Saw a show on History Chanel about the weird weapons of WWII, including iceberg carriers. Also included...
USA.Bat Bombs—hundreds of bats, kept refrigerated and loaded into bomb casings. Each bat had a small incendiary bomb with a very slow timed fuse attached. When the bomb got near the ground it would fly apart, and the bats would fly away and hide in attics, buildings, etc. A few hours later the bombs would go off, starting fires. This was actually used a few times, but was discontinued in favor of simply carpet boming cities with incendiaries.
Germany. Corner guns—special attachments to the German “Storm Rifle”, the original assualt rifle. It was a 90 degree barrell extention with a mirrored sight for shooting around corners. This one worked, and was used by special units.
USA/Britain— A 25,000 lb blockbuster bomb, the original MOAB. This bomb was long and thin with a hardened case and spiral fins. Meant to be dropped from high altitude on hardened targets. The combination of the long drop, and spiral fins meant this bomb would come down like a bullet, penetrating over 50’ of reinforced concrete before exploding, shattering any structure it hit. One bomb could just barely be carried by a Liberator bomber. It was used do destroy hardened German sub pens, which the Germans had though invulvernerable to air attack. They weren’t.
Britain—Sticky bombs. If you saw Private Ryan you probably remember where they improvise sticky bombs to destroy tanks. The originals were round balls with handles. The ball was covered in a contact adhesive, and covered with a metal case. Removing the case worked like pulling the pin on a grenade. The soldier was supposed to get close to a tank, remove the case and toss or drop the bomb onto it. Assuming he wasn’t killed by supporing infantry, there was a very real possibility that the bomb could touch his skin or clothing and get stuck. A very bad idea that saw very limited use.
Speaking of unusual aircraft carriers, the US Navy had two carriers propelled by paddle wheels. The USS Sable and USS Wolverine were training carriers on the Great Lakes during WWII.
My Dad had a subscription to “True the Mans Magazine” and I would read it when he was finished, (but NOT before!). I would quote from this tome and my teachers would scratch their heads!
Fascinating...
from June.