Giant Nazi Flying Submarine Battleships (or Tanks)
- Thread starter zoomar
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Undersea plane
What about a plane that was self-sealing, that could submerge underwater?
This 'undersea plane' would be able to dive underwater up to a depth of 100 meters. It would use a special type of machinegun or cannon round that could be fired underwater, with ranges that vary upon depth. Obviously, the range will be much lower than it would be underwater. Such a plane would also be armed with torpedoes, so it could sink ships or subs.
However, since they're likely to be loud, they can be detected more easily than subs, but if they travel at say... at a speed of 80-100 mph, far too fast for any destroyers to hit with depth charges, and for submarines to hit with torpedoes.
With the technical limitations of WWII, this weapon would be more a fantasy weapon than actual life.
What about a plane that was self-sealing, that could submerge underwater?
This 'undersea plane' would be able to dive underwater up to a depth of 100 meters. It would use a special type of machinegun or cannon round that could be fired underwater, with ranges that vary upon depth. Obviously, the range will be much lower than it would be underwater. Such a plane would also be armed with torpedoes, so it could sink ships or subs.
However, since they're likely to be loud, they can be detected more easily than subs, but if they travel at say... at a speed of 80-100 mph, far too fast for any destroyers to hit with depth charges, and for submarines to hit with torpedoes.
With the technical limitations of WWII, this weapon would be more a fantasy weapon than actual life.
All right, I admit it, I did watch that movie. (shrugs)
But seriously, if some designer is able to produce a working undersea plane, it's effects upon merchant shipping could be deadly.
Also, I looked up in wikipedia that the Japanese had built submarines with the capacity to carry aircraft inside waterproof hangars. The type 400 submarines were the largest submarines ever built, but the Japanese could only build three of these, because of lack of resources and industrial capacity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-400_class_submarine
It's interesting that the US hasn't really taken the time to invest into this concept, when it has the resources to do so.
But seriously, if some designer is able to produce a working undersea plane, it's effects upon merchant shipping could be deadly.
Also, I looked up in wikipedia that the Japanese had built submarines with the capacity to carry aircraft inside waterproof hangars. The type 400 submarines were the largest submarines ever built, but the Japanese could only build three of these, because of lack of resources and industrial capacity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-400_class_submarine
It's interesting that the US hasn't really taken the time to invest into this concept, when it has the resources to do so.
Maybe you should have titled the Thread 'Alternate Weapons of WWII' instead. It just sounds better and more 'official' in my opinion.
Hey, the British had one of those in Crimson Skies.
Airships would solve everything. If the anybody would actually bother with trying to give Zeppelins armor plating, it would be the Nazis.
That title probably would have gotten fewer responses by now. We've done flying submarines, submarine battleships, submarine aircraft carriers, flying aircraft carriers (both the zeppelin and airplane kind), giant tanks, and all flavors of zeppelins previously on this board, all debated seriously and with great fervor.
It's about time we see another all-in-one-wonder-weapon-with-no-chance-in-hell-of-actually-working.
Besides, I'm bored.
David S Poepoe
Banned
Really? Hmm. I don't remember any mention of that, tho I never read all of the 'pulp' short stories they included. In Gear Krieg I think the Nazi's have an armoured zeppelin. This certainly sounds like something from graphic novels Luftwaffe: 1946, which I haven't seen for a while.
The French built this in 1940 it had a seaplane hanger and carried one aircraft not to mention two stonking great 8in guns and by the look of it a really big tricolour.
The Surcouf
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The russians apparently did build a submersible plane. It happened to be slow and near useless in the air, and easy to detect (and slow) in the water, and had a very limited range either which way. Plus was incredibally expensive per unit.
They also built a flyable tank. It had attachable glider wings, and could be dragged to a good altitutde before gliding to the ground behind enemy lines. The problem? It took bomber-sized planes to drag one tank upto the proper altitude, and by the time the system was perfected the tank was obselent.
They also built an invisible plane made out of transparent materials for the eastern front, for where radar coverage was rare. It worked well enough that apparently you could roughly see the pilot and the engine from the bottom. However, the materials needed were too fragile for military use, as the plane would be more likely to fall apart than fly.
These were things from "Secret Russian Aircraft from WW2" on the history channel. They also had "Secret Nazi Aircraft", but those were more of the jets from planned but never produced for the last monthes of the war.
They also built a flyable tank. It had attachable glider wings, and could be dragged to a good altitutde before gliding to the ground behind enemy lines. The problem? It took bomber-sized planes to drag one tank upto the proper altitude, and by the time the system was perfected the tank was obselent.
They also built an invisible plane made out of transparent materials for the eastern front, for where radar coverage was rare. It worked well enough that apparently you could roughly see the pilot and the engine from the bottom. However, the materials needed were too fragile for military use, as the plane would be more likely to fall apart than fly.
These were things from "Secret Russian Aircraft from WW2" on the history channel. They also had "Secret Nazi Aircraft", but those were more of the jets from planned but never produced for the last monthes of the war.
I think that's Wonder Woman's plane.
Wonder Woman was a commie?
I also saw the programme on the Soviet's secret aircraft, very interesting.
Thande
Donor
New excuse for the fall of France, "We were so busy staring at this really cool sub carrier we'd built that we didn't notice the Wehrmacht breaking through the Ardennes"The French built this in 1940 it had a seaplane hanger and carried one aircraft not to mention two stonking great 8in guns and by the look of it a really big tricolour.
The Surcouf
I think the first sub carrier ever built was a British 1920s prototype, the 'M2' : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_M2
New excuse for the fall of France, "We were so busy staring at this really cool sub carrier we'd built that we didn't notice the Wehrmacht breaking through the Ardennes"
I think the first sub carrier ever built was a British 1920s prototype, the 'M2' : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_M2
Ahh yes and the M class originally had a bigger, 12", gun
and although two were lost in accidents neither were eventually found to be the fault of the design but good old human error. But of course it did not have the really big flag so perhaps that was the problem.
That French mega-sub was the SURCOUF btw, named after a great 1790s privateer from the FRW.
Well, has any-1 mentioned the wacked-out Vril technology the Nazis were into- the flying saucers, death-rays etc ?
Well, has any-1 mentioned the wacked-out Vril technology the Nazis were into- the flying saucers, death-rays etc ?
Flocculencio
Donor
Most likely because hybrid designs tend to have most of the weaknesses without enough of the strengths of the parent designs.
A sub carrier built for $x billion will probably not have the capacity or effectiveness of a conventional carrier built for the same price. While such designs would be useful in highly specialised situations, such instances aren't generally common enough to warrant the investment.