Any war is terrible. And even more so when the war takes on such proportions as happened with the Second World War. But for all its horrors, this war gave a huge impetus to the development of weapons and military technologies. And they all started with prototypes and samples, which sometimes turned out to be very strange, to say the least. Read about the most unusual weapons of World War II in this collection.
Curved weapon.
Ideas firearms with a curved barrel for shooting from cover began to appear in the 19th century. However, their practical implementation took place only at the end of the first half of the twentieth century. In the USSR, the first curved-barreled weapons appeared in the 1940s. Then, during the experiments, the barrels of Goryunov and Kalashnikov machine guns were bent. But things didn’t go further than prototypes. In Germany in 1943, devices for shooting from cover were even officially adopted and used in real combat conditions. It's interesting that in Soviet propaganda In those days, such weapons were called “treacherous” and “for cowardly shooting from around the corner.”
105 mm caliber anti-tank grenade launcher.
Almost at the very end of the war, in the winter of 1945, the German concern Rheinmetall-Borsig introduced prototype a new Hammer anti-tank grenade launcher and a cumulative grenade for it. The dimensions of the new weapon turned out to be quite impressive, and the weight of 40 kg indicated that it could only be used on a machine. However, the combat characteristics were quite good: when firing at a range of up to 500 meters, 100% of the shells hit a target measuring 1x1 meter. But the technical difficulties associated with the production of new weapons made it possible to complete work on the samples only by May 1945. And then it was already too late.
Suborbital bomber.
The project of a hypersonic suborbital bomber-spacecraft called “Silbervogel” (Silver Bird) is the brainchild of the Austrian scientist Dr. Eugen Zenger. The main purpose of this aircraft was to bomb the US territory, in particular New York, as well as the distant industrial regions of the USSR - the Urals and Siberia. The weight of the bomb load depended on the flight distance. So, for example, the Silver Bird could carry 6 tons of bombs to New York 6500 km away. The maximum carrying capacity was 30 tons of bombs. In 1941, this project was temporarily frozen because it did not involve immediate returns. They remembered it only in 1944, trying to make it a “weapon of retaliation.” However, despite successful tests prototypes in wind tunnels, even the German command was obvious that in the then situation the project could not be implemented. As a result, it remained drawings on paper. And rightly so, because later post-war calculations showed that such a device, even in theory, could not function as its creator intended and would simply fall apart upon entry into the atmosphere.
Gustav and Dora - large-caliber artillery.
From paper prototypes to real weapons. "Dora" is a unique super-heavy railway artillery gun of the German army. It was created as if out of spite. The thing is that after the First World War, according to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was prohibited from having guns with a caliber of over 150 mm, as well as any anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. Therefore, according to the leaders Nazi Germany, creating a powerful and large-caliber artillery was a matter of prestige. A total of two 807 mm guns were built. The first was named "Dora", and the second - "Fat Gustav". In 1942, the gun was used during the assault on Sevastopol. The gun's rate of fire was only two shots per hour. But the shells were truly terrifying: they weighed 7 tons, of which from 250 to 700 kilograms (depending on the type) were explosives, sighting range- 39 kilometers. The projectile could penetrate 1 meter of solid steel armor or 7 meters of reinforced concrete.
Ampoule launcher.
As legend has it, the ampoule launcher is the brainchild of besieged Leningraders who were so weak from hunger that they could not independently throw Molotov cocktails at the enemy. In fact, the ampoule gun was invented in the Moscow design bureau of plant No. 145 named after Kirov. Although, in fairness, it is worth saying that these weapons were not only successfully used, but were even produced in besieged Leningrad. Technically, an ampoule launcher is a small mortar that fires glass or thin-walled metal ampoules containing a self-igniting fire mixture. The ampoule gun was intended to destroy enemy equipment, as well as infantry in trenches and closed structures. It was used mainly for close combat due to its short firing range - about 250 meters.
Shovel mortar.
Real weapons, adopted for service and successfully fulfilling its tasks. It was, as you might guess from the name, a hybrid of a small infantry shovel and a 37 mm mortar. The mortar consisted of a barrel, a shovel (it was also a base plate) and a bipod with a plug. The barrel tube is tightly connected to the breech; a firing pin is pressed into it, onto which the capsule of the mine expelling cartridge is pinned. As weapons improved, the shovel mortar lost its relevance due to the insufficient range of fire and low power of the mine, and was eventually withdrawn from service.
Self-propelled mortar "Karl".
One of the most powerful self-propelled guns of its time, with a caliber of 600 mm. Despite the fact that only six installations took part in hostilities, they were used quite widely until the end of the war in 1945. Firepower The gun was truly impressive: a 2-ton concrete-piercing projectile was fired with an initial speed of 220 m/s and pierced a concrete wall 3 to 3.5 m thick or a steel slab 450 mm thick. Maximum range the flight of such a projectile was 4.5 kilometers.
Single shot FP-45 Liberator pistol.
Extremely simple in design and very cheap to manufacture, the FP-45 Liberator was planned to be deployed behind the front line for use by partisan troops and resistance fighters. The pistol consisted of only 23 parts obtained by stamping or pressing, and therefore its cost was 2.4 dollars. The 300 workers at the Anderson plant produced about a million of these pistols in 11 weeks. However, there is no documentary evidence of the mass transfer of pistols. Only about 25 thousand units were transferred to Great Britain to supply the French Resistance.
Teletanks.
In the Soviet Union, teletanks were tanks without a crew, controlled remotely using remote control via a radio channel. The first teletank to take part in real combat operations was the TT-26. The levers were driven by pneumatics: a compressor pumped air into a cylinder, from where it was supplied under pressure to the pistons of the manipulators. Using a special remote control equipped with at least 20 buttons, the operator could force the tank to execute up to 16 different commands. At the same time, the operator himself was in another tank, following behind the one being controlled at a distance of 500-1500 meters. The teletank's armament consisted of a DT machine gun and a flamethrower. Also sometimes used were 200-700 kg time bombs in an armored box, which the tank dropped near enemy fortifications, which made it possible to destroy bunkers up to four levels underground. Teletanks were also capable of using chemical weapons, although it was not used in combat.
Charge carrier "Goliath".
U German side There were also remote controlled cars. The most famous of them was the light carrier of charges Sd.Kfz.302 Goliath, which was very widely used by the Nazis to destroy enemy equipment. It was reliable and cheap enough to produce, allowing it to be used as a kamikaze robot. Having own weight less than 400 kg, Goliath could carry up to 100 kg of explosives. True, unlike Soviet tanks, control was carried out not through a radio channel, but using a cable. And its length was a maximum of 700 meters. In addition, the cable was not protected in any way and was easily cut by shell fragments or a sapper's shovel.
Nobody argues, wars are a terrible evil. They take thousands and millions human lives and bring enormous grief to the survivors. On the other hand, wars give impetus to the development of industry. Most clear example– The United States, which, thanks to World War II, very quickly and quite painlessly overcame the consequences of the Great Depression and became the first power on the planet.
Wars also give a powerful impetus to the development of everything related in one way or another to military affairs. During the war years, scientists intensively developed new medicines, means of communication, transport, etc. and so on.
Naturally, the military-industrial complex is receiving the strongest push, which is not only increasing the production of all types of weapons, ammunition and equipment, but is also feverishly developing new types and equipment.
Often one comes across quite strange ones among developments and inventions. Below is a far from complete list, of course, of the most unusual weapons invented during the Second World War.
1. A cannon that fires missiles from ships
With the advent of aviation, it was enemy aircraft that became the main enemy navy. Launchers were invented in Great Britain to protect against enemy aircraft. rocket launchers, which were installed on the decks of ships. They were shooting special missiles. Rising to a height of 300 meters, the rockets exploded. The mines inside flew off in different directions on parachutes.
The idea was to create a kind of air minefield over the ship. The parachutes were attached to cables up to 120 meters long, which further complicated the work of enemy pilots.
The idea seemed quite logical, but the new product turned out to be ineffective. Mines, parachutes and cables were visible from afar. Therefore, pilots avoided air minefields from below or above without any problems. In addition, the mines were completely at the mercy of the wind, which could carry them back to the ships.
Anti-aircraft missile launchers never shot down a single one German plane. On British ships they caused many fires and claimed the lives of several dozen people.
2. Demolition dogs
The USSR began training demolition dogs back in 1924, however wide application four-legged miners, on which explosives were hung, were obtained during the Second World War.
Dogs were used mainly against tanks. They were taught to pull out the detonator with their teeth when they found themselves under a tank. These “living” weapons turned out to be more effective than ship-based missile launchers. The dogs blew up at least 300 German tanks, but they were distracted by too many things during the task, and they often returned to those who prepared them.
3. Bats are bombers
This original type of weapon was invented in the USA for operations against Japan. The idea is to use bats as bombers armed with incendiary bombs, came to the mind of... dentist Little S. Adams.
Bats seemed like the perfect weapon. Firstly, there are a lot of them. Secondly, they are able to carry loads significantly greater than their own weight. Thirdly, while in hibernation, the bats do not require food or care. And finally, fourthly, they fly at night and sleep during the day.
The mice were supposed to be dropped on Japanese cities in containers. They consisted of 26 shelves, each of which contained mini-containers with 40 mice. The flying rodents were armed with 17- and 28-gram napalm bombs. The containers were supposed to be dropped at dawn by parachute from a height of 1,500 m. At an altitude of 300 m above the ground, they opened and the bats scattered in all directions. They would settle down for the night in attics and roofs, after which the timers would go off and the bombs would ignite.
The tests were successful, but in the summer of 1944, when it became clear that it would be impossible to use combat bats before summer'45, the command closed the project. Preference was given atomic bomb, work on which went much faster.
4. The biggest gun
Before the invasion of France, Adolf Hitler demanded that the German military and engineers create a new super-weapon. It should have easily penetrated the most powerful fortifications of the Maginot Line, the only serious barrier separating Germany from Western Europe.
As a result, in factories steel company Friedrich Krupp A.G. a supergun was created, even given a name - the Gustav gun. "Gustav" was as tall as a four-story building. It was 50 meters long, and the length of the gun itself was almost 27 meters. The supergun weighed 1350 tons and fired projectiles weighing 4.5 tons!
The gigantic size of the gun, the main source of its power, also turned out to be the main disadvantage. Due to its size, it could only be transported by railway. Due to its size, the Gustav was also an easy target for Allied aircraft. Less than a year later, the supergun project was closed.
5. V-3 gun
The multi-chambered artillery gun was also known as the "centipede", "industrious Lischen" and "English cannon". The gun was developed in the summer of 1944 and was intended to fire hourly salvoes of 300 projectiles in the form of darts 2.7 meters long. The “barrel” of the gun was 125 meters long and theoretically, at least, could reach London from the French village of Mimoyec, located 8 kilometers from the English Channel. However, the very first tests showed that the projectile speed reached only 1 km/sec, i.e. was half the speed required to cover the 160 km that separated Mimojec from London.
Hitler ordered the production of 50 V-3s, but the Allies managed to bomb the prototype gun, which was hidden in haystacks, even before the V-3 went into production.
As a result, only two smaller (45 meters long) versions of the V-3 were made. Only a few salvos were fired from them. Since no information about the results of the shooting has been preserved, it can be argued that they were not the most successful.
6. Mini tanks
Devices that looked like small tanks were controlled using a remote control remote control and were used to blow up enemy tanks. Despite the name - Goliath, they were not similar to the biblical giant, primarily in size. The minitank was first connected to the operator by a cable 650 meters long. "Goliath" was capable of carrying approx. 50 kg of explosives. Minitanks climbed under Allied tanks and blew them up. When it turned out that the most vulnerable spot is a cable that can be cut, minitanks were created that were controlled using a radio signal.
Judging by the number of Goliath minitanks produced - 7.5 thousand units, the German command was satisfied with their actions.
7. Army of Ghosts
The world-famous fashion designer and designer Bill Blass fought during World War II in the “Ghost Army.” Together with colleagues, representatives like him creative professions, he created camouflage and fooled enemies with inflatable tanks and guns, fake planes, fake command posts, thunderous sound effects and much more.
The “ghosts” gave a “performance” for several days on or near the battlefield, after which they collected all the equipment and details and moved to another place. In less than a year, they carried out 17 such operations, making 17 inflatable tanks, trucks and artillery pieces, which at a distance were almost impossible to distinguish from real equipment. They were made on the basis of a frame of pipes through which a simple compressor supplied air. To make them more similar, the soldiers covered the frames with a rubberized tarpaulin.”
Second World War was a springboard for the implementation of the most fantastic projects military designers. The arms race led to the creation of huge guns, radio-controlled bombs and aircraft carrier submarines.
The most unusual weapons of World War II
Aircraft carriers
Since the early 1930s in the USSR, engineer Vladimir Vakhmistrov developed the “Link” project, which involved the use of a carrier aircraft to transport 1 to 5 fighters over long distances. In addition to expanding the range of single-engine aircraft, the most important task was the use of fighters as dive bombers for precision bombing with large projectiles.
Aircraft from the Tupolev family (TB-1, TB-3) were used as aircraft carriers, and aircraft from the Polikarpov Design Bureau (I-3, I-4, I-16) were used as fighters. When using TB-5 and I-16, the fighter's flight range increased by 80%, and the bomb load increased by 5 times!
During one of the tests, the fighter was mistakenly disconnected from the aircraft carrier before the pilot was ready, but everything worked out. It is curious that the “emergency” plane was piloted by Chkalov himself. Thanks to the incident, it was possible to find out that the large asymmetry thus formed did not in any way affect the controllability of the aircraft carrier: the fighters could “break away” from the carrier aircraft independently of each other.
Zven's baptism of fire took place on July 26, 1941. After a number of unsuccessful attempts by bombers to blow up the Charles I Bridge on the Danube, it was decided to use aircraft carriers in the future. Test was to bomb an oil storage facility in Constanta, Romania. During the airstrike, fighters with a load of bombs detached from the carriers at a distance of 40 km from the oil storage facility and, after successfully hitting the target, returned to the Odessa airfield.
"B-4" and "Goliath"
The Goliath tracked self-propelled mine was used by Germany throughout the war and was intended to destroy tanks, dense infantry formations and destruction of buildings. The radio-controlled car had small dimensions - 150 x 85 x 56 cm and carried from 75 to 100 kg of explosives.
A total of 7,564 Goliaths were produced in Germany, but it is difficult to call this project successful, primarily because of its high cost, as well as because of the low speed of the wedge (9.5 km/h), poor cross-country ability, and vulnerability wires and thin armor.
The B-4 self-propelled gun was much larger than the Goliath. Unlike the latter, it was designed for repeated use, since it did not crash into the target, but threw out a mine. However, its effectiveness was also low - very often a disabled vehicle remained on the battlefield.
"Dora" and "Gustav"
Two German super heavy guns The 800-mm Gustav and Dora calibers were produced by the Krupp concern in the second half of the 1930s. The requirements for these guns stated that they had to penetrate concrete 7 m thick, armor – 1 m, hard ground – 30 m. The maximum range of the gun should be 45 km and have a vertical guidance angle of +65 degrees.
Tests of "Dora" and "Gustav" were completed only at the end of 1942. The guns were delivered to the troops along with hundreds of 800-mm caliber shells, each of which reached 4 meters in length.
"Gustav" was never used in battle, and "Dora" took part in the war only twice. during the siege of Sevastopol and about 30 shots during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising. According to weapons expert Alexander Lüdeke, in the end, these technological masterpieces turned out to be “a waste of labor and materials.”
Submarine aircraft carrier
In 1943, Japan began developing the I-400 submarine, which was to become the largest submarine of World War II. A total of three submarines were built out of a planned 18. The first was launched on December 30, 1944, followed by the second, the third took a very long time to complete, but never set sail.
The submarine's armament consisted of 20 torpedoes, 140-mm deck weapons, three installations of 25-mm machine guns, one anti-aircraft gun and three Aichi M6A1 Sheiran aircraft.
In order to make room for aircraft, fuel tanks and aviation fuel tanks were placed outside the submarine. A cylindrical hangar (3.5 meters in diameter and 37.5 in length) for storing three aircraft was located above the hull in the central part of the boat. The length of the submarine reached 122 meters, the displacement was 3530 tons, and the crew consisted of 144 people.
Two submarines I-400 and I-401 were decided to be used in August 1945 during Operation Hikari to destroy American aircraft carriers near Ulithi Atoll. However, by the time the operation began, Japan announced surrender and the submarines ingloriously surrendered to American troops.
Chain mine trawls
For the first time, the idea of using chains to detonate mines as the vehicle moves came to the mind of an engineer from South Africa, Alexander du Toit, who proposed installing a special rotating drum with massive metal chains in front of the armored vehicles.
The Americans, with their tests, confirmed the effectiveness of the South African engineer’s idea, and in 1942 the first production trawls were installed on Matilda tanks. The experience of the Americans was also adapted by the British, who adapted trawls, which they called “Crabs,” onto Sherman tanks.
The essence of the trawl's action was a drum rotated by the tank's engine drive, on which 43 metal chains were attached. Sharp discs were installed along the edges of the drum, which, rotating, cut the barbed wire. The front part of the tank was protected from dust and dirt by a special shield.
British and American troops with great success used similar trawls during operations in northwestern Europe. Moreover, tanks equipped with trawls were by no means deprived of the opportunity to fully use their firepower.
Radio controlled bombs
The main purpose of the German radio-controlled bomb "Fritz-X" was the destruction of heavily armored naval targets. It was a modification of the standard SD-1400 armor-piercing bomb, but with improved aerodynamics - four small wings and a tail unit.
The Italian battleship Roma and the British cruiser Spartan were sunk using the Fritz-X bomb. However, such bombs could not suddenly change direction: they had to be dropped while flying directly over the target, which made German bombers very vulnerable.
Another Wehrmacht radio-controlled bomb, the Henschel Hs 293, was much more effective than the previous one. After dropping the bomb, the rocket booster accelerated it for 10 seconds, after which the planning phase of the lethal warhead began. A beacon was installed on the tail of the bomb, which allowed the gunner to monitor its flight at night.
The Henschel Hs 293 was first used in August 1943, sinking the British ship Erget. However, towards the end of the war, Allied forces learned to intercept the frequencies of radio-controlled bombs, which allowed them to disrupt the direction of their flight.
Even war can be beneficial. The Second World War, for example, stimulated the technical development of the participating countries so much that we still enjoy the fruits of it. Effective, deadly weapon of that time allowed modern scientists to make several powerful technological breakthroughs. However, not all the weapons used were so incredibly useful. Here are some of the most strange weapons World War II, which surprised us.
Great Britain
The air minefield was designed to protect Royal Navy ships from enemy bomber attacks. The shells were launched vertically upward, and a parachute opened at the peak: according to the plan of a sophisticated military genius, a series of such mines created an insurmountable obstacle for the raiders. In fact, enemy pilots clearly saw the hefty projectiles floating in the air and easily avoided them. And they, obeying merciless gravity, sank back, forcing the British sailors to once again take the name of God in vain.
Suicide dogs
USSR
In 1941, Nazi troops invaded the holy precincts of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The enemy's armored vehicles caused particular trouble. On many fronts, infantry had to confront entire tank units. It was decided to use demolition dogs: the dog, tied with explosives, was supposed to dive under the bottom of the tank and pull out the grenade pin with its 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.
Fat Gustav
Germany
The French Maginot Line indeed became a real headache for Hitler. It was decided to build a weapon of such power that it would be able to destroy the long-term fortifications of the line. The factories of Friedrich Krupp A.G produced two monstrous guns: Big Dora and Tolstoy Gustav. The Gustav weighed as much as 1,344 tons and could only be moved by rail, and it took three whole days to prepare for firing. This thing took part in hostilities only once and was captured by the Allies near Sevastopol.
V-3
Germany
The V-3 was one of the so-called “Weapons of Retribution” with which the Third Reich intended to punish the entire civilized world. Fortunately, this rapid fire gun was developed at the very end of the war. A few modifications could indeed turn the V-3 into a real punishing sword of the Nazis, but the Allied bombing air force Almost all launch silos were destroyed.
Goliath
Germany
The Goliath mini-tank was equipped with two electric motors and could carry more than 50 kg. explosives. This miracle of engineering was controlled remotely; a cable that reached almost a kilometer in length led to the operator with a joystick in his hands. Need I say that this cable was the most vulnerable element of the project? However, the tank was not completely useless - “Goliath” can generally be called the prototype of almost every modern remote-controlled robot.
The entire history of earthly civilization is marked by wars. At all stages of development, man has created and continues to create weapons. Some samples amaze with their characteristics, capabilities and harsh aesthetics, while others seem completely ridiculous. Describe everything unusual weapon, ever invented by man, is simply impossible. Firstly, everyone has their own ideas about normality and strangeness, and secondly, progress does not stand still, and what until recently seemed like a formidable death machine can be perceived by subsequent generations as a pile of useless iron.
What kind of ordinary weapon is it?
Before discussing the most unusual weapons, let's mention what demands are made by gunsmiths and soldiers. The main ones are reliability, destructive power, and safety for the shooter. If we're talking about When it comes to portable weapons, weight and dimensions are important. Depending on the type, parameters such as effective range, damage radius, rate of fire, ammunition flight speed, convenience and ease of loading, crew and crew size are assessed.
Modern weapons companies, especially those working for the state defense industry, strive not only to develop the best performance characteristics, but also to reduce production costs.
Therefore, among professionals, weapons that are classified as strange are either too heavy and large for modest characteristics, or prohibitively expensive to manufacture and maintain, or unsuitable for performing real combat missions for various reasons.
Heavy equipment
The heyday of the era of unusual weapons has always been periods of war. The need for new non-standard solutions, austerity regime, limited time frames, lack of essentials, partially compensated by improvised material and unusable trophies - often these factors are the main motivators.
During World War II, many fundamentally new types of weapons were urgently created. The best minds on both sides of the front worked hard in this direction. It’s difficult to name the most unusual, but some specimens certainly deserve attention.
The German “Dora” with a mass of 1250 tons and a height of 11.5 m amazes with its power. The gun was delivered to the position in a disassembled state on rails, assembled on site in a few days, and to fire a shot required the efforts of 250 crew members and ten times more service groups. But “Dora” could fire a projectile weighing from 4.8 to 7 tons! She had to fight only twice: in Warsaw (1942) and near Sevastopol (1944). The Wehrmacht managed to create two samples and about a thousand shells.
Even a huge damaging effect could not compensate for all the difficulties and costs. Moreover, self-propelled guns, MLRS and aviation cope with similar tasks.
It can also be considered strange American tank Chrysler, developed in the 50s. True, the matter did not go beyond the prototype. According to the developers, the Chrysler was supposed to float and even shoot directly out of the water, and its work was based on the use nuclear engine. The huge egg-shaped cast body looks more funny than threatening.
Soviet gunsmiths also showed creativity. It is worth mentioning the tank-plane, aircraft-carrier and tractor-tank. None of these entered mass production, but armored tractors had to go through baptism of fire all in the same World War II.
Mortars and mines
Quite a formidable, albeit cumbersome weapon German army there was a “Goliath” - a self-propelled mine. "Goliath" had weak armor, the control wire was not protected by anything at all, and maximum speed did not reach even 10 km/h. At the same time, production required considerable costs. Operating a cumbersome self-propelled gun was risky, and the enemy’s engineering also sometimes reached the incredible.
At least a shovel mortar! The loaded weight of the gun reached only one and a half kg, and a 37-caliber projectile fired from it could cover a distance of 250 m.
Having finished firing, the artilleryman could easily turn the device into an ordinary soldier's shovel. IN airborne troops this weapon was used until the end of the war. Perhaps the shovel mortar became the reason for the terrible legends about Russian paratroopers?
Small arms of past eras and today
The duckbill 4-barrel revolver is not the only one of its kind. When listing the most unusual weapons, one cannot ignore the multi-barreled inventions common in XVII-XIX centuries. But we have to admit, such pistols and revolvers look terrifying.
Many people find the Belgian FN-F2000 assault rifle, which has excellent shooting performance, but for some reason also has excellent aerodynamics, quite strange. A person accustomed to an AK or M-16, looking at it, will not immediately understand how to take it into the correct position for firing.
The old comfrey will certainly be bewildered by such a common practice among mafia groups. Latin America a phenomenon like designer AKs. In that environment, weapons covered with inlay, rich carvings and even gilding are still an indicator of status today. However, this does not detract from its combat characteristics.
The experience of gunsmiths of the past inspires today's engineers. But modern designers are trying to increase the number of ammunition, not barrels. There are many examples of this: multi-shot shotguns, the ammunition supply system on the Scorpion PC, twin and spiral drums.
Non-lethal law enforcement weapons
The most unusual weapons can be found not only on the battlefields. Law enforcement officers also sometimes resort to non-standard solutions. For example, the Israeli development “Thunder Generator”. The device is intended to disperse demonstrations and suppress the enemy. It strikes at a distance of up to 150 meters without causing harm to health. However, the crew at the moment of the shot also has a hard time. Even stranger is the Vomit Gun, which sends out pulses and pulsating beams. The result of exposure is general weakness, nausea and even vomiting.
Shooting pens and other items
Not all weapons look like weapons. Many items can fall into this category. The most unusual weapons, masquerading as stationery, canes, rings, buckles and other objects, are used today by intelligence services.
Melee weapons: swords, sabers
Sunny India gave the world not only the Kama Sutra and yoga, but also many examples of amazing weapons. For example, urumi has no analogues in the world. This sword, made of thin, sharp steel, can be worn at the waist. In battle, the sword-belt is quite formidable.
This is where the pata comes from - a sword with a protective glove attached to the guard.
Knives and claws
The most from Japan is tekko kagi, which means “tiger claws”. It may seem that the shape is too unusual for a weapon, and this item is more reminiscent of a prop from a superhero movie. How can we not remember Wolverine? But with the help of Tekko Kagi, the warrior of the Country rising sun he could easily tear the enemy's flesh into shreds and even reflect the blows of a sword. By the way, an analogue of metal claws was also familiar to the ancient kshatriyas.
We can say that the katar, which combines the features of brass knuckles and a knife, and even with a blade sliding into three parts, is the most unusual edged weapon. But in modern world there are many of its analogues. An expert in knife fighting is unlikely to take such a weapon seriously, but the brass knuckle knife is common among street gangs.
Among some ancient peoples it was even more common unusual knife, worn on a finger. It was used not only in fights (to damage the eyes and neck), but also in everyday life.
Conclusion
As we see, man was always ready to go quite far in an attempt to arm himself better than a potential enemy. The most strange weapon we see both among samples from superpowers with huge military budgets, and among uncontacted wild tribes.
And I would like to end our review with the words of Mikhail Kalashnikov. Brilliant Soviet designer I have mentioned more than once that it is not weapons that kill - they are only tools.
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