Worst Weapon?

Thanks, Redcoat - I wasn't aware of that. I'll bet Private Neall's shoulder was sore afterward....

 

Considering it was Italian tanks in WW2 it was the same bullet passing through all three...



Ok, back to serious business. I think they were used in Winter War against Russians with some success. Of course Red Army tanks weren´t T-34´s but earlier and lighter versions.

http://www.winterwar.com/Weapons/FinAT/FINantitank2.htm#boys

 

The Boys was also officially in the inventory of US Ranger battalions through 1944. Each company had 3 available for issue.

 

Kai: The Germans probably got the idea from US Army L 4 Piper Cub pilots who affixed as many as 6 bazookas to their aircraft. There was one pilot in attached to the 4th Armored Division that actually is credited with 6 confirmed tank kills! Talk about having a pair of brass ones!

 

It is a 'wonder weapon!' You have to wonder if it really is one don't you?!!

 

Maybe not worst of all, but a strong candidate must be the Grenade, Hand, No.74 - popularly known as the 'sticky bomb'.

The acceptance authorities' comment on the original design was that 'the whole article is most objectionable' and Ian V Hogg states that ' the operation of this grenade called for some courage'....

 

Missed this thread for a couple of days. I love the choices people have made.

Personally would have to go with the Italian tanks. I am not sure that they were worse than the majority of the Japanese tanks that were fielded in WWII but they saw action in tank-to-tank battles that really illustrated their poor performance in that role.

Speaking of Japanese tanks, does anyone know of any instances where there were any actual tank-to-tank battles with Japanese and Allied tanks? All of the stories that I have seen were of the Japanese tanks coming up against Allied infantry.

 

A Japanese tank regiment with Type 97 tanks engaged portions of a British tank brigade in Burma late in 1944. I don't have the location right at hand...It was a town that straddled the Bruma railroad and road net in central Burma.
Anyway, the British had M 3 Lee / Grant tanks and literally shot the Japanese to pieces suffering no losses in return.
The commentary was that the Japanese tankers would move to a firing positon and then stop and sit until destroyed. There was little coordination between their tanks and no effort to use fire and movement as a combination.
There are also some similar incidents on Saipan where Marine M 4 Shermans shot Japanese light tanks up when they attempted a mass charge at the Marine lines on the second day of that battle.

 

Thanks T.A., I had never heard of these actions. It sounds as if the Japanese tank tactics were poorly developed. They must not have had any Chinese tanks to learn against prior to taking on the British and Americans.

 

About 4 March 1942, A Sqn, 7 Hussars (M-3 Stuarts) destroyed 5 Type 95's near Waw/Payagyi.(Near Pegu).

27 April 1942, B & C Sqns 7 Hussars fought an action at Shawbin, nr Yenaungyang, but I cant find mention of losses. A Sqn 2RTR also fired on Tanks in the fading light.

20 March 1944 , 2 troops (HQ & another) of 3rd Carabineers (M-3 Lee-Grant)engaged sveral Type 95's south of Tamu. The Japanese ambushed the Lee-Grants , 1 being destroyed. 5 Type 95's were destroyed an one captured.

In the Japanese retreat from the Tiddim Rd they left some 30 tanks from their 14th Tank Rgt (incl some Stuarts!)

14th Japanese Tank Rgt was ordered to counterattack Meiktila (about March 45) but was decimated by the RAF , only 7 Type 97's reached Meiktila were they were used as pill boxes, 1 was destroyed by a B Sqn PAVO Armoured Car.

Off Thread, the only attack by a complete Regiment of Lee-Grants was at Magwe on 19 April 1945 by 150 Rgt RAC.
At Allanmyo on 22 April 1945, a small troop of CHurchill Tanks arrived, about 6 months after they would have been useful at Imphal!!

About 9 April 1945, "Claudcol" A & C Sqns Probyns Horse(Shermans) and 2 Sqns of 16th Light Cavalry (Arm Cars) were attacked at night by the remains of 14th Tk Rgt which they had cut off, at least 3 were destroyed. Next day they destoyed a further 3 at Thitson Chaung (about 300 miles from Rangoon?)

On about 19 April 1945, 116 Rgt RAC met 3 tanks at Pyinma, C Sqn advanced and their Shermans destroyed the Japanese detacnment, 75mm's versus Jap Tankettes.

Between 1 Jan & 14 May 1945, 14th Army only lost about 30 Tanks (I assume a lot were recovered) mostly to 47mm AT and Artillery (incl 1 to a captured 25pdr.)

From TANK TRACKS TO RANGOON, by Bryan Perret.

 

Thanks Ali, I have very limited knowledge of the conflict in China. I have done very little study in that theater with the exception of the Flying Tigers.

 

This is Burma, not China!!!

 

My abject appolgies. I guess I should have said that my knowledge of the entire Asian mainland theater was very limited.

 

Al, I think I did pretty good having last read the histories of the Burma campaign in 1983

 

Ah yes, I see you are from Texas.

 

The U.S. submarine torpedo of the first half of WWII. IMHO, lengthened the war in the Pacific by a year. There was a whole series of problems. The magnetic exploder, deep running and a large number of duds when they did discard the magnetic feature.

 

Confirmed by whom? That one is pretty hard to swallow, considering the classic statistic of 4% hits on stationary targets. However these bazooka rockets should have been fired at what would be extremely short range so the figure above should not apply. In any case I would like to see documentation before I believe!

 

Another candidate is the Soviet dog mine anti-tank weapon.

Za, I will get back on the details of Lt. Carpender's tank kills using an L4 armed with bazookas.

 

The Japanese Anti-tank suicide groups in Burma.

From the documentary on the Grant M3 tank. If they attacked you just put the tank in reverse and shot the whole lot down to the ground. At least that was the name of the game according to the document.

 

While you come up wih the appropriate quotation, I grant you that it would require a mighty set of brass spheres to came to bazooka range with a plane as slow as an L-4!