Indeed, an amazing posting to start with - welcome, Die Nibelungen!

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If someone tries to remove the speck in your right eye, will you turn to him the other also?

Most welcome to the forums, Die Nibelungen! Hope you enjoy yourself a lot in here!

I must say that it was a very good first post too!

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

I think that the M1a1 Thompson was the best weapon. Although it was inaccurate at long ranges, it was quite a reliable weapon. I love the thompson and in my point of view it was the best weapon of the war.

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"Only the dead have seen the end of war". -Plato

"A people that have forgotten their heritage,are a people who have lost faith in themselves". -Winston S. Churchill

It's a fine gun and of course, has a real 'mystique' about it. It also packed a real punch a close range thanks to the heavy calibre bullets. Downside was the weight - it feels really heavy ! It must have been a real drag to lug one of these things around the Ardennes in sub-zero temperatures.

Also, on the A1 model the bolt was extremely heavy too, making the gun very difficult to control. If you read Donald Burgett's D-Day memoir, 'Currahee' , he gives some memorable impressions of using the Thompson under combat conditions.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I personally love the soviet small arms of WW2, Keenly the PPsH and the Mosin Nagant. I personally own a Mosin 91/30 model. I actaully acquired it very recently and thus have not had the time to shoot it yet, but I cannot wait. I also have the M38 version, which is a carbine, shorter barrel and therefore I am guessing less accurate but more portable.

I haven't found a working PPsH on the market.. the one I did find was disabled and could not shoot..

The best gun, as forementioned, is highly debatable.. Although, IMO, I would believe it to be one of the key snipers (Mauser, SPringfield 03', Mosin Nagant 91/30, etc). They have the highest accuracy (heh, duh), longest range, and also in the hands of a good soldier, can eliminate countless soldiers without any real danger to the man firing. (Simo with his open sighted Mosin, for instance :-p). I am not a big fan of spraying thousands of rounds at men and hopign to hit em.. I'd rather sit back and pluck them off those machien guns to save my comrades. [img]smile.gif[/img]

As for the best plane, P-51!!! I love the looks, performance, everything about that aircraft.

Very good thoughts about the 'Tommy gun', Martin! But I'd like to add that the thing was hard to mantain and that it cost $125 to manufacture each one.

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

That is why they switched to the M3!

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Goto wwiif.cjb.net for a new wwii forum.

I liked the FG-42 I believe it was called....
Auto sniper.....very strong and accurate....

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An army is nothing without a good general.

Hello, I am new here as well. Was told about this Forum from a new member at a Online Club (Band of Brothers) for the Game(s) of Combat Mission. I also feel honored to be allowed to be a part of this community.

When I think of the "best" weapon I tend to lean toward the line of thought of what weapon had the most impact on the war itself. When I read the title the first weapon that came to mind was the 88mm gun. It did an excellent job at all three 3 of it's pratical roles. Artillery, Anti-Aircraft, and Anti-Tank.

I also realized that no one had mentioned a weapon that probably had more a direct affect on Ally Infantry troops than any weapon mentioned so far, the MG42. IMO the BEST gun of any type of the entire war. It also still lives on in many modern machine guns today, the M60 is a direct descendant. A close second to the MG42 is the US .50 cal!

I'm not a big Naval buff but it seems the Essex class Aircraft Carrier should get a mention.

I'd have to say the 3-inch for the Americans.. for awhile it was pretty much the only gun they had capable of taking on the German heavies, save for the 90mm it was probably the only reason the Sherman droves weren't annihilated all through France. Not counting the thousands of fighter-bombers [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The 128mm also comes to mind. As for small arms, I'd have to say the Panzerfaust and the Sturmgewehr. The Panzerfaust because it was one of the main reasons 250,000 Soviet soldiers died in Berlin alone IMO (those things make an awful big bang, although that can be a bad thing when you're using them in your own cities), and the StG because it gave birth to the assault rifle family which has been the mainstay of all armies ever since.

The V-2, of course, because it pioneered the ICBM family.. the 262 because it pioneered the jet family.. the Panther, because it pioneered the MBT family.. wow, does anyone else see a pattern of Germany giving birth to modern warfare as we know it?

Other things that need to be put on the list: Japan's Navy.. even though the US had it's own carriers, Japan really sort of invented modern Naval warfare as we know it. Maybe because they were the first ones to use it at Pearl Harbour, but whichever. Another one is the T-34, because it showed that you can mass produce something so cheaply and quickly, yet still have it quite powerful. Germany's Fritz-X and Hs-293 guided bombs.. although they weren't really all that tide-changingly wonderful, they were still fairly ground-breaking. The Fi-156 was a good plane, too, in that it was even used by, Monty was it? In North Africa because it was so reliable and capable a liason plane. And I have a personal affinity for the Mistletoe.. even if it is a bit queer, it's beautiful in my eyes. Germany may not have had the guts the Japanese did to actually kamikaze a pilot into a ship, but they made up for it with some clever engineering.

This is an excellent topic and can be debated with many fine examples.

I'm not usre how to classify this as a weapon but nobody really mentioned the devastating effects of the firebombing of Germany and Japan. They say in terms of numbers, the firebombing in Japan killed more people than the atomic bombs.

Personaly, I think my 2 favorite weapons would be the Gewehr and the Lee End Rifle. I believe the Lee End was the most produced gun. For planes, I'd say B-17 and F6F-5 HellCat, even though it wasn't used too much. Tanks would be T-26B, because it kicked Germany's arse when they tried to invade Russia. It just had the right technology to make it through the snow, and since the German's tanks always got stuck, their infantry was, well, screwed. They wern't prepared for the weather either.

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And when he get\'s to Heaven
To Saint Peter he will tell,
"Reporting for duty sir,
I've served my time in Hell,"
- Medal of Honor: Allied Assult

I don't find this figure very accurate. Soviet KIAs during Berlin offensive —April 16th - May 8th 1945— were most likely not superior to 100.000 men. In all, the Red Army lost: 361.367 men —killed, wounded and missed— 1.997 tanks, 2.108 artillery pieces and 917 planes.

Regards, and welcome to all the new ones!

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

I think that's a bit overstated, and the IJN took much of their inspiration for Pearl Harbour from the Royal Navy's earlier attack on Taranto.

No doubt, the Panzerfaust was a great anti-tank weapon.But a main reason Russia lost 250,000 men in Berlin?The Panzerfaust was a one shot,throw away weapon.Better than our bazooka though,IMO.

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I think that's a bit overstated, and the IJN took much of their inspiration for Pearl Harbour from the Royal Navy's earlier attack on Taranto. </font>[/quote]What I meant was the structure of the IJN being rather modern, compared to the Navies of others.

John Browning designed the BAR to provide an automatic rifle for use during World War I. The M1918 saw service toward the end of World War I. The M1918A2, adopted by the Army in 1940, saw extensive service during World War II and Korea. The BAR used .30-06 cal. cartridges in 20-round magazines. The BAR provided an effective rate of fire of 550 spm, and proved to be a very reliable weapon during adverse operating conditions.

In 1940, the model M1918A2 was adopted. Unlike earlier models, it could only be fired in two automatic modes--slow (300 to 450 rpm) or fast (500 to 650 rpm)--but not in semiautomatic mode. Both versions were widely used in the second world war. The USMC preferred the semiautomatic mode in some tactical situations, and modified most of the M1918A2 guns to include that capability. A buffer spring in the butt greatly reduced recoil, to the advantage both of firing accuracy and shooter endurance.

The M1918A2 also mounted its folding bipod (2.38 pounds!) on a special flash hider near the end of the barrel. Since the bipod could easily be detached in this model, it very frequently was! but not often in defensive positions, where it was very effective. The flash hider, which was the point of attachment for the bipod, was not usually removed. Hiding the flash from enemy troops when firing on them isn't the purpose of the hider, all automatic weapons are easily visible when fired at night. It blocks the muzzle flash from the vision of the shooter, maintaining his night vision. That's important!

The Army infantry squad of nine men was tactically organized around a single BAR. The Marine squad of thirteen men was organized around three fire-teams, each organized around a BAR. The much greater fire power of a Marine platoon with its nine BARs over the Army platoon with its four BARs was a great combat advantage.

The BAR was a popular weapon in WWII and Korea, because it was very reliable and offered an excellent combination of rapid fire and penetrating power. The BAR's only serious drawbacks were its lack of a quick-change barrel (to reduce the chance of overheating), and its weight (BAR, with bipod and a loaded bandoleer, came to about 40 pounds).

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Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it- Sun Tzu

Best weapon in ww2? Gabo hiding away in Hendon feeding false information, but if I cannot have a person then.... the aircraft carrier.

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Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

Suomi SMG- notice the recoil...

YouTube - Suomi SMG

and

PPSH 41- as nice

YouTube - PPSH 41

YouTube - PPSh-41

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I hope this doesn't sound too rude but that is a laughable statement!

Perhaps you are thinking of American Armor? If so your statement is understandable. Off the mark, but understandable. American armor was no match for German tanks because it wasn't designed to be! The Allies wanted a tank that was fast and easy to maintain so the enemy could be enveloped and supplies cut.... The Jeep and the Deuce and a half were the best in the world... maybe until the 1980's!

Wow...

Best weapons are the MG-42, M-1 Garand, Essex aircraft carrier,The German 88, and the and the B-29

Why? In order to be the considered the best...

Operational lifetime ... V-2 and other exotic weapons dont apply
Degree that other weapons are out classed and out innovated
Damage inflicted

Not to offend here Comiso90 but you are quoting and responding to someone who last posted 3 years ago.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

one might lean towords the foot soldier and rifle as one of the best ww2
wepon's ...

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

Meh. I hate 'best' threads, but my choice is the Lee-Enfield (No.3 or 4, I don't really care, but no.4 wins for looks), probably the Best bolt-action out there and British Rifle drill was superb.
It nearly served for 100 years, you know! The Basic design was came up with in the 1890's, and was still being used as a sniper's weapon in the 1990's.

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The boy with an arse for a face, every week on five...