Every era is filled with mechanical enthusiasts and designers, especially the brilliant mechanical engineers of the former Soviet Union and Germany, who built some machines and design manuscripts that you may have never seen. However, these ingenious ideas have come to fruition and you can only admire them!
1. The armored motorcycle
In December 1940, a design for an “armored motorcycle” with a movable curved armor cover on the motorcycle was presented.
2. Change the armory of the fortress
The idea of a permanent fortified bunker was applied to tanks, resulting in the design of a mobile armored fort.
The tank is equipped with 600 mm thick armor and large-caliber cannons, as well as small-caliber cannons, flat-firing machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.
3. Labor Tractors
The product features a human-powered tractor that can perform multiple functions, including transportation and plowing.
According to the designers, the tractor uses a multi-stage chain drive system that allows for a higher gear ratio. As a result, it can generate traction force five times greater than a typical bicycle and efficiently pull a plow in the field.
4. The birdman is leaving
In 1955, Leo Valentin, also known as the “Birdman”, attempted to fulfill humanity's desire to fly by designing a suit called the Birdman Suit. This costume featured a pair of large wings attached to the outer armor.
Tragically, in 1956, Valentin died prematurely while testing the costume. He jumped out of a plane to test his invention and fell to his death.
5. The duck foot gun
The duck foot pistol was a popular weapon among captains in the 19th century. It had four barrels that resembled fins and could attack up to four enemies simultaneously. However, in actual combat, it was unable to hit enemies directly in front.
6. Travel mechanism of amphibious tank armored vehicle
This is a proposal for the operating mechanism of an amphibious armored tank presented by Lieutenant Б.К. Gregory on March 2, 1944.
Before joining the army, Lieutenant Grigorenko worked as a mechanic and repairman.
After enlisting, he served as a shop mechanic in a tank unit and later as an automobile repairman in a cavalry regiment.
Having experienced the challenges of navigating muddy roads during the war, he proposed using screw rods as an alternative to wheels and tracks for advancing tanks.
It must be said that this plan is extremely advanced, and a similar vehicle actually appeared in the Soviet Union many years later, namely the SHN-1 all-terrain vehicle.
7. “Ka rr é” combat vehicle
The “Karrar” has a total height of around 3 meters and requires only one crew member to operate as driver and gunner.
It moves on 6 motor-controlled spring-loaded legs at the bottom of the tower, utilizing a jumping method that compresses the spring using a motor to contract and release the supporting leg, allowing it to spring forward between 5 to 20 meters. each time. .
The battle room, with a diameter of 1.25 meters, is a sphere that can be rotated and is made of armored steel alloy sheets, according to the designer's specifications.
Equipped with 4 fixed PPsh41 submachine guns, the “Karrar” was designed for combat purposes. Furthermore, the designers also considered the subsequent installation of anti-tank weapons and flamethrowers to combat tanks.
8. Krummlauf periscopic rifle
The Krummlauf periscope rifle design can achieve 90-degree turns, providing advantages in urban street warfare. This design allows soldiers hiding in corners to see the battle behind them through the mirror, showing their ingenuity.
However, the challenge of changing the direction of the bullet remains unsolved by human means and may require extraterrestrial intervention.
9. Human Radar
During World War I in Italy, before the invention of radar, air defense relied solely on individuals to visually and audibly detect the sound of approaching aircraft. However, due to the limitations of human hearing, someone invented a gadget to help with this task.
10. The double turret tank
This is a double turret tank design.
The rear turret can be raised and lowered at a speed of 2 meters per second and can reach a maximum height of 10 meters. Lifting force is provided by a hydraulic lever.
The pump feed mechanism and personnel access are hidden in an accordion airbag hose.
The designer believes this elevating tower could be useful for a variety of purposes, such as concealing observation of distant targets in wooded areas, shooting at high targets in urban battles, and approaching buildings during fires to allow people inside to evacuate. to the ground. using the lifting tower.
11. Steel the memory
At first glance, it may seem bulky, but this shield can resist bullets. In case of danger, simply drop your eye protection and kneel on the ground while retracting your limbs behind the shield.
Could this be the prototype of Iron Man?
12. Jet Tank
This vehicle is powered by a solid rocket engine and can be equipped with wheels, which are interchangeable with sleds during winter.
It accommodates a crew of two, consisting of a pilot and a gunner, who assume a prone position in a discreet, armored compartment.
The weapons system consists of six RS-82 rockets, divided into two launchers. The space between these launchers is occupied by a ShKAS aviation machine gun.
The solid rocket engine used in the “PT Jet Tank” is actually a direct transplant from the RS-132 rocket engine, which is electrically driven. The tank's designers believed it would have a low profile, making it difficult for the enemy to hit it even at top speeds of 100 km/h.
During battle, the jet tank could be deployed suddenly and used intensively. It was equipped with an RS-82 rocket, which could be fired at enemy tanks, a machine gun to destroy infantry, and a hissing rocket engine that could cause great psychological shock to the enemy.
13. Round warships
In the early 1870s, Russian Vice Admiral Popov proposed the bold idea of making warships round to have the largest tonnage, the shallowest draft, and the smallest possible size, while being able to carry weapons of the same size as larger warships.
Upon demonstrating the viability of the idea, the Russian Navy Technical Committee established a panel to design it.
Several round warships were soon completed and placed into service. Each warship had a diameter of 30.8 meters and was equipped with one 11-inch gun, two 4-pounder guns, 16 37mm guns and 12-pole torpedoes.
However, the flat bottom of the boat caused the waves to bounce more than a meter high, which seriously affected the accuracy of the shot, making operation impossible. Even the Dnieper River, which flowed at just 3 knots per hour, posed a challenge for these ships. The ship turned with more force as the cannon was fired, and encountering the current caused it to spin out of control, leaving everyone on board dizzy.
14. Heavy battle tanks
This heavy battle tank was designed by a reserve officer with the rank of lieutenant in March 1944. The officer designed retractable side armor flaps for the tank's tracks on both sides, which could be lowered to cover the tracks and sides of the load wheels during combat. These flaps were similar to the side skirts found on modern tanks.
In addition, a pair of large rollers were designed for the front of the tank, connected by a drive chain to the track travel system. These rollers could be rotated together to protect the front of the tank's tracks against incoming projectiles, similar to the minesweeping rollers on modern minesweeping tanks.
The Lieutenant also proposed strengthening the firepower and installing a large-caliber automatic weapon on the tank.
But he did not mention the specific structure of the artillery.
15. Giant Rat Tank
The No. 8 rat tank designed by the father of Porsche, the biggest feature is that it is big, and it is also the biggest super tank in history so far!
If the intelligence people at that time did not investigate in detail, but just took it for granted, they would definitely suffer a great loss.
This 188-ton giant is very heavy and even crushes the bridge, which can only use a strange breathing tube to connect two rat tanks to dive into the river.
Hitler ordered the suspension, which ended the illusion of German supertanks.
16. Four-lane tank
The four-lane design scheme was intended to improve the tank's passing ability over extremely rough terrain by adding two lanes.
However, it was rejected due to its potential to increase weight by 5 to 6 tons and the exposed chain drive at the bottom that could easily get caught in rocks and mud, leading to failure.
However, the four-track design did not disappear completely, as we are familiar with the 279 nuclear main battle tank project that employed this design.
17. Steel Hydraulic Jet Tanks
The designer didn't just design typical tank cannons and machine guns. He also designed a surprising weapon: a steel hydraulic jet.
To make this possible, he installed a steel generator in the tank's hull. This generator was charged with iron oxide powder and aluminum powder, which combined to create the aluminum hot agents.
When the hot aluminum agent ignited, it created a powerful burning effect. The iron oxide was reduced to a molten state of molten iron and then pulverized to destroy the target.
18. Balloon Bombs
During World War II, Japan used balloons with 9,300 bombs to blow up the United States and Canada without leaving them.
However, only 357 of them successfully reached their intended targets, while two of them ended up floating back to Japan and detonating, causing harm to their own people. It is worth considering how these bombs managed to detonate in the United States even after reaching their targets.
19. Stick h and grenades
It was invented by the British, they put sticky glue on a grenade and throw it into a tank and it sticks to the tank.
Then explode and win the war!
Initially, the military opposed the production of the weapon, but later British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a strong push to mass production. Consequently, 2.5 million sticky grenades were manufactured.
However, when they were deployed in the field, a problem arose. The Germans' tanks were not properly maintained as they were covered in mud and dirt, making it difficult for the sticky grenades to stick to the enemy tanks!
20. Flying aircraft carriers
In 1933, two prominent aircraft, the US Akron (ZRS-4) and Macon (ZRS-5), crashed due to atmospheric turbulence.
The “Akron” was christened by President Hoover's wife in 1931. Two years later, on April 4, 1933, it completed 74 flights and accumulated 1,700 hours in the air. However, it was caught in a violent storm off the coast of New Jersey, broke apart and fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
The “Macon” was an aircraft carrier carrying four Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk reconnaissance aircraft. At the time of the accident, he was off the California coast, heading for Spur Point, south of Monterey, and had just recovered his last aircraft. A sudden gust of wind caused the ship to roll violently, and its crossed tail came out vertically, puncturing three bags of helium. Despite a heroic 40-minute fight, the vessel fell into the sea.
21. Power Wing Fighters
During World War II, the Germans attempted to develop a powered vertical takeoff and landing fighter known as the Triebflugel.
This aircraft was raised on the tail with a rotating ring on the fuselage and equipped with three thin wings and angled jet engines at the wingtips.
When the engines were activated, the aircraft could take off vertically like a helicopter, but unlike helicopters, it could fly flat at high speeds.
However, the Germans soon discovered that this design was impractical, as it was difficult to land with the propeller attached to the engine.
22. Tsar's Carriage
The “Tsar’s Carriage” was alternatively known as the “Bat Carriage” due to its triangular shape resembling bats hanging upside down.
During the initial demonstration of the first prototype in August 1917 in front of the Imperial Court, it was completely rejected because the rear wheels were unable to overcome an obstacle.
With little maneuverability, the Tsar's Carriage was vulnerable to enemy fire, making it an easy target.
Regrettably, the only “Tsar’s Chariot” was relegated to the scrapyard before it even reached the battlefield.
23. Motorcycle Artillery
This is the cannon used by the French in Vietnam during the 1950s. The motorcycle and gun combination was created because the French did not have sufficient funds to supply more advanced weapons at that time and had to “obtain materials from local sources.”
This vehicle was mainly used by paratroopers. However, it is certain that this type of vehicle offered very poor protection and reloading artillery was also a problem, which limited its role in the war.
24. Dora Cannon
The Dora Cannon was a long-range weapon developed by Germany during World War II. It was a super-giant artillery piece developed in secret after Hitler came to power.
The Dora Cannon had a barrel length of 32.48 meters, a total length of 42.9 meters, a caliber of 800 mm and a total weight of 1,329 tons. It was the largest cannon in the world and its barrel was large enough for a soldier to squat inside it.
Maintaining the cannon was a challenging task that required the participation of more than 4,000 people in command, operation and guarding. Furthermore, the cannon projectile was unsatisfactory.
Each penetrator weighed 7.1 tons, and a high-explosive projectile weighed 4.8 tons. The propulsion fuel weighed between 1.8 and 2 tons. As a result, only a few dozen shells were fired during World War II, which represented a significant waste of manpower.
Here's the problem.
Which manuscript do you think is the best?
