German "Oddball" projects

BratwurstDimSum · #1 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 10:29 AM

I hope this thread has not been covered before, I was just thinking of all the oddball projects that the Third Reich could've binned to save money, all so complex and overengineered.

I would like, if possible, to restrict this topic to the truly original projects of Germany in WW2, ie for instance, a secret "90mm" gun on a converted Panther would not be regarded (at least by me) to me as an oddball project, but the Flying wing would be. So just because the project is not well known should not be a reason for posting it here [img]smile.gif[/img] Sorry for my anality, but I'm after an interesting thread

I know of many but I'll start with my favourite, the Mistel :

From "Aerostories" http://aerostories.free.fr/appareils...ra/page15.html

Quote:

The RLM (Reichluftfahrtsministerium) was interested and Junkers experimented in the spring of 1943 with an elaborate Ju-88A - Messerschmitt Bf-109F arrangement, having first conducted some test with a DFS 230 glider.

This system had required special techniques, particularly the electric flight controls that permitted the pilot to fly the transporter from his guiding fighter. The guiding fighter was mounted on steel struts and separation was obtained by mean of explosive bolts.

Takeoff was made on three engines, with the fighter pumping its fuel from the JU-88 ensuring the return trip requirements (this system did not work when the Focke-Wulf FW-190A was used because its engine required a different fuel octane). The flight was initially made at low altitude to avoid radar detection, and at a distance of four kilometers from the objective, the "Father and Son" climbed to 800 meters.

[ 15. December 2003, 04:36 AM: Message edited by: BratwurstDimSum ]

Srdo · #2 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 10:47 AM

Germans were really involved in million projects that consumed up money, resources and manpower. There is an excellent site on weird Luftwaffe projects on http://www.luft46.com/ so check it out.

BratwurstDimSum · #3 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 11:13 AM

Excellent site Srdo! I especially love the world's first air to air missle....

http://www.luft46.com/missile/x-4.html

Srdo · #4 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 11:36 AM

Here is my favourite

http://www.luft46.com/oddities/rammers.html

BratwurstDimSum · #5 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 12:13 PM

See what I mean?!! Overengineered! The Japs had the best idea, no ejector seats. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

ok, just about everyone knows this, but how about this remote controlled Goliath tank?

From:225th AAA Searchlight Battallion
http://www.skylighters.org/photos/

Quote:

An American GI poses with a German Goliath mini-tank at Ingelheim,
Germany, April 1945. The Goliath was a remote-controlled device
that was packed with explosives and sent toward enemy positions.
Its controller, who steered it via a long cable, would detonate
the explosives when the Goliath had reached its target.

[ 15. December 2003, 06:18 AM: Message edited by: BratwurstDimSum ]

Srdo · #6 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 12:35 PM

Hahaha, yeah, Golliath is a nice piece of equipment

BratwurstDimSum · #7 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 12:58 PM

How far did the Germans get with these?

Srdo · #8 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 01:19 PM

They got nowhere. Another of numerous Nazi pipedreams.

Srdo · #9 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 01:55 PM

It is unbelievable how many nutcases got funds for R&D in Nazi Germany [img]smile.gif[/img]
One of more bizzarre wonder-weapons was Windkanone (Whirlwind gun). Basic idea was to use artifical winds to disrupt Allied airplanes. Small prototype was built but it was discovered it had some effect but on very small range. So, as many other projects, it was abandoned. I read somewhere that Allies was really puzzled when they found it because noone knew what was it!

Luftkanone (Sound gund) was another attempt to blast away Allied airplanes from the German sky. The idea was to produce high frequency tones and beam them toward airplanes. I presume they wanted to deafen the pilots but it also suffered the same fate as Windkanone-inadequate range. In fact, only victims of Luftkanone were animals in close proximity of the gun [img]tongue.gif[/img]

KnightMove · #10 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 02:38 PM

If you think the Maus was the maximum of German tank megalomania, you're wrong...

P-1000, the first REAL land-battleship with a real ship turret:

P-1500, Dora on tracks:

The figures in the names express the supposed tons of weight. Nobody knows why Speer cancelled these projects.

Images taken from the German Panzerlexikon.

[ 15. December 2003, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: KnightMove ]

Srdo · #11 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 03:04 PM

This topic can go forever...

BratwurstDimSum · #12 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 03:05 PM

Hey KM, for some reason your images didn't work so here they are again:

I've found another pic of the p-1000

and a ref:
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/p1000.htm

KnightMove · #13 (**permalink**) December 15th, 2003, 04:50 PM

Strange, they do work for me. Maybe this is country-specific?

SpikedHelmet · #14 (**permalink**) January 25th, 2004, 01:46 AM

They show up as the site's name.

Japanese Kamikaze's are overrated, they did very little damage.

The Mistel IMO was a very good weapon but wasn't used enough. The Germans liked to pump money into tons of projects but not the right ones..

If used in enough numbers with the right tactics the Mistels could have decimated the Allied fleets, which they actually planned to before the fleet moved to the Pacific because there was no German Navy to fight.

wilconqr · #15 (**permalink**) April 23rd, 2004, 08:10 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong but were Mistels not used in an attempt to destroy the bridges at Remagan ALONG with Arado AR 234's???

FramerT · #16 (**permalink**) April 23rd, 2004, 08:47 PM

Believe they used ME-262 jets and some V rockets there.

T. A. Gardner · #17 (**permalink**) April 24th, 2004, 02:59 AM

The Arado was used and proved both unable to hit the bridge and be shot down. Mistels were not tried as they were too inaccurate to hit something that small.
Frogmen and floating mines were also attempted.
Speaking of frogmen the Niger series human torpedos that were used against targets in the North Sea and Channel were about as close to a suicide weapon as the Germans got seeing as how mission causalities were about 99%. But, unlike the Kamakaze which proved relatively effective (roughly 3 times as many hits and at least as much damage as conventional attacks would have caused for only a marginal increase in casualities...from about 70 or 80% to 100%)the Nigers proved totally ineffective.