Department of Overlooked Technologies, Unusual Effects, and Forgotten Weapons
I’m trying to compile a partial list of technologies that were overlooked or forgotten, yet could have come into common use significantly earlier, and would have had a potentially major impact (ASB’s need not apply)
There are a fair number of them, if you look. Any others people can think of? Or any hidden effects that could come out besides the obvious?
1888: Munroe effect: The effect that makes shaped charges work was known as early as 1888, yet was not seen as militarily useful until the Second World War. Even if a shaped charge shell would have been problematical, certainly the effect could have been useful for demolitions long before World War II, and perhaps as a shaped charge shell or bomb.
1893: M1893 Gatling Gun. Dr. Gatling electrified his famous gun, giving a rate of fire of 3000 rounds per minute, an unheard of rate of fire, and unmatched until the 1950’s. This gun, I found described in GURPS High-Tech, which, to the best of my knowledge, is quite well researched. Reliability was not great, but only one was ever made. It needed external power, so would not have been a field gun…but emplaced, or on a ship or vehicle, very useful.
1904: Radar’s potential was demonstrated, yet the naval authorities saw no use for it. Even detecting ememy ships a few miles out, in fog or night, would have been very useful in the Great War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_radar
1915: Federov Avtomat, a full fledged assault rifle manufactured in Russia. It was used in combat, but not many were made due to the Russian Civil War. Although it needed good care, it was a decent gun, and all weapons get more reliable if the effort is made. Applicatins obvious, especially for trench warfare and urban fighting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat
http://world.guns.ru/assault/as86-e.htm
I’m trying to compile a partial list of technologies that were overlooked or forgotten, yet could have come into common use significantly earlier, and would have had a potentially major impact (ASB’s need not apply)
There are a fair number of them, if you look. Any others people can think of? Or any hidden effects that could come out besides the obvious?
1888: Munroe effect: The effect that makes shaped charges work was known as early as 1888, yet was not seen as militarily useful until the Second World War. Even if a shaped charge shell would have been problematical, certainly the effect could have been useful for demolitions long before World War II, and perhaps as a shaped charge shell or bomb.
1893: M1893 Gatling Gun. Dr. Gatling electrified his famous gun, giving a rate of fire of 3000 rounds per minute, an unheard of rate of fire, and unmatched until the 1950’s. This gun, I found described in GURPS High-Tech, which, to the best of my knowledge, is quite well researched. Reliability was not great, but only one was ever made. It needed external power, so would not have been a field gun…but emplaced, or on a ship or vehicle, very useful.
1904: Radar’s potential was demonstrated, yet the naval authorities saw no use for it. Even detecting ememy ships a few miles out, in fog or night, would have been very useful in the Great War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_radar
1915: Federov Avtomat, a full fledged assault rifle manufactured in Russia. It was used in combat, but not many were made due to the Russian Civil War. Although it needed good care, it was a decent gun, and all weapons get more reliable if the effort is made. Applicatins obvious, especially for trench warfare and urban fighting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat
http://world.guns.ru/assault/as86-e.htm