WEAPONS WORLD WAR II: WAR ON LAND World War II unleashed some of the most destructive weapons ever seen. Science and technology made tremendous breakthroughs. World War II exceeded the Great War in brutality. It was unlike anything seen. 1. ARMORED WARFARE or BLITZKRIEG A. TANKS: Faster and more powerful they were organized into armored divisions. The Russian T-34 was the most influential tank of WW II. It was a rude surprise to the Germans in 1941. The German Pzkw. V Panther was probably the best tank of the war. It was designed to counter the T-34 The most feared tanks of WW II were German Tiger tanks German Tiger I German Tiger II or King Tiger B. HALF TRACKS: Armored vehicles used to transport infantry. US M3 Half-Track. It was armed with one 50 cal. machine gun above the front passenger seat. Two smaller 30 cal. machine guns could be mounted along the sides. 12
C. MECHANIZED ARTILLERY: Artillery pieces mounted on armored vehicles. German Hummel self-propelled artillery piece. A 150mm howitzer mounted on a tank chassis. 2 AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE Armies had to develop new weapons and ways to launch large scale attacks from the sea. Special landing craft had to be built to put troops on enemy held beaches. As the Allies gained more experience they built special armored landing craft to provide greater protection to the troops inside. US troops landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day. Amphibious vehicles landing Marines on Iwo Jima LCVP - Landing Craft, Vehicle or Personnel This is the landing craft used in the beginning of the movie Saving Private Ryan. LVT - Landing Vehicle, Trancked. 13
3. AIRBORNE DIVISIONS During WW II armies had to develop ways of attacking from the air. Russia was the first country to develop airborne units. The Germans were the first to use them in combat. The US and UK were the first to use airborne divisions in mass. They dropped three divisions during D-Day and operations Market- Garden. About 2/3rds of an airborne division was dropped by parachute. The rest arrived using gliders. US airborne troops jumping into Holland during operation Market-Garden in 1944. US Waco Glider 4. INFANTRY WEAPONS: A. SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES The single greatest weapon of World War II was the US M1 Garand rifle. A gas operated, semi-automatic rifle, it was most advanced infantry rifle of the war. Durable, dependable, rugged, it could endure tremendous abuse and keep firing. Many of you carry this weapon during parades today. 14
B. ASSAULT RIFLES German Sturm Gewehr (Assault Rifle) 44 As the war progressed it became clear that a new weapon was needed. It had to have the range of a rifle and the firepower of a sub machinegun. The Assault Rifle was the solution. It fired the standard rifle cartridge and could be fired on automatic or semi-automatic. The SG 44 was the forerunner of the AK47, AK74, and M16A2. C. ADVANCED MACHINE GUNS During WW II the Germans introduced a new generation of machinegun. The MG 42 had a higher rated of fire than any machinegun. At 600 rounds per minute it fired so fast you could not hear individual bullets being fired. Veterans said it sounded like paper being torn. Many countries use the MG 42 today. The US M60 machinegun was based on the MG 42. This is the machine gun you see in the movie Saving Private Ryan after they capture the radar bunker. German MG 42 D. ANTI-TANK ROCKETS US M1 Bazooka US M9 Bazooka With the increased use of armored vehicles infantry troops needed some kind of anti-tank weapon. The bazooka s shape charge warheads gave it enough power to blow through most armor. German Panzerfaust 15
5. MISSILES German V1 The Germans pioneered the use of missiles. The V1 and V2 were used to bomb London. The German scientists who worked on these programs were later used by the US and USSR to build similar weapons after the war. 6. GUIDED MISSLES German V2 German interest in missile technology was not limited to the V1 and V2. They were the first to develop guided missiles for use against airplanes and ships. These weapons were still in the testing stage at the end of the war. 7. VARIABLE TIMED FUSES FOR ARTILLERY AND ANTI- ARICRAFT GUNS. Variable timed (VT) fuses allowed shells to go off at designated heights above the ground. For artillery weapons the VT fuse would allow shells to explode 20 meters above ground, its most effective point. 8. A-BOMB The ultimate weapon of World War II. 16
WEAPONS WORLD WAR II: WAR IN THE AIR 9. STRATEGIC BOMBING. The theory behind strategic bombing was developed between the wars by men like Douhet and Mitchell. WW II was the first time large-scale bombing attacks were made on industrial centers, cities, and transportation systems. The US was the driving force behind strategic bombing using long range heavy bombers. We still use this strategy today. US B-29 Super Fortress. The ultimate bomber of WW II, B-29s were used to drop the A-Bomb. US B-17s on a bombing mission. The B-17, B-24, and B-29 were the work horses of the bombing campaign. The B-17 was called the flying fortress because it carried up to 14 50 caliber machineguns. 10 DIVE BOMBERS AND FIGHTER BOMBERS To provide the ground forces with greater fire support dive bombers and fighter bombers were developed. The dive bomber was strictly a ground attack weapon. Fighter bombers could be used for either air to air action or ground attacks. German Ju87 Stuka The most famous dive bomber. US P-47 Thunderbolt US P-38 Lightening 17
11 FIGHTERS World War 2 saw the development of a wide variety of fighter aircraft. Determining which was the best is still a subject of great debate. Here are a few of the best. German Focke Wulf 190 British Supermarine Spitfire Japanese A6M3 Zero 12 JET AIRCRAFT US P-51 Mustang The Germans developed the first jet fighter aircraft. Me 262 13 RADAR Me 163 Komet Radar allowed objects like aircraft and ships to be detected at greater range. It provided a measure of early warning. Experimentation with radar led to the development of the microwave oven after the war. 18
14 BATTLESHIPS WORLD WAR II: ON THE SEA The battleship replaced the dreadnought of WW I. It was faster, more heavily armored, and better armed than its predecessor. Japan even built two super battleships. They were more powerful than any ships afloat. Japanese super battleship Yamato. 15 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS The war at sea proved the unquestioned superiority of airpower. Japan s super battleships were both sunk by aircraft. USS Enterprise. The Akagi was one of six Japanese carriers used to attack Pearl Harbor. 19
Carriers carried three types of planes: Fighters, Dive Bombers, and Torpedo Planes. US F6F fighter. This fighter was specially designed to kill Japanese Zeros US SBD Dauntless dive bomber. These planes destroyed 4 Japanese carriers at the battle of Midway. US TBF Avenger torpedo plane. Below are two pictures of the Japanese super battleship Musashi under air attack in the Philippines. 16 SONAR Sonar was a new detection device, which allowed ships to detect submarines while submerged. It helped turn the tide of the war against the U-Boats in the Atlantic. 17 ACOUSTIC HOMING TORPEDOES Specially designed torpedoes which homed in on the sounds of a ship/sub s propellers. 20