Kettbo ~ when your lead by a goose the gaggle will follow no one had the nurries to stand up to the little failed artist Herr H*tler because the Generals/Admirals like Guedarian, Rommel, Donitz, Nowotny, Galland had the ideas of what worked WWII was not like WWI technology saw to that as well as tactics, the Germans utilized combined operations only to have the allies perfect it to a T.
The ingenuity of them was quite astounding had the little corporal not desired the ME-262 to be a bomber instead of a fighter the B-17's would have been shot out of the sky even the turrets could not track the jet it was too fast for them. If you get Wings of the Luftwaffe the whole plane was compartmentalized the whole fuselage could be changed out or the 30mm gun pack all split or just 1 unit, refit a whole jet engine in 20 minutes I doubt you could do an engine change out on a FA - 18 in 20 minutes.
With their aerial mines they dropped they introduced the first printed circuit in the mine GEORGE discovered by accident as one mine totaled itself on the docks the royal engineers rang Vernon requesting help as they did not know the type besides it was out of their league when they started pulling it to bits besides there may have been the ZUS-40 booby trap they liked to put under the fuse.
What transpired with that mine saved untold mine disposal officers lives as the only way into the mine was through the tail plate just under that tail plate were photo electric cells so when the light hit them the mine instantly detonated killing the officer and no one would be able to tell them how they defeated it. The Germans used filtered light to assemble the GEORGE mine its all there in a book called Softly Tread The Brave By Ivan Southall the sequel is Open the Ports & Service Most Silent the latter two books it was so dangerous there was no official sanction for it, but do it they did as by the end of the war the Germans had invented such hideously fiendish mines it scared them. The only one the allies really never got to grips with was the oyster mine. By the way all the mine disposal officers were naval volunteer reserves (RNVR) and could only get the George Cross not the Victoria cross but by crikey they deserved the latter once you read those books very brave souls indeed........
possibly a shovel was the only method available to them to stop a tank.
Some WW1 armored cars and tanks had wooden wheel spokes or sprockets. Apparently the Irish did just this sort of thing to disable those "the armored cars". Beginning @ 2:40 in the video it is mentioned. Perhaps some old timers in the Home Guard where recalling things from their time?
The FT-17 Renault had a front sprocket/drive wheel? that was wooden as well.
ok, forgot to comment on the shovel into the sprocket etc
Nope, I have seen rocks turned into dust.....dubious tactic at best.
OTOH, a stout iron rod could possibly cause trouble.
re Hitler/Me262/bomber
I hear this one a lot, still. Sure Hitler wanted bombers versions so they gave him bomber versions. They also made a lot of fighters. The short leg of the stick was SUCCESSFUL ENGINE builds compared to engine builds. Key metals were in short supply making early engines very frail. Later work overcame some of the problems yet ENGINES were holding up deliveries. I recollect the fuel for the jets was nowhere near a dire shortage problem as fuel for the piston engine fighters.
I believe it was a long article on the Me262 in AIR CLASSICS that went into great detail, early 2000s.
The jets could run on basically kerosene but slow to take off as swept wings even though they had leading edge slats engine response was rather lacking as they took a while to spool up etc. And how many went nose down being towed by the Kettenkrad the infamous nose wheel......I will one day get my hands on a (inert) completed 8.8cm Tank round
Hi Cinders, check this site. There will be problems with shipment I guess, but maybe it can be sorted out some way.
You can put a complete 88 round together here.
I have no-doubt that my Grandfather was told, instructed or advised to attempt to stop German tanks by pushing a shovel into it's tracks/drive sprockets during his service with the Home Guard. This may have been in the early part of the war when there was no other option available because the Home Guard lacked even the most basic of equipment. The question here is whether there would have been any chance at all of success of stopping a tank and this is something which I have always been very doubtful about but I have never totally dismissed the notion.
Just reading back through this thread, one can't help thinking how man's ingenuity in developing the "tank" was in itself incredible from those early days. The shapes and weights and guns fitted changed but the general concept remained the same, keeping those inside safe from small arms fire and delivering a bigger punch from within when it was needed to support ground troops.
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
Thanks Ovidio they are all out of 8.8cm's both early & latter types not to worry appreciate the assistance, F10 desperate days require desperate measures with Dunkirk over and invasion a possibility anything that came to hand may help the country repel the enemy.
The question here is whether there would have been any chance at all of success of stopping a tank and this is something which I have always been very doubtful about but I have never totally dismissed the notion.
You only need to have one approach you ONCE in the field to cure that issue of doubt and dismiss the notion.
Don't worry Cinders, I'll keep an eye on 8,8. I'd like one myself.
Just for info, since I'm not English mother tongue: what does "snippet" exactly mean?
In this instance.
PM
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
