The 30's saw a huge growth in the number of different weapons and weapon systems. I would like to know what were the best weapons of the time peorid. Nothing is off the table.
Best Weapons between 1930-39
- Thread starter Jim Smitty
- Start date
First thing to mind would be the US heavy bombers developed in the 1930s. The Boeing B17 of course, but also the other less successful models that showed what was not going to work. Valuable lessons can be had from failure if one is willing to see them.
Yep, no doubt that advances in medicine were a huge deal when you consider the unbelievable number of deaths from infection and soldiers incapacitated in historical wars. Vaccination deserves some mention as well.
As for offensive weapons, there are so many...
The Japanese "knee mortar" comes to mind though. That damn thing was a huge thorn in the allies' side for the entire war. A case could probably be made for that.
As for offensive weapons, there are so many...
The Japanese "knee mortar" comes to mind though. That damn thing was a huge thorn in the allies' side for the entire war. A case could probably be made for that.
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The fast, monoplane fighter with retractable wheels and the fast twin engined bomber. The Polikarpov I16 and the Tupolev SB were the first to go into action successfully.
The tank evolved a lot in the 30s as well, the German PzIII and IV introducing the winning combination of a 3 men turret, good radios and vision devices.
The MG34 introduced the GPMG concept, replacing both LMG and HMG.
The first successful general issue Semi auto Rifles were introduced, the Garand being the most successful of the 1st Generation.
The tank evolved a lot in the 30s as well, the German PzIII and IV introducing the winning combination of a 3 men turret, good radios and vision devices.
The MG34 introduced the GPMG concept, replacing both LMG and HMG.
The first successful general issue Semi auto Rifles were introduced, the Garand being the most successful of the 1st Generation.
The best weapon of this time period had been invented in the previous decade, when the first aircraft carriers were built from the start as such.
Aircraft carriers won over the previous naval heavyweight, the battleship, in the 1939-1945 war, and since dominance of the oceans was necessary to win that war, there is no other weapon that is better than the aircraft carrier in 1930-1939 (and -1944; tt was eclipsed only in 1945 by the atom bomb).
Is this an open question? If so, there is no such thing as a perfect, or "best" weapon, as any weapon is as good as its purpose indicates. Heavy bombers for instance are useless, when not escorted by fighters, when over enemy controlled airspace. Aircraft carriers are only as good as their airwing is, since the ship itself is a floating barrel filled with explosives and fuels.
Even if there should be a "best" weapon, it should be human itself, as warfare is something done by people in the first place.
Atabrine tablets.
The Tambor-class sub, & her sisters.
The M1 Garand ("gare und").
The IBM punchcard machine used by OP-20G & Hypo.
The .50 Browning.
The HS.404.
The P-38 Lightning.
The Tambor-class sub, & her sisters.
The M1 Garand ("gare und").
The IBM punchcard machine used by OP-20G & Hypo.
The .50 Browning.
The HS.404.
The P-38 Lightning.
KV-1? Good overall tank, but I still go with T-34/76 and later 85 and also Sherman tank. This mass produced medium tanks are World War 2 in a nutshell. Easy to to produce and replace.
EDIT: Still they're more fitting to 40's.
In the 30's I would say (if it can be classified as a weapon) Zhukov's tank battle doctrine that was shaping up at the time, which he utilised to great effect in Khalkin Gol battle against Kwangtung Army.
EDIT: Still they're more fitting to 40's.
In the 30's I would say (if it can be classified as a weapon) Zhukov's tank battle doctrine that was shaping up at the time, which he utilised to great effect in Khalkin Gol battle against Kwangtung Army.
pistol: FN browning Hi power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Hi_Power
subarines: Dutch O-19 class first subs with snorkel system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_19_class_submarine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Hi_Power
subarines: Dutch O-19 class first subs with snorkel system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_19_class_submarine
According to Osprey, the 3.7 Pak 36 was considered the best infantry anti-tank gun of the interbellum period.
Need to hit the books guys 
These are suposed to be items from the 1930s
Garand submitted his design to the US Army for tests circa 1925 or 26. Earliest patent for a gas operated rifle was the Mexican Modragon, taken out in 1888, tho Garand may have drawn from a similar French design from 1910 - 1920. The Russian Avtomat gas operated self loading rifle dated to 1914-1916
IBM was selling punch card data sorting systems at least as far back as the 1890, perhaps earlier. First developed them for the US Census Bureau, tho others had set up simpler versions earlier
Pre 1920 design that came into its present form circa 1920-25
Another pre 1930 item. Several nations experimented with the 'universall' gun concept on platform or cruciform mounts. A "Tank und Fliger" cannon was proposed for the Austrian army, but not adopted. The US Army tested the 75mm high velocity T7 artillery weapon in the 1920s. Photos of the test models show something very similar to the paralle German developments in the 88mm caliber. The 75mm caliber for the US was discarded in favor of a future 90mm gun on a similar mount, and in favor of 10.5cm howitzers
The MG34 dated back to the 1920s in original specifications, prototypes, and tests.
These are suposed to be items from the 1930sGarand submitted his design to the US Army for tests circa 1925 or 26. Earliest patent for a gas operated rifle was the Mexican Modragon, taken out in 1888, tho Garand may have drawn from a similar French design from 1910 - 1920. The Russian Avtomat gas operated self loading rifle dated to 1914-1916
IBM was selling punch card data sorting systems at least as far back as the 1890, perhaps earlier. First developed them for the US Census Bureau, tho others had set up simpler versions earlier
Pre 1920 design that came into its present form circa 1920-25
Another pre 1930 item. Several nations experimented with the 'universall' gun concept on platform or cruciform mounts. A "Tank und Fliger" cannon was proposed for the Austrian army, but not adopted. The US Army tested the 75mm high velocity T7 artillery weapon in the 1920s. Photos of the test models show something very similar to the paralle German developments in the 88mm caliber. The 75mm caliber for the US was discarded in favor of a future 90mm gun on a similar mount, and in favor of 10.5cm howitzers
The MG34 dated back to the 1920s in original specifications, prototypes, and tests.
Need to hit the books guys
Yes, but I don't know if we have to define that as items that were invented in the 1930s. The original post mentions "a huge growth". As I mentioned in my vote, the aircraft carriers, too, were not invented in the 1930s, but that's when they saw a huge growth in numbers and importance.
I'm looking for the bestest weapons of the 1930-39era. Something like the M2 Browning which came out in the 20s is still the best heavy machine gun of the peorid.
On land I'm looking for combined arms warfare. In the air I'm looking for an overall balance. And finally at sea I'm looking for control of the sea lanes, for my forces and stoping the foe from using them.
On land I'm looking for combined arms warfare. In the air I'm looking for an overall balance. And finally at sea I'm looking for control of the sea lanes, for my forces and stoping the foe from using them.
This one is very much a mixed blessing, this machine was used to make one of the greatest atrocities of the twentieth century possible. Developed for tracking inventory it got used to track people. The number on the punchcard corresponded with a number tattooed on the arm of the person in question. This allowed for the proper marshaling of resources directed at the liquidation of whole populations to be done in a systematic manner. A task that would be much harder without the punchcard machine.
Sior
Banned
Punched cards were first used around 1725 by Basile Bouchon and Jean-Baptiste Falcon as a more robust form of the perforated paper rolls then in use for controlling textile looms in France. This technique was greatly improved by Joseph Marie Jacquard in his Jacquard loom in 1801.
Semen Korsakov was reputedly the first to use the punched cards in informatics for information store and search. Korsakov announced his new method and machines in September 1832, and rather than seeking patents offered the machines for public use.
Charles Babbage proposed the use of "Number Cards", "pierced with certain holes and stand opposite levers connected with a set of figure wheels ... advanced they push in those levers opposite to which there are no holes on the card and thus transfer that number" in his description of the Calculating Engine's Store.
The French 47mm M37 had it beat on all counts. The Czech 47mm was also better.