"Wunderwaffe – How The Nazi’s Planned ..." Topic

…A Futuristic ‘Super War'.

"Although for a time the Nazi war machine seemed virtually unstoppable, by 1942 the future of the "thousand-year Reich" was suddenly in doubt. With the bulk of the Wehrmacht bogged down in Russia and the full might of America finally being brought to bear against the Axis, Germany's prospects for victory (or even just survival) seemed bleak indeed. Outnumbered, surrounded and now largely on the defensive, military planners in Berlin increasingly believed that Germany's best and maybe only hope lay in the development of super-weapons or wunderwaffe. While a number of game changing breakthroughs like the V-1 rocket, the Me-262 fighter jet and Schweer Gustav gun had surprised and even amazed the Allies, these technological marvels were only the beginning of what the Nazi regime was planning to unleash. Right up to the very end of the war in Europe, German engineers were racing the clock to field next generation fighting ships, warplanes, missiles and more — technology that Hitler hoped would not only stave off defeat but even guarantee an Axis triumph. While most of these proposed war machines never left the drawing board, they still manage to fascinate, even 70 years later…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

It's all wonderful stuff that we can be thankful for never being an effective force multiplier for the German war machine.

Every day spent designing super guns was a day wasted – thankfully.

Laughable on so many levels.

I think its cool.
But then again, I am a diehard WWW2 fan.

Glad you had enjoy it my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

FYI, the laughable part wasn't in reference to Armand's post in and of itself, it is directed to those who worship every Germanic doodle on a napkin or made up item for a "History" Channel special.

Thanks,

Pat

For every "visionary design" the nazis had dozens of silly ideas that would never work. There is nothing visionary about trying out every possible permutation.

The problem is that the Germans DID have a bunch of superweapons in actual service and it didn't help them a bit. Tiger I and II, Panther, Schwerer Gustav, MG-42, Panzerfaust, Sturmgewehr, Me262 etc. These weapons were far ahead of what the allies had, but somehow they didn't sweep the battlefields and skies clear of enemies, but everyone does agree that the next generation would certainly have done so, if not the generation after that etc. This also always implies the allies would be so awed by these new weapons they would be utterly paralysed and be perfectly unable to come up with any response and be utterly defeated without any resistance in a matter of weeks.

And like so many articles it puts stupid designs like the Ratte on equal footing with more practical weapons, as if the nazis would have been magically able to make it work, they couldn't get Tigers to drive more than 20 klicks before breaking down, but the new weapons would probably work flawlessly.

They also forget that the allies were light years ahead when it came to the not so sexy bits of warfare like logistics and had their own advanced equipment like centimetre radar and the atomic bomb.

"Yeah, the allies had the atomic bomb, but if the Germans had one, it would have been superior in every way."

All that " Nazi Super Ship" stuff about Bismarck! Tosh! it was a rather old fashioned design!

Given Allied air superiority, I am surprised the Germans pushed ahead with super-heavy tank design. One would think they would have realized how vulnerable those superheavy tanks were to one Jabo with a big bomb.

Hmm,

Wonder Waffles!

Given Allied air superiority, I am surprised the Germans pushed ahead with super-heavy tank design. One would think they would have realized how vulnerable those superheavy tanks were to one Jabo with a big bomb.

Which is why all those giant rail guns and huge tracked siege mortars hardly fired a shot.

In their way beautiful designs, and what an achievement – but what a huge waste of time and resources as well.

Thank goodness.

What exactly was the Ratte supposed to fight?

The Catte.

OFM: It would have proved the mortal enemy of every road and bridge in its path, as well as the insatiable devourer of thousand of innocent gallons of petrol. Resource production officials and logistics officers (Wehrmacht, that is)--TREMBLE at the thought of the Maus and Ratte being used in any way, shape, or form!

here is another look at the almost flew aircraft

luft46.com