A Reference Powerpoint on The History of Armoured Vehicles in WW2. Vol 1

A Reference Powerpoint on The History of Armoured Vehicles in WW2. Vol 1

1. Wunderwaffe – I - S uryansh b antawa The first part of the presentations about Wunderwaffe (wonder weapons) from WWII from the period of time from 1939 – 45 with only naval vessels and armoured vehicles.

2. What is Wunderwaffe? Wunderwaffe, a German term meaning "wonder weapon," encapsulates an era of technological innovation, secrecy, and desperation during World War II. As the conflict raged on, both the Allies and Axis powers sought to gain a decisive advantage through the development of cutting-edge weaponry. This essay delves into the history of Wunderwaffe, exploring the motives behind these extraordinary projects and their ultimate impact on the course of the war.

3. Birth of Wunderwaffe The concept of Wunderwaffe emerged from the tumultuous period of World War II, as both Nazi Germany and the Allies sought innovative ways to turn the tide in their favor. The roots of this phenomenon can be traced back to the early 1940s when German scientists and engineers began working on top-secret projects that aimed to produce game-changing weapons. One of the most notable figures in this endeavor was Wernher von Braun, who played a crucial role in the development of the V-2 rocket.

4. Context:Naval vessels Aircraft carriers Graf Zeppelin – a 33,550 ton aircraft carrier laid down in 1936; never completed. Flugzeugträger B – planned sister ship to the Graf Zeppelin ; scrapped before launching. Flugzeugträger C and D – two additional proposed aircraft carriers of the Graf Zeppelin class. I  (1942) – a planned 56,500 ton aircraft carrier, converted from a transport; cancelled before work started.

5. Battleships H-class battleship – a series of proposed battleships surpassing both the United States Navy's Montana-class battleships and the Imperial Japanese Navy's Yamato-class battleships in armament, culminating in the H-44, a 140,000 ton battleship with eight 20 inch guns. Two H39-class hulls only laid down; scrapped on slipways. Bismarck – German battleship, scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean after being crippled by Royal Navy torpedo bombers and battleships. Tirpitz – German battleship, sister ship of the aforementioned Bismarck . Sunk in 1944 by RAF Bomber Command; 32 Avro Lancaster bombers dropped blockbuster and Tallboy bombs in Operation Catechism.

6. U-boats Oceangoing U-boats Rocket U-boat – a planned ballistic missile submarine; project abandoned. Type XVIII U-boat – a U-boat designed to use air-independent propulsion; several were under construction when the war ended. Type XXI U-boat " Elektroboot " (Electric boat ) – the first U-boat designed to operate completely submerged, 118 were built but only 4 were completed. Type XXIV U-boat – a planned U-boat designed to use air-independent propulsion. Type XXVI U-boat – a U-boat designed to use air-independent propulsion; several were under construction when the war ended.

7. Littoral U-boats: Type XXII U-boat – a U-boat designed to use air-independent propulsion; two were under construction. Type XXIII U-boat (" Elektroboot ") – a U-boat designed for littoral missions; 67 were built. Type XXV U-boat – a planned all-electric U-boat designed for littoral missions. U-Cruisers Type XI – a U-boat designed to carry the Arado Ar 231 collapsible floatplane and have 128mm turrets; four were laid down but canceled at the outbreak of World War II.

8. Armoured Vehicles Armoured vehicles: Anti-aircraft weapons:- Flakpanzer IV " Kugelblitz " (Ball Lightning) –A Panzer IV-based self-propelled anti-aircraft gun; five prototypes built. Flakpanzer 341 Coelian – A Panther D-Based self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, only a wooden mockup of the turret was built. Anti-tank weapons Sturer Emil ("Stubborn Emil") –An experimental Panzerjäger style, open-topped tank destroyer armed with a Rheinmetall 12.8 cm K L/61 gun, 2 prototypes built for tests. Sole surviving prototype on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum. Elefant (Ferdinand) - A heavy tank destroyer, mounting a 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71 gun, 91 units produced.

9. Super-heavy tanks: Landkreuzer P. 1000 " Ratte " (Rat) –A planned super-heavy tank, weighing 1000 tonnes and armed with two 280mm cannons, one 128mm anti-tank gun, 8 20mm flak guns and 2 15mm heavy machine guns; cancelled in early 1943. Panzer VII " Löwe " (Lion) –A planned super-heavy tank, weighing 90 tonnes and armed with a 105mm cannon; cancelled in March 1942 in favor of the Panzer VIII Maus. Panzer VIII " Maus " (Mouse) – A super-heavy tank, weighing 180 tonnes and armed with two cannons of 128mm and 75mm calibre ; five were ordered but only two operable prototypes completed – lone survivor currently on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum. Panzerkampfwagen E-100 –A planned super-heavy tank (the heaviest of a series of "E-tanks") weighing 140 tonnes and armed with either 128 or 150 mm cannon, one prototype hull nearly completed, the hull was later captured and evaluated by the British before being scrapped in the 1950s.

10. Reconnaissance tanks Kugelpanzer (ball tank) -A prototype spherical reconnaissance/cable-laying tank with a mysterious history. Sent to Japan and captured by the Soviets in 1945. Currently on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum. VK 16.02 Leopard -Planned reconnaissance tank. Only mockup of Waffenträger (weapon carrier) was built.

11. Naval Vessels:Aircraft Carriers The German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was the lead ship in a class of two carriers of the same name ordered by the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany. She was the only aircraft carrier launched by Germany and represented part of the Kriegsmarine 's attempt to create a well-balanced oceangoing fleet, capable of projecting German naval power far beyond the narrow confines of the Baltic and North Seas. The carrier would have had a complement of 42 fighters and dive bombers. Armament 16 × 15 cm SK C/28 guns 12 × 10.5 cm SK C/33 guns 22 × 3.7 cm SK C/30 guns 28 × 2 cm FlaK guns Armor Belt:100 mm (3.9 in) Flight deck: 45 mm (1.8 in) Main deck: 60 mm (2.4 in )

12. The Flugzeugträger B (also Carrier B) belonged to the Graf Zeppelin class and was the sister ship of the Graf Zeppelin. It was intended to be the Navy's second aircraft carrier, but was never completed; Construction was stopped after about a year of construction and the hull was demolished again six months later. Armament: 16 × 15 cm SK C/28 (L/55) (1840 rounds) 12 × 10,5 cm SK C/33 (L/50) (4800 rounds) 22 × 3,7 cm SK C/30 (L/83) (44,000 rounds) 28 × 2 cm Flak C/30 (L/65) (56,000 rounds) Armour : Belt: 60–100 mm Flight thickness: 20–45 mm Armor thickness: 20–60 mm Wall gang bulkhead: 20 mm Casemates: 30 mm Shields: 30 mm Command tower: 30–150 mm

13. Two more carriers of the same design of Flugzeugträger B , prosaically named C and D, were to begin construction in April 1941 in the same yards and complete in July 1944.

14. The German aircraft carrier I was a planned conversion of the transport ship Europa during World War II. The loss of the battleship Bismarck and near torpedoing of her sistership Tirpitz in May 1941 and March 1942, respectively, spurred the Kriegsmarine to acquire aircraft carriers. Europa was one of several vessels selected for conversion into auxiliary aircraft carriers. As designed, the ship would have had an air complement of 24 Bf 109T fighters and 18 Ju 87C Stuka dive-bombers. Armament: 12 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) AA guns 20 × 37 mm (1.5 in) AA guns 28–36 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AA guns

15. Battleships The H class was a series of battleship designs for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine , which were intended to fulfill the requirements of Plan Z in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The first variation, "H-39," called for six ships to be built, essentially as enlarged Bismarck -class battleships with 40.6 cm (16 in) guns and diesel propulsion. The "H-41" design improved the "H-39" ship with still larger main guns, eight 42 cm (16.5 in) weapons, and reinforced deck armor. The Construction Office concluded their work with the "H-41" design, and were not involved in subsequent plans. Two of them, "H-42" and "H-43", increased the main battery yet again, with 48 cm (18.9 in) pieces, and the enormous "H-44" design ultimately resulted with 50.8 cm (20 in) guns. The ships ranged in size from the "H-39", which was 277.8 m (911 ft 5 in) long on a displacement of 56,444 t (55,553 long tons), to the "H-44", at 345 m (1,131 ft 11 in) on a displacement of 131,000 t (129,000 long tons). Most of the designs had a proposed top speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h). Armament 8 × 40.6 cm (16 in) guns 12 × 15 cm (5.9 in) guns 16 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns 16 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns 12 × 2 cm (0.79 in) guns 6 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes Armor: Main belt: 300 mm (11.8 in) Upper belt: 145 mm (5.7 in) Bulkheads: 220 mm (8.7 in) Barbettes: 365 mm (14.4 in) Turret face: 385 mm (15.2 in) Conning tower: 350 mm (13.8 in) Decks: 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in), 100–120 mm (3.9–4.7 in)

16. Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck -class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine . Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power. Armament: 8 × 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 (4 × 2) 12 × 15 cm (5.9 in) SK C/28 (6 × 2) 16 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/33 (8 × 2) 16 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 (8 × 2) 12 × 2 cm (0.79 in) FlaK 30 (12 × 1) Armour : Belt: 320 mm (12.6 in) Turrets: 360 mm (14.2 in) Main deck: 100–120 mm (3.9–4.7 in)

17. Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck -class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and her hull was launched two and a half years later. Work was completed in February 1941, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Like her sister ship, Bismarck , Tirpitz was armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. After a series of wartime modifications she was 2000 tonnes heavier than Bismarck , making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy. Armament As built: 8 × 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 (4 × 2) 12 × 15 cm (5.9 in) L/55 (6 × 2) 16 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/33 (8 × 2) 16 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 (8 × 2) 12 × 2 cm (0.79 in) FlaK 30 (12 × 1) Modifications: 58 × 2 cm FlaK 30 8 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes Armour : Belt: 320 mm (13 in) Turrets: 360 mm (14 in) Main deck: 100 to 120 mm (3.9 to 4.7 in) Upper deck: 50 mm (2 in)

18. U-Boats: Oceangoing U-Boats The Rocket U-boat was a series of military projects undertaken by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The projects, which were undertaken at Peenemünde Army Research Center, aimed to develop submarine-launched rockets, flying bombs and missiles. The German Navy did not use submarine-launched rockets or missiles from U-boats against targets at sea or ashore. These projects never reached combat readiness before the war ended.

19. The Type XVIII U-boat was a project for an attack boat using the Walter propulsion system. Two boats ( U-796 and U-797 ) were laid down in 1943, but construction was cancelled in March 1944.

20. Type XXI submarines were a class of German diesel–electric Elektroboot (German: "electric boat") submarines designed during the Second World War. One hundred and eighteen were completed, with four being combat-ready. During the war only two were put into active service and went on patrols, but these were not used in combat.

21. The Type XXIV was a 1943 design for an ocean-going U-boat using the Walter system. It was to have 14 torpedo tubes, six at the bow, and four each side aft. No contracts were granted.

22. The Type XXVI was a high-seas U-boat propelled by the Walter system. They would have had a crew of three officers and 30 men, with ten torpedo tubes, four at the bow and six in a so-called Schnee organ, and no deck guns; 100 contracts were initially awarded to the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg ( U-4501 through U-4600 ) and sections were under construction for U-4501 through U-4504 when the war ended. The other contracts had been cancelled.

23. Littoral U-boats The Type XXII U-boat was intended for coastal and Mediterranean use. They used the Walter propulsion system and would have had a crew of two officers and 10 men. They were to have three torpedo tubes, two at the bow (below the CWL) and one aft of the bridge (above the CWL). Initially, 72 contracts were awarded to Howaldtswerke (36 to the yard in Hamburg and 36 in Kiel), but of those, only two had been laid down and had received U-boat numbers ( U-1153 and U-1154 ) before they were all cancelled in late 1943.

24. German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboote ("electric boats") to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI electric boats were at risk in World War II. They were able to remain submerged almost all of the time and were faster than conventional U-boats, due to the improved streamlining of their shape, batteries with larger capacity and the snorkel, which allowed the diesel engines to be used while submerged. The type XXIII U-boats revolutionized post-war submarine design. Nearly a thousand Type XXIII boats were projected towards the close of World War II, but most of these were either cancelled, scrapped incomplete, or only projected. Armament: 2 bow torpedo tubes No reloads

25. The Type XXV U-boats were intended to be electric propulsion-only boats for coastal use. The design was 160 tons with a crew of about 58 men and would have had two torpedo tubes fitted at the bow. No contracts were granted for these boats.

26. U-Cruisers The Type XI U-boat was planned as an artillery boat; its main armament would have been four 128-mm guns, in two twin gun turrets. It would have also carried an Arado Ar 231 collapsible floatplane. Four boats ( U-112, U-113, U-114, and U-115 ) were laid down in 1939, but cancelled at the outbreak of World War II. Had the Type XI U-boat been constructed, it would have had a completely new hull design and a submerged displacement of 4,650 tons – she would have been by far the largest of the U-boats and the second-largest diesel submarine after the Japanese I-400 -class submarine. Its purpose was to engage ships (including escorts) in artillery duels at relatively long range, then dive away if they came within a certain threshold distance. Many anti-submarine escorts of WW2 including the Flower corvettes would have been too small and too poorly equipped with forward guns to cope with this approach.

27. Armoured Vehicles: Anti Aircraft Weapons The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz (German for "ball lightning") was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed during World War II. By the end of the war, only a pilot production of five units had been completed. Unlike earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, it had a fully enclosed, rotating turret. Main armament: Zwillingsflak 30mm MK 103 anti-aircraft gun x 2 Secondary armament 7.92 mm MG34

28. The 3.7 cm Flakzwilling auf Panther Fahrgestell or Flakpanzer 341 was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun designed by Rheinmetall during World War II. It was intended to be armed with two 3.7 cm Flak 341 gun in a fully enclosed, rotating turret on the hull of a Panther medium tank. In the end, only a wooden mock-up of the turret on a Panther chassis was built. Armor: 80 mm (3.1 in) maximum Main armament 2 × 3.7 cm Flak 341 with 1500 rounds Secondaryarmament 1 × 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun

29. Anti-tank Weapons The 12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette auf VK 30.01(H) " Sturer Emil " (German for "Stubborn Emil"), also called Panzer Selbstfahrlafette V ( Pz.Sfl . V), was an experimental World War II German self-propelled anti-fortification gun. It was based on the Henschel VK 30.01 (H) chassis and armed with a Rheinmetall 12.8 cm Kanone 40 L/61 gun (based on the 12.8 cm FlaK 40). This gun could traverse 7° to each side, elevate 10° and depress -15°. It carried 15 rounds for the main gun. Armor: 15–50 mm (0.59–1.97 in) Main armament Rheinmetall 128 mm PaK 40 L/61 Secondary armament MG 34

30. The Elefant (German for "elephant") was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjäger during World War II. Ninety-one units were built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand , after its designer Ferdinand Porsche, using VK 45.01 (P) tank hulls produced for the Tiger I tank design abandoned in favour of a Henschel design. In January to April 1944, Ferdinands received modifications and upgrades. They were renamed Elefant in May 1944. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger (P) and the ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz . 184 . Armor: 200 mm (7.87 in) maximum Main Armament: 8.8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, also known as StuK 43/1 Secondary Armament: 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun ( Elefant only)

31. Super-Heavy Tanks The Landkreuzer P. 1000 " Ratte " (English: Land Cruiser P. 1000 "Rat" ) was a design for a 1000-ton tank to be used by Germany during World War II which may have been proposed by Krupp director Edward Grotte in June 1942, who had already named it " Landkreuzer ". Submitted designs and drawings of the vehicle went under the names OKH Auftrag Nr. 30404 and E-30404/1 , which were presented in December 1942. The tank was planned to be 1000 tonnes, being far heavier than the Panzer VIII "Maus", the heaviest tank ever built (weighing 188 tonnes). The project gained the approval of Adolf Hitler, who had expressed interest in the development of the tank, but was cancelled by Minister of Armaments Albert Speer in early 1943. Armor: 150–360 mm (5.9–14.2 in) Main armament 2 × 280 mm 54.5 SK C/34 Secondary armament 4 × 12.8 cm Pak 44, 1 × 105 mm howitzer, 2 × 37 mm gun 24 × 20 mm AA gun, 24 × 30 mm AA gun 8 × 88 mm AA gun 4 × 15 mm autocannon , 4 × 7.92 mm machine gun

32. The Panzerkampfwagen VII Löwe (Lion) was a design for a super-heavy tank created by Krupp for the German government during World War II. The project, initially code-named VK 70.01 (K), never left the drawing board, and was dropped on 5–6 March 1942, in favor of Porsche's heavier Panzer VIII Maus . Armor: Frontal: 150 mm (5.9 in) (specified) 100–150 mm (3.9–5.9 in) (as designed) Side: 100 mm (3.9 in) (specified) 80 or 100 mm (3.1 or 3.9 in) (as designed) Turret front: 100 or 140 mm (3.9 or 5.5 in) Turret top: 40 mm (1.6 in) Hull deck: 40 mm Main armament 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/70 gun, *15 cm (5.9 in) L/38 gun or, 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/71 gun 12.8 cm (5 in) KwK 44 gun L/55 Secondary armament 1 MG-34 or MG-42

33. Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English: 'mouse') was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed, the turret being attached before the testing grounds were captured by advancing Soviet military forces. This vehicle was also built to compete with the Soviet heavy Kliment Voroshilov tank. Armour : 220 mm (8.7 in) (turret front) 200 mm (7.9 in) (turret side and rear) 200 mm (7.9 in) (hull front) 180 mm (7.1 in) (hull side) 150 mm (5.9 in) (hull rear) Main armament: 128 mm (5 in) KwK 44 gun L/55 (68 rounds) Secondary armament: 75 mm (3 in) KwK 44 gun L/36.5 (co-axial, 100 rounds) 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 34 machine gun(co-axial, 1,000 rounds)

34. The Panzerkampfwagen E-100 ( Gerät 383) (TG-01) was a German super-heavy tank design developed towards the end of World War II. The largest of the Entwicklung series of tank designs intended to improve German armored vehicle production through standardization on cheaper, simpler to build vehicles. By the end of the war, the chassis of the prototype E-100 had been partially completed; it was shipped to the United Kingdom for trials, but was later scrapped. Armor: 150–200 mm (5.9–7.9 in) (hull front) 120 mm (4.7 in) (hull sides) 150 mm (5.9 in) (hull rear) 40 mm (1.6 in) (hull top) 80 mm (3.1 in) (hull bottom front) 40 mm (1.6 in) (hull bottom rear) 200 mm (7.9 in) (turret front) 80 mm (3.1 in) (turret sides) 150 mm (5.9 in) (turret rear) 40 mm (1.6 in) (turret top) Main armament : 128.8 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun Secondary armament: co-axial 75 mmKwK 44 L/24 gun 7.92mmMG34

35. Reconnaissance Tanks The Kugelpanzer ("ball tank") is a one-man armoured vehicle built by Nazi Germany during World War II. The history of the vehicle is practically unknown other than the fact that at least one example was exported to the Empire of Japan and used by the Kwantung Army. The machine remains something of a mystery due to the lack of records and the incompleteness of the sole surviving model . Armor: 5 millimeters (0.20 in)

36. The VK 16.02 Leopard was a planned German light reconnaissance vehicle designed from mid-1941 through to January 1943, with serial production scheduled for April 1943. It was intended to be the replacement of Panzer II Ausf . L " Luchs ". The project was canceled in January 1943 before the first prototype was completed as it did not meet the requirements for 1944. A wooden mock up of the Waffenträger (English: "weapon carrier") variant was produced. Armor: 16–50 mm Main armament 5 cm KwK 39 (planned) Secondary armament 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns

37. Legacy and Impact Ultimately, most Wunderwaffe projects came too late in the war to significantly alter its course. The resources and manpower devoted to these endeavors might have been better spent on more practical and immediate needs. However, the Wunderwaffe phenomenon had a lasting impact on the post-war world. Many German scientists and engineers, including Wernher von Braun, were brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, contributing significantly to the American space program. The technological innovations born out of these projects laid the foundation for the development of rockets, jet aircraft, and other advanced technologies in the post-war era.

38. Conclusion Wunderwaffe represents a fascinating chapter in the history of warfare, marked by the intersection of desperation, ambition, and technological prowess. While these secret weapons did not alter the outcome of World War II, they left an enduring legacy by advancing the frontiers of science and technology and shaping the course of post-war military and aerospace innovation. The story of Wunderwaffe serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of excessive secrecy and the need to balance ambition with practicality in times of conflict.

39. Continuation: Wunderwaffe Part II : Work in Progress