Even war can be beneficial. World War II, for example, stimulated the technical development of the participating countries so much that we still enjoy the fruits of it. The effective, deadly weapon of the day allowed modern scientists to make several powerful technological breakthroughs. However, not all of the weapons used were so incredibly useful. Here are some of the strangest weapons of World War II that surprised us.
Air minefield. Great Britain
The air minefield was designed to protect the ships of the Royal Navy from enemy bombing raids. The shells were launched vertically upward, at the peak a parachute opened: according to the idea of a sophisticated military genius, a series of such mines created an insurmountable obstacle for the raiders. In fact, the enemy pilots perfectly saw the hefty projectiles floating in the air and easily got away from them. And those, obeying the merciless gravity, descended back, forcing the British sailors to once again remember the name of God in vain.
Suicide dogs. the USSR
In 1941, German fascist troops invaded the holy borders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The enemy's armored vehicles were especially troublesome. On many fronts, the infantry had to confront entire armored units. It was decided to use demolition dogs: a dog tied with explosives had to dive under the bottom of the tank and pull out the grenade pin with his teeth. During the real battle, most of the dogs were simply unable to understand what was going on around them. They rushed back to the owner - and he had to kill the unfortunate animal.
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Fat Gustav. Germany
The French Maginot line of defense was indeed a real headache for Hitler. It was decided to build a weapon of such power that would be able to destroy the long-term fortifications of the line. At the factories of the company Friedrich Krupp AG, they released two whole monstrous cannons: Bolshaya Dor and Tolstoy Gustav. "Gustav" weighed as much as 1344 tons and could only move by rail, and it took three whole days to prepare for shooting. In the hostilities, this contraption took part only once and was captured by the allies at Sevastopol.
V-3. Germany
V-3 refers to the so-called "Weapon of Retribution", which the Third Reich intended to punish the entire civilized world. Fortunately, this rapid-fire weapon was developed at the very end of the war. A few tweaks could indeed have turned the V-3 into a veritable Nazi avenging sword, but the bombing raids by the Allied Air Force destroyed almost all of the silos.
Goliath. Germany
Mini-tank "Goliath" was equipped with two electric motors and could carry over 50 kg. explosives. This miracle of engineering was controlled remotely, a cable, which reached almost a kilometer in length, led to the operator with a joystick in his hands. Needless to say, this cable was the most vulnerable element of the project? Nevertheless, the tank was not completely useless - "Goliath" can be called the prototype of almost every modern remotely controlled robot.