German Weapon Develop. (WWII) essays

German Weapon Develop. (WWII) essays If World War I was a war to end all wars then World War II was a war that redefined the rules of war. Great technological leaps were made, from radar to the atomic bomb. Germany in particular developed many new weapons such as the Tiger tank and the V2 rocket. With the exception of America with its atomic bomb, Germany made the largest technological strides of all the warring countries. Had Hitler let his generals do their jobs Germany might not have won, but would have lasted long enough to bargain effectively at the peace talks. Hitler not only made tactical mistakes, but also crippling logistical errors that lead to the inability for the Wehrmacht (the German Army) to supply itself. Early in the war, the Wehrmacht was feared for their tanks which the Russians and Americans could not match in power. However, later the Russians built the T-34 which was faster and more powerful than the Panther I and Tiger I tanks that the Germans were using. The Americans had also developed more effect anti-tank guns which could kill a Panther or Tiger easily. Hitler ordered that a better and more powerful tank be developed. After being shown the Tiger II, he immediately fell in love with it and ordered a larger gun put on it. The Tiger II was originally designed to be a medium tank with greater mobility than the T-34s. However, with the new gun and thus a new motor for the weight, it ended up being far heavier than any tank made up to that date. So, the original mobility that the engineers had hoped for was destroyed and was just another heavy tank. Hitler did not care though and ordered for production to begin immediately. The Tiger II was good because of its thick armor and range. Its 88mm barrels could hit a tank 3.5km (2.2mi) away which was far beyond any enemy tanks range. Up to this day, there are no records that the Tiger IIs frontal armor was ever penetrated. The Tiger II took an expert crew to be used effectively sin...