Buzz
For centuries, mankind has demonstrated an alarming capacity for violence, leading to the untimely deaths of millions, most of whom were innocent. Yet, there's something even more disturbing about warfare and its aftermath: the extreme measures humanity is willing to take in an attempt to eliminate the so-called 'enemy.'
Let's explore some of the most bizarre ideas ever proposed to combat the enemy, whether real or imagined. Care to guess some of the craziest ones? How about using toxic chemicals, airborne balloon bombs, and even the unsavory concept of 'fecal juice bombs'!
Luckily, many of these grotesque plans never came to fruition. Still, here are 10 military inventions that were intended for use but ultimately never made it to the battlefield.
10. The Military-Grade Odor Bomb
Can you even fathom this? In 1943, the French military attempted to create what they called 'a military-grade stink bomb.' They entrusted Private Ernest Crocker with the task of carrying out 'the odorous mission.' Crocker, a chemist, had previously worked on a project to develop lethal gases for military use.
What was the plan? To develop a stink bomb for the French Resistance to use against the German forces, with the goal of humiliating them by spraying them with a vile odor. The hope was that the foul stench would also crush their morale. For months, Crocker and his team experimented with numerous revolting smells. Eventually, they settled on a formula that blended a grotesque combination of urine, vomit, excrement, rotten eggs, rancid butter, and foot odor. This potent concoction was delivered in a single, formidable spray they called 'Who, Me?'
Once the formula was perfected, they created 600 units of the stench bomb, prepared for deployment. But then, disaster struck—the war ended unexpectedly, and the new weapon was never used against the enemy. What a missed opportunity!
9. The Goliath Tracked Mine
Does the name Goliath evoke the image of a legendary giant? Perhaps. In 1940, the German Wehrmacht stumbled upon a strange, remote-controlled vehicle near the River Seine. They discovered that Adolphe Kegresse, a French vehicle designer, had created this peculiar prototype. Over time, Kegresse's invention sparked the German imagination, prompting them to design their own remote-controlled vehicle based on the French model.
The German engineers designed the vehicle as an anti-tank weapon, giving birth to the infamous 'Goliath Tracked Mine.' This small military vehicle, standing at 30.5 cm (1 foot) tall and 122 cm (4 feet) long, could carry up to 60 kg (132 pounds) of explosives. A team of officers could control the vehicle remotely, guiding it under enemy tanks to detonate the bombs.
However, the Goliath had its flaws. The remote control was connected via a 650-meter (2,132-foot) long cable, running between the driver and the vehicle. Soon enough, enemy soldiers realized they could easily disable the Goliath by cutting the cable. On top of that, it moved at a sluggish 9.6 km/h (6 mph) and often got stuck in the terrain. Its thin armor provided little protection.
Unsurprisingly, the Germans struggled to deploy the Goliath with any success. They attempted to use the clunky machine during the Warsaw Uprising and on the beaches of Normandy, but it proved ineffective. Frustrated and disillusioned, the Germans ultimately abandoned the project in disappointment.
8. Fu-Go Balloon Bombs
In the closing days of World War II, the Japanese military developed a cunning, though somewhat bizarre, plan to strike the U.S. with bombs. The idea emerged in 1944: Japan would launch steam-powered bombs across the Pacific Ocean, with the jet stream carrying them to the U.S. in a rather unconventional attack.
Japan's top military strategists quickly devised a plan to launch deadly paper balloons carrying explosives over enemy territory. Their goal was to silently float them across the Pacific, instilling fear and chaos throughout the United States. The first of these 'deadly' balloons was launched on November 3, 1944. By the end of 1945, Japan had dropped around 1,000 'Fu-Go' balloon bombs across North America.
Interestingly, despite the numerous launches, only one balloon resulted in the loss of life. On May 5, 1945, a bomb killed a woman and five children in the woods near Bly, Oregon. The tragedy occurred when the children found and played with one of the explosive-laden balloons, inadvertently triggering the bomb.
The Japanese military soon reconsidered the entire concept due to the unpredictable nature of the balloon bombs. The varying atmospheric conditions added to the challenges, leading the Japanese to abandon the weapon, realizing it was neither effective nor practical.
7. The Panjandrum
In 1943, the British military set out to develop a weapon capable of breaching the Atlantic Wall, the extensive coastal fortifications the Nazis had built. The task was handed to the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development, who were charged with the mission.
Soon, the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD) unveiled the Panjandrum, a massive machine built with two large wheels connected by a sturdy drum-like axle. The Panjandrum was outfitted with rockets on its wheels to push the contraption forward.
The concept behind it? The engineers intended for the Panjandrum, loaded with explosives, to charge toward enemy fortifications, collide with them, and detonate. The hope was that it would create a substantial gap large enough for a tank to break through.
As you might imagine, things didn’t go according to plan. During testing, the 70 slow-burning cordite rockets unexpectedly became dislodged, scattering in all directions. The dogs barked, and the generals scrambled for safety! Meanwhile, the Panjandrum careened uncontrollably across the beach. Who would dare to repeat this dangerous experiment in an actual battle?
6. Rotor Cars
During the chaos of World War II, the British military came up with the Hafner Rotabuggy, a peculiar invention that combined the concept of a jeep with the added flair of a rotor and tail fins, essentially creating a flying jeep with a rather fancy name.
Ultimately, the military never had the chance to use the strange vehicle in combat. Why? Mainly because plane-powered gliders, which were much more practical, became the preferred method for transporting ground vehicles to distant locations.
Interestingly, the concept of flying cars was revived by the military at a later stage. They attempted to create Humvees with folding wings and collapsible motors. More recently, engineers have been developing drones with wings capable of delivering cargo and wheeled vehicles.
The dream of the rotor car stubbornly persists.
5. The Bob Semple Tank
The Bob Semple is infamous for earning the title of possibly 'the worst military tank ever created.' In the end, the design team was simply attempting to make the best out of a bad situation, doing everything they could to salvage the project.
The tale begins in the midst of World War II, as New Zealand grew increasingly concerned about the likelihood of Japan launching a full-scale invasion. In this dire situation, the future seemed bleak for New Zealand, with the nation likely facing isolation and a lack of support from the Allied forces.
Compounding the problem, New Zealand was incapable of manufacturing any armored military vehicles, leaving the country at the mercy of Japan's superior war machinery. In response, Bob Semple, New Zealand's Works Minister, devised a 'brilliant' solution: to create a locally-made tank by repurposing the chassis of a six-ton bulldozer.
Without hesitation, Bob Semple set the wheels in motion, overseeing the assembly of 81 D8 Caterpillar tractors. These were then encased in sheets of corrugated iron. Clearly, Semple and his team did not anticipate the bizarre 'war chest' that would eventually result.
It quickly became apparent to Semple and his crew that their makeshift tank would fail to provide adequate protection for its eight-person crew. As a temporary fix, they affixed six 7.62 mm Bren guns to the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle.
The outcome? A complete disaster! What emerged was a cumbersome, slow-moving pillbox that could barely manage a speed of 22.5 kph (14 mph). As expected, the military never deployed this unfortunate creation, which came to be known as the Bob Semple Tank. Instead, it earned the infamous title of 'the worst military tank ever created.'
4. Flying Platforms
Next up is the VZ-1 Pawnee, a one-man flying platform designed with two rotors housed in a duct to keep it airborne. The idea was for a single soldier to use it to take to the skies and fire weapons from above. However, the platform lacked a tail rotor or wings, forcing the pilot to shift their body weight to maneuver left or right. This made controlling the vehicle quite clumsy and awkward.
As expected, despite the VZ-1 Pawnee performing decently in testing, it was never deployed in combat. Military officials deemed it too small, slow, and fragile to be effective on the battlefield. As a result, the Flying Platforms project was abandoned.
3. Bat Bombs
The Bat Bombs experiment turned out to be another costly failure. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lytle S. Adams, a dentist from Pennsylvania, proposed a bold counterattack strategy to the White House—specifically to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. His plan? To use bat bombs as a weapon of war, an idea that, though unconventional, seemed to hold promise.
The concept was to design a bomb containing over 1,000 compartments, each housing a hibernating bat. These bats would be attached to a timed incendiary device. The idea was for a bomber to release the bomb over Japan at dawn, letting the bats scatter mid-flight.
Once released, the bats would spread out across the roofs and attics within a 32 to 64-kilometer (20 to 40-mile) radius. The incendiary devices would then ignite, starting massive fires that would engulf several Japanese cities, reducing them to ash.
Amazingly, despite the wild nature of the idea, the U.S. National Research Defense Committee decided to pursue it. Thousands of free-tailed bats were captured from Mexico, and tiny napalm incendiary devices were designed to be carried by the bats. The military conducted numerous tests, developing a release system, and the Marine Corps performed 30 rapid demonstrations, all costing a staggering $2 million.
Ultimately, the Defense Committee canceled the program, wasting millions of dollars on a weapon that would never be used.
2. The Stealth Helicopter
Initially, U.S. military engineers envisioned the RAH-66 Comanche as the ultimate 21st-century armed scout helicopter. However, the project turned into a financial disaster, draining a staggering $6.9 billion from the U.S. Defense budget with little to show for it.
So what brought about the downfall of the ambitious Comanche helicopter program? Many blame three key factors:
- The rise of drones
- The collapse of the Soviet Union
- The subpar engineering quality associated with the project
As a result, the military chiefs decided to terminate the RAH-66 Comanche program once and for all.
The Comanche project quietly vanished into obscurity, never to resurface—or so it seems.
1. Rocket-Bullets
Without a doubt, MB Associates is credited with creating the Gyrojet, the first Rocket Bullet, back in the 1960s. This experimental firearm family was designed to function in an unconventional manner: instead of firing traditional bullets, the Gyrojet launched small rockets, doing so with minimal noise.
However, the gun, which some believe made a brief appearance in the popular James Bond film You Only Live Twice, encountered numerous issues.
For starters, the rocket bullets only gained speed after leaving the barrel, making the weapon ineffective in close-range combat. Additionally, the gun lacked precision and frequently jammed. Due to these challenges, the engineers ultimately abandoned the Rocket Bullets project, realizing it couldn’t make a meaningful impact on the battlefield.
