Nazi Germany wastes resources on Wunderwaffe

Oftentimes many try and bring up "Wunderwaffe" such as the Ratte, Maus, or Amerikabomber as things Nazi Germany could use to win WW2. While it has been discussed ad nauseam about how these projects would be wastes of resources rather than war-winning weapons, let's look at this from a different angle. Say Nazi Germany wastes its resources on as many of these impractical Wunderwaffe as possible, how would this affect the war effort?
 
... I thought that's what they did?...
Well none of them really got into production.

Let's say the maus gets into production. You could say have built 100 maus tanks and it might have cost you (thrown out guess) 200 planes and 500 other tanks. This reduces the tanks and planes available and shortens the war significantly.
 

thaddeus

Donor
my understanding the V-2 basically did what the OP suggests? it consumed time, minds, materials, and as an added bonus it "seized up" what was left of their transportation network.

the jet aircraft program nearly as bad, the post-war studies finding value (*note* for the Axis) only in the recon capability of the AR-234.
 
Well none of them really got into production.

Let's say the maus gets into production. You could say have built 100 maus tanks and it might have cost you (thrown out guess) 200 planes and 500 other tanks. This reduces the tanks and planes available and shortens the war significantly.

Well... for starters, how is Germany going to be able to build 100 Maus?... They built less than 500 Tiger II, with production starting late 1943, first models popping up in 1944. The Maus project started in mid 1942. The only way (maybe?!) would be to start in 1941, ignore both Tigers and go straight for this beast, which would probably steal resources and personel from the Panther. And you'd have to design support & transport vehicles, prepare part of the infrasture to allow them to be moved... a massive waste on something that would be a prime artillery/aviation target.

If the germans didn't built the Tiger II, I doubt it would make any diference; scary and tought as it was, it came too late and in too few numbers. The lack of the Tiger I, otho, might cause problems. It's use as in heavy batalions, as a kind of "fire brigade" in the eastern front, allowed for multiple local victories and saved quite a few units. Not having them would see all of this not happening.
 
the jet aircraft program nearly as bad, the post-war studies finding value (*note* for the Axis) only in the recon capability of the AR-234.

The jet program was delayed initially by a lack of vision in not speeding it up right from 1940 and latter, by the lack of proper materials for the engine, specially tungsteen. If it happened to be given top priority in late 1940, allowing for mass production in 1943 of both the Me262 and the Arado 234, that could have caused problems.

For "wth were thinking" real waste-of-everything projects, I'd go with the V3 cannon. IOTL, the germans built 3, for a trully massive waste of materials, money and men. And for no practical efect. Imagine of Hitler says "Build me a couple dozen of these!!!!", puting these in direct competition for resources with the U-boat pens, flak towers, etc...

You could also try to forge ahead with the Amerika bomber...
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Oftentimes many try and bring up "Wunderwaffe" such as the Ratte, Maus, or Amerikabomber as things Nazi Germany could use to win WW2. While it has been discussed ad nauseam about how these projects would be wastes of resources rather than war-winning weapons, let's look at this from a different angle. Say Nazi Germany wastes its resources on as many of these impractical Wunderwaffe as possible, how would this affect the war effort?
You mean in greater amounts than IOTL?
 
The answer is... they lose the war faster. And?

I mean, yeah: "Soviets and Americans shake hands on the Elbe in February '45 instead of April" (just to assume a certain acceleration) does have it's own implications that can be a fair bit interesting to explore (particularly in Asia), but there's only so much in terms of difference you can get out of it.
 

Garrison

Donor
Well none of them really got into production.

Let's say the maus gets into production. You could say have built 100 maus tanks and it might have cost you (thrown out guess) 200 planes and 500 other tanks. This reduces the tanks and planes available and shortens the war significantly.
The V1 and V2 went into production and there were dozens of other programs where the Luftwaffe in particular spent fantastic amounts of resources that could have been better used elsewhere.
 
The V1 and V2 went into production and there were dozens of other programs where the Luftwaffe in particular spent fantastic amounts of resources that could have been better used elsewhere.
That's fair.

I always considered the v1 and v2 as a failed wubderwaffe concept but as it was proven not to be a miracle weapon it loses its status as a wubderwaffe.

I guess it's a matter of definition.
 
I think the V1 had merit and potential, but it was wasted on Hitler's mania of "nuke London". They would have been much more efective if they had been used on the channel ports the germans knew were being used to either stock up the invasion fleet, or to harbour the RN. Portsmouht, Dover... all of these should have been prime targets. But noooo... "nuke London!!!!!!!!!!!11"
 
Oh, oh! This is an excellent opportunity to repost this fantastic gem about the Ratte!

————

He sat on the rock and stared at the horizon. Somewhere artillery was thundering away. Tommies, by the sound of it, with those damned belt-fed 25-lbers again. Then he looked up again. No Jabos. Not yet, anyway.

Hearing the sound of swearing diminish a little he walked over to the side of the Landkreuzer and then peered into the hatch. “Well?”

“Sorry sir, the engine should be repaired in a moment or two.” The sergeant wiped his hands on a bit of rag and then looked at him worriedly. “They haven’t changed their minds about taking the flak guns off the top of this thing have they?”

“No.”

“Damn it.” He sighed. “Right. We’re ready sir.”

He nodded wearily and then walked around to the front of the wretched thing. “Start him up Kranz.”

“Yes sir.” A giant red button was pushed and after a moment the huge engine roared into life. “It’s working sir!”

“Get him into gear!”

“Um… yes sir.” There was a groaning noise and then the Landkreuzer crept forward three inches, before there was an almighty bang underneath.

“Damn it, what now?” He walked back to the hatch and then peered in. The sergeant could be seen opening an inspection hatch on the floor. He looked in, swore violently and then closed it again. “It’s buggered sir. Clutch exploded again.”

“What again?

“Yes sir.”

“How long to repair it?”

“Two days at the factory.”

“Right.” He sighed and then walked to the other end of the Landkreuzer, where a bored looking man was standing with a clipboard. “We’re returning this thing to the factory.”

The man sighed. “You signed for it earlier, you can’t send it back again.”

“I signed for a functioning vehicle. We’ve travelled six feet in six days, during which time we’ve blown two clutches, a drive shaft and three sets of tracks. All to go six feet. And it’s not left the bloody factory.”

“The front of the vehicle is outside the doors, so you’re out of the factory!”

“No it’s not, it’s still in!”

“Strictly speaking it's out, as-”

“Oh shut up and repair it again.” He paused and sniffed. Smoke was pouring out of one of the hatches and he saw the sergeant hurriedly get out of the Landcreuzer. “What’s wrong now?”

“It’s on fire again sir.”

“Bugger – well, put it out again. That’s the third time today.”

“Yes sir.”

He looked back at the man with the clipboard. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“It keeps breaking down and catching fire!”

“Yes, but it’s a war-winning weapon. Have the Amis got anything like it? Have the Reds?”

“No, but it’s useless if it doesn’t bloody work!”

“We’ll patch it up, you’ll be in Paris in a week!”

“It took us a week to get the nose of the damn thing out the door!”

He rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a long moment. At which point there was a ‘schonk’ noise and something groaned inside the giant vehicle. “What now?”

“Secondary backup main gun just fell off again sir.”

“Well, stick it back on again.”

“Can’t, we’ve run out of string sir.”

He looked up at the heavens. And then he sighed and finally gave up. He turned and trudged over to the knot of fascinated men in khaki who had been there all morning. “Alright. I give up. We surrender.”

“Are you sure? We could give you a little more time,” said the British Major.

“No, you’ve been more than fair. It was a bloody silly idea from the start anyway. Takes hours to load the main gun for a start. And as it’s currently pointing towards Hamburg there’s no point in firing it even if it was loaded. You have to turn the entire bloody thing to aim it.” He paused. “What are you going to do with it?”

“I think that someone said that there’s a plan to drop it on Tokyo and end the war.”

He thought about it. “Yes, that should probably do the job.”
 
Waste of resources the Me-262
Its not ready for prime time jet engines burnt out fast
Requiring constant replacement , that was an unnecessary strain on an already strained German industries

Yes, but it could have worked, given proper priority in time (1940), which would give it time to be developed, as well as the raw materials needed for proper alloys for the engine. The Me-163? There was no way that thing would be anything other than a death trap...
 
Yes, but it could have worked, given proper priority in time (1940), which would give it time to be developed, as well as the raw materials needed for proper alloys for the engine. The Me-163? There was no way that thing would be anything other than a death trap...
The problem with the me 262 was raw materials
Compounded by the fact that it needed two engines to consume twice as many of those precious raw materials.
 
The problem with the me 262 was raw materials
Compounded by the fact that it needed two engines to consume twice as many of those precious raw materials.

Yeah... by late 1943, what tungsteen there was started to grabbed wholesale by the army, for AT rounds, or by the industry, for molds and machine tools. Unless I'm mistaken, the engine team had untill mid-late 1942 to secure real quantities of it, but in OTL there was no way it was too soon in the development...
 
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