a ton, they were produced "circulation"about 1000 samples for the German Luftwaffe military aviation. Such an aircraft was a glider with a rocket attached at the bottom and 300 kilograms of explosives in a warhead.
Their main targets were unarmored warships. Then a model called "Frit X"was released already for armored ships. After launching the bomb, after a few seconds the rocket flared up and slowly flew towards the intended target, leaving a trail so that the machine gunner could observe the process. A serious drawback was that the bomber had to maintain a straight trajectory along with a stable speed, to fly at the height of a parallel target to maintain a distance line with the missile, which meant that the bomber would not be able to evade pursuit of enemy bombers if they tried to intercept it.
Such missiles were first used in August 1943 and one of them even sank a British patrol ship.... After a while, the armies of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition found a way to use the radio frequencies of the missile in order to interfere with their control. Of course, this significantly reduced their effectiveness for the rest of the war.
12. "Silbervogel"
Developed in the late 1930s, the Silberwogel nicknamed "Silver bird", was a liquid-powered sub-orbital bomber. Simply put, it was an intercontinental aircraft capable of hitting long-range targets. It is capable."wear"bombs weighing up to 3500 kilograms. For that time, it was too advanced and engineers faced numerous technical problems. And in 1942 the project was postponed, and the funds allocated for it were redistributed to other projects.
The entire project was conceived by aerospace engineer Eugen Sanger and physicist Irene Bradt. By the way, after the war, these scientists began to be highly valued for the prototype aircraft they had invented, and they were invited to France to help in the space program. Design "Silberwogel"later used in the design of the American space shuttle, and the regenerative engine they invented is now used in all rockets. Thus, the failed Nazi attempt to create a long-range bomber to attack the United States subsequently had a positive impact on the development of space programs of different states. Perhaps you will be interested in Article 10 of the most amazing experimental aircraft of World War II.
11. StG 44
German "StG 44"is often considered the first assault rifle. Its design was so successful that the modern M-16 and AK-47 rifles borrowed their design from it. It is rumored that Hitler himself, under the impression, gave it such a name. It was a unique idea that embodied in itself characteristics of a carbine, automatic rifle and machine gun. This weapon was one of the most innovative accessories of the time. In the first place was "Zielgerat 1229"equipped with a night vision system, codenamed"A vampire".
It weighed about 5 kilograms and was tied to a battery in a briefcase on the shooter's back. Then came the so-called "Krummlauf"with a curved barrel that allows you to shoot from the sides. Nazi Germany was the first to implement this long-standing idea. These rifles had several versions, depending on the angle of inclination. But be that as it may, they were not successful, after a series of shots the rifle stopped working from Despite the implemented plan, the StG 44 appeared too late to somehow influence the course of hostilities.
10. Schwerer Gustav
"Great Gustav"was the largest and most powerful cannon in history! It was developed by the company ''Krupp Industries'' and, along with "Dora"was the heaviest railroad weapon."Gustav"Weighed 1350 tons and could throw a charge at a distance of 45 kilometers. Can you imagine what a 7-ton charge looks like? It is very large!"
So why didn't the Allies surrender as soon as they saw this huge machine? Well now think: railway weapon. It took 2,500 soldiers to control it, and it took 2 days to get it on the rails. It could only be transported disassembled, and then assembled again. And it took half an hour for a simple recharge! Also, "Gustav" was accompanied by several Luftwaffe aircraft to protect it.
The only time this colossus really helped the Germans was the siege of Sevastopol in 1942. This behemoth was a miracle of technology, but completely impractical. "Gustav" and "Dora"blown up in 1945 to prevent them from falling into the hands of the allies. But the Soviet armed forces were able to restore it and the giant weapons were sent to the Soviet Union.
9. Radio-controlled bomb Ruhustahl SD 1400 "Fritz X"
Her name was "Fritx X", an airborne radio-controlled bomb. Like the aforementioned HS 293, this missile was also designed to bombard ships, but only well armored. It had excellent aerodynamics, four small wings and a tail. The Fritx X looked very formidable in the eyes of opponents. The ancestor of modern bombers. withstands 317 kilograms of explosives and was based on a radio command signal system, which made it one of the most high-precision weapons in the world.
These bombers were stationed in Malta and Sicily in 1943 and were highly effective. On September 9, 1943, the Nazi command sent aircraft to defend besieged Rome. Several British and American warships were sunk by bombers. Of the 2000 available, only 200 bombs were dropped at the target. The difficulty lay in the inability of the bombs to change direction. And therefore, to attack targets, aircraft had to fly directly above them, which made them vulnerable to enemy raids.
8. Panzer VIII Maus
This tank is codenamed "Mouse"was the heaviest that ever existed! Such a supertank weighed 188 tons. And it was its enormous mass that was the reason that it was never put into production. The estimated speed of this tank left much to be desired. Also, its weight could not even afford it. cross the bridge, but under certain circumstances the tank could swim under water. Its main purpose was to push through the enemy's defenses without any loss or damage. In the end, "Maus"proved to be too costly to manufacture and extremely inconvenient.
They created only two prototypes of the tank, but just before the end of the war, the Germans destroyed them, again for fear of falling into the hands of the allies. The Russians managed to collect the wreckage and transport them to the USSR, where they were all collected into a single tank. Now it is in the tank museum to the west of Moscow.
7. Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte
Did the previous tank look big to you? Compared to this model, he is just a small toy. This super-mega-tank was the largest and heaviest tank in Nazi Germany. According to all plans, it was supposed to weigh 1,000 metric tons and was equipped with artillery, which is only on military destroyers. Just imagine a car 35 meters long, 14 meters wide and 10 meters high! To operate such a tank, 20 personnel were required. Such dimensions were a real headache for engineers, because because of such a mass, not only bridges, but also the road would begin to crumble before our eyes.
Engineer Albert Speer, who developed the car, considered the conceived design ridiculous. Its construction would be absolutely unprofitable. However, despite heated discussions and excuses, Speer canceled the project in 1943. Even the prototype of the tank was not fully developed. But, by that time, the command of the Armed Forces had already taken up the development of another tank. Landkreuzer P.1500 Monster.
6. Horten Ho 229
Ho 229 known as the world's first invisible bomber. This aircraft could carry with it a load of 1000 kilograms at a speed of 1000 kilometers / hour. Two German enthusiasts became its inventors. The Horten brothers stated that they mixed wood glue with dust to absorb electromagnetic waves. Thus, the fellow engineers made a great breakthrough in stealth technology.
The aircraft was successfully tested in 1944 and 20 aircraft were ordered for production. But by the end of the war, the Allies were able to find only his prototype and an unfinished model. Reimar Horten fled to Argentina after the war, where he continued his work until his death in 1994.
Walter Horten became General of the German Forces and died in 1998. Horten Ho 229 became an example for the production of new US Air Force bombers, now the original itself is in the National Aviation Museum in Washington.
5. Sound cannon
German scientists have long thought about the development of sound cannons, the sound of which would be able to tear a person from the inside. The greatest contribution to this project was made by the scientist Richard Valauszek. The cannon consisted of a methane combustion chamber leading to two parabolic reflectors with a diameter of 3 meters. These very reflectors detonated around at a frequency of 44 Hz, and were also connected to the fire tube. The pipe, with the help of methane and oxygen, made a deafening sound that could cause dizziness and nausea at a distance of 270 meters. The pressure exerted by the sound wave could be fatal within a radius of 50 meters from the cannon!
I'm not a scientist and I don't understand how it all works. Apparently, this type of weapon has only been tested on laboratory animals. Of course, such a large apparatus would be an easy target for enemy aircraft. In addition, due to the breakdown of the reflectors alone, the entire machine would stop working, which was also a significant drawback. It is not difficult to guess that the gun was never used in practice.
4. Whirlwind cannon
Aerodynamics researcher, member of the Austrian Nationalist Party, Dr. Mario Sieppermire, worked for a long time on the creation of anti-aircraft weapons for the Reich army. In the end, he concluded that strong vortices could shoot down enemy aircraft. Such a gun worked by producing explosions in the combustion chamber, released through nozzles and directed towards the target. He built a scale model of this weapon and tested it on a 4-inch wooden plank at a distance of 180 meters. weapons were successful, and the scientist began full-scale work on the creation of cannons capable of shooting down Allied aircraft.
Only two cannons were built in total. In practice, these inventions turned out to be not so effective, the vortices could not reach the required height to hit the aircraft. Sieppermire tried to increase the range of the gun, but the war was already over. The Americans found the first cannon, already rusted and abandoned in a military warehouse in Hillersleben. The second was destroyed at the end of the war. After the end of World War II, the doctor remained to live in Austria, refusing to work either for the Americans or for the Russians, like many of his contemporaries.
3. Solar weapon
You've already heard about the sonic and vortex cannon, and now is the time for the solar weapon. This was one of the most successful ideas of Nazi scientists.... In theory, it should have been an orbital weapon capable of concentrating sunlight at a specific point on Earth. For the first time, the idea to create this type of weapon was visited in 1929 by the German physicist Hermann Obert. His idea was a space station with a 100-meter concave mirror used for "gathering"sunlight and reflecting it back to Earth as a weapon.
With the outbreak of war, a group of scientists began the implementation of this project. They believed that the generated heat would be enough to boil the ocean and turn cities to ash. An experimental solar weapon model was found by the advancing US Army in 1945. Answering questions from investigators, German scientists said that the project was doomed to failure.
2. Rocket V-2
This rocket may not be as futuristic or fantastic as the previous items in this rating, but it deserves to be included in this list. As one of the weapons of the series "Instruments of revenge"By the way, this type of missile was successfully used in the bombing of England. The design was invented in 1930, but"brought to mind"only in 1942. Surprisingly, Hitler was not impressed at all. He only said the following about it:"A conventional artillery shell with a longer flight range, and a significantly higher costIn fact, the V-2 was one of the first long-range ballistic missiles in the world.
Using extremely powerful liquid propellants, this rocket could climb 9 kilometers vertically, then change course on its own, adjusting the fuel as needed. And it was almost impossible to intercept her. This missile was first used to bomb London in 1944 and showed very good results. These missiles were produced at military research sites under the supervision of von Braun.
During the assembly, the labor of concentration camp prisoners was used. After the war, the USSR and the USA set a goal to capture as many of these V-2 missiles as possible. Dr. von Braun began working for the United States and developing their space program. So, his V-2 rockets marked the beginning of the space era.
1. Nazi bells "Die Glocke"
They were called "Die glocke"which in German meant"bells". To this day, there is no evidence that this project was actually developed by fascist scientists. It was a giant metal bell, almost 3 meters wide and 4 meters high. The bell was made of an unknown metal and consisted of rotating cylinders filled with a metallic liquid. Zerum-525.
When this weapon was "launched" (the mechanism of its use is not known), the bell created a zone of influence with a radius of 200 meters. Within this zone, animal tissues crystallized, blood clotted, and plants wither. According to some sources, several scientists died during the first test. The weapon was also able to rise above the ground and detonate at the target, releasing a stream of deadly radioisotopes and causing the death of millions of people.
The main source for this claim is Polish journalist Igor Witkowski, who learned about the project from secret KGB documents containing the interrogation of SS officer Jakob Sporrenberg. Sporrenberg said that the project was under the leadership of SS General Hans Kammler, an engineer who disappeared after the war. It is said that he was taken to America along with the prototype of the bell. The only possible material evidence for the existence of the project is the ruins of arches, nicknamed "The henge"and found 3 kilometers from a military factory. Perhaps it was a special device for laboratory testing of weapons. And most likely, we will never know if this project actually existed.
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An interesting weapon developed by German scientists for the Third Reich. Some models of weapons were unsuitable for practical use, or a large number of shortcomings were revealed during testing. But the ideas of scientists undoubtedly propelled scientific progress forward.
