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Top Secret Military Weapons Developed By Nazi Germany | HistoryInOrbit.com
Top Secret Military Weapons Developed By Nazi Germany
An interesting question to consider: would the outcome of World War II have been different if Nazi Germany had been able to carry out plans for all of their top-tiered weapons? While we’d like to think the answer is no, the truth of the matter is that Nazi Germany had its fair share of crazy contraptions and weapons – and they had the brainpower to bring them alive. As World War II drew to an end, Adolf Hitler’s best designers and scientists were employed in a frantic race to develop some of the most sophisticated and advanced military weapons during the time. Although these weapons were a part of Hitler’s desperate last attempts to salvage his empire (hence dubbed as “The Wonder Weapons” or “Wunderwaffen”), many never saw the light of day. Had these inventions come just a little earlier, the outcome of the Second World War could’ve been very different indeed.
Fritz X
Wikimedia
The Fritz X is considered by many to be the modern “smart” bomb. The radio guided anti-ship glide bomb was the world’s first precision guided weapon, as well as the first to sink a ship in combat. Meant to target battleships and heavy cruisers, the Fritz X operated on a joystick radio-command system. Although few units were able to deploy the Fritz X, the bomb proved to be highly successful in combat, taking down the Italian battleship Roma, American light cruiser Savannah, the Royal Navy’s HMS Uganda and a couple of merchant ships.
Schwerer Gustav
Gawker
Also known as “The Great Gustav”, the Schwerer Gustav is the single largest cannon ever built and used in history. The Schwerer Gustav was developed in the late 1930s for the sole purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line. Fully assembled, this gun weighed around 1,350 tonnes and could fire shells up to 7 tonnes with accuracy up to a 29 mile radius. Although the Schwerer Gustav was all-powerful, it was also impractical. It took three days and a workforce of 250 men to assemble the monstrocity, plus 2,500 men to lay down its rail tracks. For this reason, only two of these guns were made (the second was named “Dora”) and its invention didn’t result in the demise of the Allied forces.
Horten Ho 229
Wikipedia
The Horten Ho 229 was known as the world’s “first stealth bomber”. The prototype fighter was designed in response to Hermann Goring’s call for lighter bombers as the first pure flying wing powered by jet engines. Outfitted with stealth technology, the Horten Ho 229 featured a sleek, tailless design with fixed wings, making it harder to detect and track with radar. But despite being successful in test flights, the aircraft failed to make an impact in battle when it took flight in 1944. After the war, the lone surviving prototype was tested by the U.S. military and used as a mockup for future stealth bombers.
V-3 Cannon
Combat Reform
The V-3 Cannon (Vergeltungswaffe 3) was a multi-charge super gun developed by the Germans in World War II. A weapon of revenge, the V-3 employed solid-fuel rocket boosters arranged in symmetrical pairs along the length of the barrel rather than explosive charges. During trials in 1944, the V-3 reached a firing range of 55 to 58 miles. The two guns built were intended to be used to bombard London from Nazi bunkers in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, but the cannons were rendered unusable during Allied bombing raids.
Silbervogel
Mod DB
Silbervogel, German for silver bird, was a design for a liquid-propellant rocket-powered sub-orbital bomber produced in the late 1930s for Nazi Germany. The intercontinental space plane was intended to be used as an extreme long-distance bomber capable of carrying a 3,600 kilogram bomb to New York City from Germany. With a unique surveillance system, the Silbervogel was said to be immune from being detected and shot down and was the next best thing to spy satellites. While the Silbervogel seemed like the ultimate weapon, it was far too advanced for its time. Technical difficulties from overheating caused prototypes to fail and the Nazi government put the project on hold in 1942 to save money and resources for other weapon systems.
V-2 Rocket
Rymaszeski
Development for the V-2 began as early as 1930, but it didn’t have its first successful run until 1942. It was said that at the time, Hitler was unimpressed with the V-2 rocket, also known as the world’s first ever long-range guided ballistic missile, saying that it was “merely an artillery shell with a longer range and much higher cost”. But the V-2 was unique in several different ways. Upon launching, the missile rises 6 miles vertically before proceeding on an arced course, cutting off its own fuel as needed, making it virtually impossible to intercept without knowing its desired target. The missile also falls at the speed of 4,000 mph, burrowing several feet into the ground before exploding. When the missiles were finally launched into battle in 1944, they proved to be deadly with a total of nearly 10,000 casualties during the London attacks.
Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte
Photobucket
The Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte was one of the heaviest tanks ever designed by Nazi Germany. The super tank was planned to be 1000 metric tonnes and equipped with guns that had previously only been seen on warships. Unfortunately, due to its size, the tank was seen impractical as it would have broken down bridges and roads whilst traveling. Its top intended speed was only 25 mph, making it a useless, slow and highly visible/vulnerable tank. Naturally, Hitler left the plans for the Ratte on the drawing board and relied heavily on the Blitzkrieg instead.
Top Secret Military Weapons Developed By Nazi Germany
An interesting question to consider: would the outcome of World War II have been different if Nazi Germany had been able to carry out plans for all of their top-tiered weapons? While we’d like to think the answer is no, the truth of the matter is that Nazi Germany had its fair share of crazy contraptions and weapons – and they had the brainpower to bring them alive. As World War II drew to an end, Adolf Hitler’s best designers and scientists were employed in a frantic race to develop some of the most sophisticated and advanced military weapons during the time. Although these weapons were a part of Hitler’s desperate last attempts to salvage his empire (hence dubbed as “The Wonder Weapons” or “Wunderwaffen”), many never saw the light of day. Had these inventions come just a little earlier, the outcome of the Second World War could’ve been very different indeed.
Fritz X
Wikimedia
The Fritz X is considered by many to be the modern “smart” bomb. The radio guided anti-ship glide bomb was the world’s first precision guided weapon, as well as the first to sink a ship in combat. Meant to target battleships and heavy cruisers, the Fritz X operated on a joystick radio-command system. Although few units were able to deploy the Fritz X, the bomb proved to be highly successful in combat, taking down the Italian battleship Roma, American light cruiser Savannah, the Royal Navy’s HMS Uganda and a couple of merchant ships.
Schwerer Gustav
Gawker
Also known as “The Great Gustav”, the Schwerer Gustav is the single largest cannon ever built and used in history. The Schwerer Gustav was developed in the late 1930s for the sole purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line. Fully assembled, this gun weighed around 1,350 tonnes and could fire shells up to 7 tonnes with accuracy up to a 29 mile radius. Although the Schwerer Gustav was all-powerful, it was also impractical. It took three days and a workforce of 250 men to assemble the monstrocity, plus 2,500 men to lay down its rail tracks. For this reason, only two of these guns were made (the second was named “Dora”) and its invention didn’t result in the demise of the Allied forces.
Horten Ho 229
Wikipedia
The Horten Ho 229 was known as the world’s “first stealth bomber”. The prototype fighter was designed in response to Hermann Goring’s call for lighter bombers as the first pure flying wing powered by jet engines. Outfitted with stealth technology, the Horten Ho 229 featured a sleek, tailless design with fixed wings, making it harder to detect and track with radar. But despite being successful in test flights, the aircraft failed to make an impact in battle when it took flight in 1944. After the war, the lone surviving prototype was tested by the U.S. military and used as a mockup for future stealth bombers.
V-3 Cannon
Combat Reform
The V-3 Cannon (Vergeltungswaffe 3) was a multi-charge super gun developed by the Germans in World War II. A weapon of revenge, the V-3 employed solid-fuel rocket boosters arranged in symmetrical pairs along the length of the barrel rather than explosive charges. During trials in 1944, the V-3 reached a firing range of 55 to 58 miles. The two guns built were intended to be used to bombard London from Nazi bunkers in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, but the cannons were rendered unusable during Allied bombing raids.
Silbervogel
Mod DB
Silbervogel, German for silver bird, was a design for a liquid-propellant rocket-powered sub-orbital bomber produced in the late 1930s for Nazi Germany. The intercontinental space plane was intended to be used as an extreme long-distance bomber capable of carrying a 3,600 kilogram bomb to New York City from Germany. With a unique surveillance system, the Silbervogel was said to be immune from being detected and shot down and was the next best thing to spy satellites. While the Silbervogel seemed like the ultimate weapon, it was far too advanced for its time. Technical difficulties from overheating caused prototypes to fail and the Nazi government put the project on hold in 1942 to save money and resources for other weapon systems.
V-2 Rocket
Rymaszeski
Development for the V-2 began as early as 1930, but it didn’t have its first successful run until 1942. It was said that at the time, Hitler was unimpressed with the V-2 rocket, also known as the world’s first ever long-range guided ballistic missile, saying that it was “merely an artillery shell with a longer range and much higher cost”. But the V-2 was unique in several different ways. Upon launching, the missile rises 6 miles vertically before proceeding on an arced course, cutting off its own fuel as needed, making it virtually impossible to intercept without knowing its desired target. The missile also falls at the speed of 4,000 mph, burrowing several feet into the ground before exploding. When the missiles were finally launched into battle in 1944, they proved to be deadly with a total of nearly 10,000 casualties during the London attacks.
Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte
Photobucket
The Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte was one of the heaviest tanks ever designed by Nazi Germany. The super tank was planned to be 1000 metric tonnes and equipped with guns that had previously only been seen on warships. Unfortunately, due to its size, the tank was seen impractical as it would have broken down bridges and roads whilst traveling. Its top intended speed was only 25 mph, making it a useless, slow and highly visible/vulnerable tank. Naturally, Hitler left the plans for the Ratte on the drawing board and relied heavily on the Blitzkrieg instead.
