Spotlight Examples
M1 Rifle
The M1 rifle was primarily used by the United States Marines during World War II. A combination of versatility, speed, power, and reliability gave the rifle superiority compared to the firearms of the past. The original creation of the rifle is credited to John Garland, an individual who worked as a firearm designer for the U.S. Army throughout much of the 1920s and 1930s. By January 9, 1936 the preliminary design of the weapon was complete, and the military began testing a small quantity of devices. Testing would continue into the late 1940s, when a set of highly qualified Marines, subjected the weapon to a series of realist war-time scenarios. Results showed that the M1 rifle demonstrated vast improvements in design compared to other semi-automatic rifles. Therefore in November of 1941, the United States Marines issued the weapon as a standard service rifle. Notably by the end of World War II, millions of M1s had been produced (Flowers).
As for the weapon itself, the M1 rifle’s weight and dimensions were somewhat standard. However the average rate of fire and effective range totaled 30 rounds and 500 yards respectively. The weapon was operated by a gas mechanism, and received ammunition through a clip (through its role as a semi-automatic weapon. The primary advantages of the M1 rifle came from the lack of recoil in firing subsequent rounds and the rifle’s reparability. From a militaristic standpoint, the minimization of the aftereffect allowed for the weapon’s versatility in the field. At the weapon’s peak use, the M1 rifle gave the United States Marines’ a noted advantage over Japanese forces in the Pacific. At the conclusion of World War II, the M1 rifle would go on to be the first successful semi-automatic rifle to be used extensively in warfare (Flowers).
As for the weapon itself, the M1 rifle’s weight and dimensions were somewhat standard. However the average rate of fire and effective range totaled 30 rounds and 500 yards respectively. The weapon was operated by a gas mechanism, and received ammunition through a clip (through its role as a semi-automatic weapon. The primary advantages of the M1 rifle came from the lack of recoil in firing subsequent rounds and the rifle’s reparability. From a militaristic standpoint, the minimization of the aftereffect allowed for the weapon’s versatility in the field. At the weapon’s peak use, the M1 rifle gave the United States Marines’ a noted advantage over Japanese forces in the Pacific. At the conclusion of World War II, the M1 rifle would go on to be the first successful semi-automatic rifle to be used extensively in warfare (Flowers).
Radio Proximity Fuse
Radio Proximity Fuse - During World War II, it was determined that it would be beneficial for the United States to develop a process for setting off an explosion remotely (without having to manually detonate a bomb). Prior attempts to build a device matching the above description were tried prior to the war, but ultimately failed. One such attempt was the creation of the infrared fuse that detonated after being exposed to the heat of an aircraft engine. However, there were multiple issues with infrared implementation. After several other failed attempts, the electronic fuse or “radio” fuse came into existence in 1941 – courtesy of the Untied States Navy. The device, which consisted of little more than militarized radio parts and fuse components, was able to detect the point at which maximum damage could be inflicted (as a result of the gradual increase of proximity of an approaching object.) After a short period of testing and modification, the device was considered successful. The radio proximity fuse would go on to be used in several key battles between 1942-1944 (Sharpe).
Other Notable Weaponry
- Atomic Bomb – The first successful atomic bomb was developed using uranium and plutonium and was used to end World War II.
- Bofors gun – The Bofors gun is one of many anti-aircraft weapons developed for rapid fire, and large range.
- Bazooka – Bazookas were one of many anti-tank weapons that consisted of a metal tube and held a projectile (in this case a rocket).
- Balloon Bombs – Developed by the Japanese, balloon bombs contained highly explosive materials but were minimally effective.
- Vickers 303 – The Vickers 303 was a recoil operated machine gun used by the British Army that weighed over 30lbs.
- MG42 – The MG42 was a machine gun developed by German Army that fired at 1,000rpm (considered excessively wasteful).
- Maxim-Gun – The Maxim gun was an early machine gun used by the Soviet Army during the start of the war.
- Browning M2 – The Browning M2 was used by U.S. Army that fired 100 rounds at 450 rpm.
- Panzer I through IV Tank – The Panzer Series tanks were light-weight, fast-moving, capable tanks produced by Germany.
- Bouncing Bomb – Developed by Britain, the bouncing bomb was a bomb that bounced on water before explosion to increase range.
- Churchill Tank –The Churchill Tank was designed by Britain to cross cratered ground and trenches despite having mediocre performance.
- Cromwell Tank – The Cromwell Tank was a fast and agile tank used on D-Day by Britain.
- Crusader Tank – The Crusader tank was an unreliable, and difficult tank produced by Britain and used from 1939 – 1943.
- Degtyarev PPD – A compact, automatic weapon (submachine-gun) used for short range targets and developed by the Soviet Red Army.
- Lee Enfield Rifle – Standard weapon of the British infantry during World War II.
- Portable Act Pack – A compact flamethrower used by the British army that enabled flames of about fifty yards.
- Fritz-X – A highly effective bomb developed by Germany used in 1943 that had small fins and a guidance mechanism designed to be dropped from an aircraft.
- Grand Slam Bomb – A bomb weighing over 20,000lb dropped on Germany in 1945.
- Incendiary Bombs – Bombs filed with extremely combustible materials such as napalm, and magnesium to spread fires. Bombs such as these were used in Tokyo firestorms.
- Long-Lance Torpedo – A type of torpedo considered highly sophisticated for its time and used by the Japanese navy.
- MP38 – A short range automatic assault weapon used by the German Army.
- Maginot Line – An impractical concrete, steel-defense system that contained anti-tank defenses.
- Nebelwerfer –A rocket launcher designed by Germany to be used against the Red Army in 1941.
- Pershing M26 Tank – Replacement for the Sherman Tank used by the U.S. Army.
- Phosphorous Bombs – Bombs used to spread fire.
- Sharman Tank – The Sharman tank was designed and used extensively by the U.S. army that lacked sophistication but were highly reliable.
- T-34 Tank – The T-34 was a Soviet Union manufactured, bulletproof tank that could be mass produced.
- Tommy gun – The Tommygun or Thompson submachine gun was a highly-reliable submachine gun used extensively by the U.S. Army.
- V1 / V2 Rocket – The V1/V2 rockets were secret weapons developed by Germany that could fire at super-sonic speeds and could not be stopped easily.
- Valentine Tank – The Valentine tank was revised eleven times and primarily sent to the Soviet Union.
Page by: RDO
Listed Information: (Simkin, “Weapons and Tactics”)
Listed Information: (Simkin, “Weapons and Tactics”)