Вундервафля: Panjandrum

Alexey Vissarionov написал(а) к All в Jan 15 12:44:44 по местному времени:

Доброго времени суток, All!

http://www.wired.com/2015/01/well-di...designed-kill- nazis-almost-killed-dog-instead/

Если кому лень читать буквы на языке вероятного противника - сразу смотрите http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uplo...rtime-Follies- 2x-1.gif и http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JypmM008A-I

The Panjandrum has to be one of the craziest, most explosively unsuccessful flops in modern military history. Concocted by the British as a means of breaking through formidable German defenses on the beaches of Normandy, the engineering brief reads like something out of an Acme catalog: Install a bunch of rockets on two huge wheels joined by a drum-like axle packed with explosives. Point it at the Germans, fire the rockets and get the hell out of the way.

In theory, the Panjandrum would shoot across the beach at highway speeds, hit the concrete wall, and blow a hole big enough for a tank to roll through. Everyone thought it would be a quick, efficient way to storm the beach, saving the lives of countless soldiers facing land mines, obstacles and machine-gun fire.

[...]

The Panjandrum had as many as 70 slow-burning cordite rockets attached to its two 10-foot steel wheels, joined by a drum-like axle, according to Gerald Pawle's The Secret War 1939-45. For testing, engineers packed the drum with sand instead of explosives, which may be the smartest thing anyone involved in this project ever did.

Early testing highlighted what would always be the biggest problem with the Panjamdrum: control. If you don?t think about rockets that fly off the wheels, cratered sand with changing levels of grip, and any number of other variables, you can expect your rolling bomb to go straight off the landing craft and up the beach toward its target. If you do account for these things, you quickly realize you've created the explosive equivalent of a loose garden hose at full power.

[...]

"The Panjandrum hurtled from the sea at wondrous speed, sparks flying from its rockets. But then old habits kicked in. As rockets dislodged, the Panjandrum spun, and shock replaced the confidence of those attending. Generals fled for cover. The official cameraman was almost mown down. And the Panjamdrum, rockets flailing, wheels ablaze, disintegrated."

As an Army officer's dog chased a loose rocket down the beach, Norway and his team admitted they had not created the weapon that would break through the Atlantic Wall.

Still, the Panjandrum would get one more chance. To mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day, a fireworks company created a smaller version of the device fitted with fireworks instead of explosives. It was deployed on the same Westward Нo! beach, going straight but only for about 50 meters before fizzling out 450 meters short of the hoped for distance, the Daily Mail reported.

Some ideas just don't work.


--
Alexey V. Vissarionov aka Gremlin from Kremlin
gremlin ПРИ gremlin ТЧК ru; +vii-cmiii-ccxxix-lxxix-xlii

... Не нравится вышенаписанное? Набери в рот говна и плюнь в меня!
--- /bin/vi