Curious, improvised and other unusual weapons - as ideas for creativity

[cuprum]

Russian antiaircraft mobile machineguns.





And their German equivalents:

[mysteriousbill]

A general reminder that WWII wasn't nearly as mechanized as some people think.

[cuprum]

Amusing hybrid:

[dm]

Excellent photos and thanks for sharing

[carlos marighela]

And then there's always this.....

[cuprum]

Inscription on Demotivatory "remained 3 SMS"




Russian have 6 SMS




Infrared sight ZG 1229 Vampir. Was first used in combat in the last months of the war and weighed about five pounds, but the soldiers had to carry still "batteries power supply" in the knapsack. Their weight was thirty pounds.




This device is better known for shooting from behind a corner.

[mrtn]

Cool stuff (love the pigeons ). Here's a pic from Denmark, with wood-gas run hanomags:



Germans going home after war's end:


Confiscated German vehicles at the Danish border after war's end:



These are from the excellent site: http://www.holstebro-museum.dk/lh/gallerier/besaettelsen-og-befrielsen.html

[cuprum]

The Soviet 37-mm mortar-shovel.
Russian soldiers joked: "Shoot - as shovel, is digging - as mortar."






Sturmpistole

[cuprum]

Soviet 125mm ampulomet (thrower ampoules) of the sample in 1941 - a version capsule flamethrower in which tin or glass ampoule with flammable liquid hurled at a target at a distance of 300 meters. Ampulomets used during World War II the Army of the Red Army, ranging in their flamethrower weapon system an intermediate position between the jet flame throwers and cannons equipped with incendiary ammunition.
Used against armored vehicles and fortifications of the enemy. Ampulomet could also throw mortar bombs and smoke bombs. In 1942in connection with the saturation of the troops more perfect anti-tank weapons, and also because of the danger of using was withdrawn from service.







Shooting "agitational" shell with propaganda leaflets.

[cuprum]

The Fliegerfaust, also known as the "Luftfaust" (lit. "air fist"), was a prototype unguided, man-portable, German multi-barreled ground-to-air rocket launcher, designed to destroy enemy ground attack planes.

By April 1945 was made only 100 Portable Air Defence Systems. In the last days of the Third Reich, Hitler's command threw the front all that remained on hand. Therefore, in April the Germans urgently formed a special command antiaircrafters, which included part of the of shooters-test firm HASAG. After receiving 80 MANPADS, they went to the front. Did not reach us information about the combat use of the Wehrmacht its newest anti-aircraft weapons.

[Nysse]

Brilliant thread! Thank you guys! I was familiar with some of the equipment, but damn that Soviet shovel mortar looks epic Didn't realize they had tried something like that too. Must have been interesting to use

But still no technology beats good old fashioned birch logs and molotov cocktails when you really need to destroy a tank

The Finnish state alcohol store actually made these as mass production during Winter War

[Finisterrae]

My Grandpa, who served with Panzerlehrdivision during the war, always told me there would be pistols whose rounds are bigger than the pistol itself. Never believed him, now it dawns to me he was meaning the Sturmpistole.
The model of the Vampir rifleman is made by an American. Holding the StuG like GIs hold their M4. 


Improvised German tank hunters


6 Panzerschreck mounted at a SdKfz. 301.

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/wanze-borgward-b-iv-ausfuhrung-mit-raketenpanzerbuchse-54.htm


Converted captured Bren Carrier, 3.PzGrenDiv., Italy 1944.

http://beutepanzer.ru/Beutepanzer/uk/APC_universal/3PzGrDiv.htm

[cuprum]

During the Winter War and the Great Patriotic War were widely used aerosleds type TsAGI-ANT-IW - Tupolev design and OSGA-NKL-6 - design  N.M. Andreev. Snowmobile NKL-6 equipped with a machine gun mounted on a rotating turret, participated in combat operations, patrolling the open sections of the front, carried outposts objects.

With its high speed and great maneuverability, they are were used to identify enemy firing points and adjust artillery fire, a link among units, transporting ammunition and food, evacuate the wounded. So, February 11, 1940 in Soviet offensive at the front of the 13th Army between Lake Ladoga and Lake Vuoksa used three aerosleds company. Aerosled detachments were used during "ice hike" in March 1940 to capture a bridgehead on the shore of the Gulf of Vyborg.

Promptly have been created and new aerosleds: sanitary NKL-6C, especially for evacuation of seriously wounded on stretchers inserted into the body through the side hatch sleighs, staff aerosleds NKL-38, platform aerosleds NKL-12 for servicing airfields - for transportation fuel in casks , interchangeable engines for aircraft, etc.








Transportation aerosleds NKL-16 from the detachment captain Prokhorov during a combat mission. Winter 1943








Aerosled in the town square Gjatsk. Winter 1942/43.


The landing of the scouts of airsleigh NKL-16. Winter 1942/43.


Sanitary aerosled NKL-16 model 1937.


Aerosled RF-8 (GaZ-98) in battle. 1943.


German soldiers - considering trophy aerosled. 1943.


Aerosled NKL-26 in the summer "shoes". June 1944.

[cuprum]

Dogs in the Red Army

Sled dogs (about 15,000 sled).
In the winter - on sledges, and in summer - on special trolleys - from the battlefield evacuated 700,000 severely wounded soldiers. Delivered to the front line of 3,500 tons of ammunition.













Mine-detecting dogs (about 6000 dogs).
Dogs found 4 million mines fougasse - and other "explosive items." Total area demining - 151530 km.






Dogs-signalers
Dogs in a combat situation, often in places impassable for man delivered more than 120,000 combat reports; for establishing communications laid eight thousand kilometers telephone wire.






Dogs-tank destroyer
Have undermined more than 300 fascist tanks, including 63 during the Battle of Stalingrad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tank_dog











Dogs Military Medical Services
Dog to have on their backs a bag with bandages. They were looking for wounded soldiers on the battlefield and lead to him paramedics.

[cuprum]

Dogs in the German army.