Germany's Secret Weapons

[Marius]

In the ending part of the war (44-45) Germany started using some secret weapons like the Natter rocket plane and the Wasserfall guided surface to air missile and so on.
What would the have happen if the germans mass produced theese unique weapons.
If you have more info. please comment!

[C-2]

The first Atomic bomb target would be Berlin.

[Bernard Miclescu]

Not many thinks, and i'm glad that they didn't achieve to product many of these armaments. And all "secret weapons" were studied after the war by the Allies and even used some projects.

I am sorry that even today humanity still product such mass distruction weapons, but its only my opinion.

Bm

[Marius]

Could the ME-262 be considered a secret weapon? It was used in some battles at the end of the war.

[Bernard Miclescu]

I think so, until 1944 AT LEAST. When Hitler spoked about his secret weapons, the 262 was not opperational. and It performed very well and was a bad surprise for the Allies.

Bm

[C-2]

In my point of view,the best secret weapon,was the V-2 balistic rocket.
No way to defend against it,exept distroing the infrastructure.
The 262 was indeed a unpleasent suprise,but came too late and were too few of them to make much diference.

[Chandernagore]

QUOTE

In my point of view,the best secret weapon,was the V-2 balistic rocket. No way to defend against it,exept distroing the infrastructure. The 262 was indeed a unpleasent suprise,but came too late and were too few of them to make much diference.

In my view, the V-2 was a good example of research dispersal leading to absolutely nothing but ressource wasting. The V-2 was kind of impressive but it's impact (both real and potential) on the war was a big zero.

At least the 262 had the potential of turning the tables in the air war if mass produced. The late models of U boot were also technical marvels that could have re-launched the sub campaign but by that time few cared about the war at sea.

Among the secret weapons that could really have changed the strategic picture in a glimpse we have the atomic bomb and the deadly psionic ray (never researched or produced by anyone).

[Bernard Miclescu]

QUOTE

The 262 was indeed a unpleasent suprise,but came too late and were too few of them to make much diference.

Like all Hitler decreated secret weapons no one (though the progress were huge) could change the sort of the war. Like Chandernagore said only the Atomic bomb could change smth. And at the end the quantity won the quality.

[Carol I]

What was the situation with Britain's Gloster Meteors? I seem to remember being said that they were the other combat operational jets of WWII (some sources even quote a date of entering combat service as early as the summer of 1944). Why did they not reach the fame of Me-262s? Were they too few in numbers to really play a role? Or was it due to the secrecy from the British after the war?

[Chandernagore]

QUOTE

What was the situation with Britain's Gloster Meteors? I seem to remember being said that they were the other combat operational jets of WWII (some sources even quote a date of entering combat service as early as the summer of 1944). Why did they not reach the fame of Me-262s? Were they too few in numbers to really play a role? Or was it due to the secrecy from the British after the war?

The Gloster was operational before the Me262. Because the early models were used mainly in V2 busting operations it didn't cross the channel before january 45 and then in too few numbers to be a factor in the already overwhelming allied air superiority. Among their mission was the countering of the Me262 but I can't track any incident of Gloster/262 encounter.

I think that the most effective Allied secret weapon of the war (beyond the A bomb) was the sonar. Maybe we should replace "secret weapon" with "technological advancement". More accurate, and less James Bond like.

[Victor]

The Gloster was used against V-1, not V-2 rockets.

[Chandernagore]

QUOTE

The Gloster was used against V-1, not V-2 rockets.

Correct. I think the first V1 downed was done so by tipping it's nose with a wing because every gun jammed on the meteor
In fact the plane was not such a wonder for the allied side and it's usefulness was limited. No real (or hard to find) opponent and very few things that a more reliable propeller plane could not do.

[Carol I]

QUOTE

I think the first V1 downed was done so by tipping it's nose with a wing because every gun jammed on the meteor  :lol:

I seem to remember that it was the wing not the nose of the V-1 that if tipped led to the downing of the flying bomb (but this is a minor detail).

[Bernard Miclescu]

You are right Carol I, it was the wing. Hours after another V1 was downed (this time with the 20 mm cannons) It was on 4th August 1944, Meteors MKI from the 616 Sq.

[Marius]

The americans also had a jet fighter project: the Lockheed F-80 "Shoothing Star"!
You can find info here: http://www.constable.ca/f80.htm
But this aircraft was too late to enter combat.