Hitler's Third Reich 'wonder weapons' finally put to the test.

Hitler's Third Reich 'wonder weapons' finally put to the test.

www.mailonsunday.co.uk

The programme also looked at a 1,000ton tank something called The Rat.

Given that the heaviest production-line tank of WW2 was the 60 ton Tiger, this project showed up the 'gigantism' that consumed Hitler - in architecture, murder and weaponry.

Designed to be 114-feet long, fitted with huge 280mm naval guns as well as eight anti-aircraft batteries, the idea was that the tank was to be a mobile gun battery, a fortress on tracks.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
abcnews.go.com
www.onenewspage.com

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Nazi Superweapon based on Firedamp
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Interesting to see a debate on these Nazi super weapons on National Geographic programme. I was aware of the Messerschmitt 262 jet-engined plane, but this 'Rat tank is ridiculous! There were not even any roads that could support its weight!

I doubt there is today.

Their time would have been better spent producing more Tigers and Tiger mark 2 or something like the T-34 which could be produced quickly in massive numbers.

The show airs this Sunday. I'll have to find it on Youtube somewhere.

channel.nationalgeographic.com...

www.mailonsunday.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 2-4-2010 by Peruvianmonk]

Why do they never concentrate on what super weapons america has.

Originally posted by andy1033
Why do they never concentrate on what super weapons america has.

What weapons are those then? Bankers and solicitors?

There are many obvious flaws with the super fortress tank, but I still personally like them despite their obvious drawbacks and failures.

It would make a good addition to a video game or something at the least.

reply to post by Peruvianmonk

but this 'Rat tank is ridiculous! There were not even any roads that could support its weight!

Who needs roads when you have 1000 tonnes of tank!

There wouldn't have been a lot that this thing couldn't have just ploughed over and through.

reply to post by spikey


Ha ha fair point, they would have created their own roads. Still with Allied air superiority this tank would have been subdued. If this had been avaliable along with the jet fighters before or by Kursk in 1943 it really could have swung the war in the German's favour.

Still the Allies (or at least the Americans) would have had the Atom Bomb.

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


Not before the Nazi's.

We hijacked it from the Nazi's by kidnapping their scientists during the end of the war.

Propaganda makes us believe that the US had it first.

There are reports that the Nazi's used a nuke on Russian troops, and that Stalin told them "Do it again and we will use biological weapons on you."

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


What utter nonsense. Germany MIGHT have had the idea for a "dirty bomb", which is just a way of scattering radioactive contamination, but did not have fission weapons.
Try reading some REAL history, there is plenty out there , instead of internet BS.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Never heard of any of that before. I knew that the Germans were aware of the possability of an atom bomb and were developing heavy water in Norway/Sweden?

Do you have any links for the stuff about Atom bomb used on Russian troops?

Originally posted by Peruvianmonk
reply to post by spikey

 

Ha ha fair point, they would have created their own roads. Still with Allied air superiority this tank would have been subdued. If this had been avaliable along with the jet fighters before or by Kursk in 1943 it really could have swung the war in the German's favour.

Still the Allies (or at least the Americans) would have had the Atom Bomb.

It would have sunk under it's own weight, not to mention have an insane appetite for fuel. and what purpose would it serve that other practical weapons couldn't? It's a monument to Hitler's delusions, and the generaly inefficient German weapons development programs.
As for jets, it would have made a temporay difference only.
The f-80 was operational in May 1945, ( though did not see combat ), along with British jets. The f-84 was close to operational by wars end , and the f-86 Sabre was well under way. Any of these aircraft were able to outperform the high maintainance, relativly fragile 262.

www.swapmeetdave.com...

You have to love the Germans though. I think they are into engineering beyond the imaginations of most others. I use a number of German machines and can say in my opinion they over engineer things.



Who needs a tank when you have this.

One more thing. This is what happens when a bulldozer gets in it's way.




Raist

reply to post by OldDragger


Don't be silly, of course they had the idea of a fission bomb. That's what the whole "race to beat the Germans to the bomb" was about. Heisenberg is thought by some commentators to have sabotaged the Nazi efforts by keeping important details secret. He definitely had the idea of an explosive using the newly discovered fission reaction. Not just a dirty bomb.

Sure the idea that they did make an A-bomb is probably just internet madness, but that they had the idea is common knowledge.



[edit on 2-4-2010 by mrwiffler]

I SAID they had no fission weapons.
They didn't even make an all out attempt to develop them. They did nuclear research, but had no equivelent to the Manhatten Project.

Along with these symbols of Hitler's delusions, he also wanted to create a dome that was so big that the breath from the people inside would condense on the ceiling and make it as if it was raining inside.

Originally posted by OldDragger
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

What utter nonsense. Germany MIGHT have had the idea for a "dirty bomb", which is just a way of scattering radioactive contamination, but did not have fission weapons.
Try reading some REAL history, there is plenty out there , instead of internet BS.

Yes perhaps, but the fact still remains they had the largest volume of refined Uranium ( 1,235 pounds of 77 percent pure uranium oxide ) that was intercepted on a U-Boat heading to Japan.

Not the mention that Italian Official who went on record stating he saw a large weapons test on an island that appeared identical to a modern nuclear explosion ( On 1944 October 12 on the peninsula Rügener a gigantic explosion observed by SS and diplomats from Italy ).

Not to mention a lot of other evidence to say perhaps there is something to the stories of Germany having nuclear weapons after all.

Originally posted by OldDragger
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

What utter nonsense. Germany MIGHT have had the idea for a "dirty bomb", which is just a way of scattering radioactive contamination, but did not have fission weapons.
Try reading some REAL history, there is plenty out there , instead of internet BS.

I have read "real" history. You presume that I am uneducated? Ad hominem is an ugly suit.

If you would like to make a thread on the matter, I would be happy to contribute. Just U2U me the link.

Originally posted by Peruvianmonk
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

Never heard of any of that before. I knew that the Germans were aware of the possability of an atom bomb and were developing heavy water in Norway/Sweden?

Do you have any links for the stuff about Atom bomb used on Russian troops?

I am about to go put some pork on the bbq, so i didn't take the time to read this entirely. But a quick glance tells me it hits the majority of the high points:

www.unmuseum.org...

Keep in mind: The Nazi's had all the scientists that the US ended up with. Why would we think that they didn't have the capability? They did EVERYTHING before us. If you really look at it, it appears like they lost the war on purpose. Or like they didn't care about winning the war, but rather were using the war as a tool to achieve another end.

I don't know. I cannot believe that they could be so incompetent in the military strategy and administrative hierarchy (chains of command), yet still invent the V series rockets and all the other breakthroughs.

The Nazi's patent archives were the single biggest haul from WWII.

Your own link states that it's unlikely the Germans had the bomb. Also ONE account that didn't surface until 2005 is highly suspect. Also Speer never mentioned any fission weapons.
as I stated, they MAY have used a "dirty bomb", but that is not a nuclear weapon. The mystery explosions used against the Russians might have been fuel-air weapons. They can produce huge detonations.
As for the V-1 and V-2, they were not war winning weapons. They had little or no strategic impact on the war.
Germany had no strategic airforce, no real Navy ( other than U Boats), still used horse drawn transportation, and was reduced to using wood for aircraft production in the last years of the war. Like the Japanese, the Germans used up pilots like tissue paper, and never had an adequate program to replace it's losses. It also never had a cohesive strategy to co ordinate air support with infantry.
War winning weapons include the B-17, B-24 and the untouchable B-29.
The Essex class carriers that crushed the JNAF. And Germany's industrial might paled before America's and the USSR.
The B-36 was near operational, it was designed to bomb Germany from the US if Britan fell. Even the B-52 was on the drawing boards in 1945.
The Germans has many fine techs, but none of them were "miracles".

Originally posted by muzzleflash
There are many obvious flaws with the super fortress tank, but I still personally like them despite their obvious drawbacks and failures.

It would make a good addition to a video game or something at the least.

Today something like that is rendered useless because of aircraft...but back in its day, as soon as you saw something like that on the horizon...even if it never fired a shot...battle over, just the pure psychological effect on other tanks and soldiers. The Germans did so many amazing things military and scientifically during that time...I think that's partially why Nazi Germany is sort of....glorified?

[edit on 2-4-2010 by yellowcard]