Buzz
Over the course of weapon development history, while some designs stood out as remarkable and others were merely average, the most disastrous ones posed greater risks to their users than to their intended targets.
10. The Panzer 68
Developed in Switzerland during the 1960s, the Panzer 68 was a homegrown Swiss tank intended to provide the nation with a modern armored vehicle capable of countering the latest Soviet tanks. Nearly 400 units were produced and remained in service until 2003.
On paper, the Panzer 68 appeared to be a powerful machine, equipped with an advanced computerized fire control system for precise targeting and excellent mobility. However, in reality, it suffered from a series of amusing yet critical flaws.
In 1979, a respected Swiss magazine published an exposé highlighting over 50 defects in the tank. Some issues were minor, such as the malfunctioning NBC protection system. Others were far more severe, like the inability to shift into reverse without first coming to a complete stop.
Additionally, the tank’s turret would sporadically jerk sideways whenever the radio was activated due to frequency interference with the electric control system, severely compromising its accuracy. To make matters worse, the tank’s gun would fire automatically if the heating system was turned on.
While these problems were reportedly resolved later, the tank’s reputation had already been tarnished. It was eventually phased out from active duty until a suitable foreign replacement could be secured.
9. The M22 Locust Tank
The concept was ingenious: a lightweight tank capable of being air-dropped via glider onto the battlefield, providing paratroopers and glider infantry with enhanced firepower. This led to the creation of the M22 Locust, a compact tank weighing 8 metric tons, standing 1.8 meters (6 ft) tall and 2.1 meters (7 ft) wide.
The United States manufactured over 100 of these tanks, each equipped with a 37 mm gun. Despite this, the U.S. never deployed them in combat. Most were transferred to the British, and some saw action during the Allied advance across the Rhine River into Germany.
The tanks turned out to be highly ineffective in combat situations. One tank crashed through the floor of its glider mid-flight, while another overturned upon landing.
Even the tanks that managed to land successfully created additional problems for the infantry. They drew excessive enemy fire, leading to numerous casualties among the surrounding infantrymen.
These tanks were so fragile on the battlefield that even rifle fire could penetrate their armor in certain areas, and their 37 mm guns were ineffective against opposing tanks. Consequently, they were quickly pulled from active service.
8. The Sticky Bomb
In the late 1930s, a British Army major collaborated with two Cambridge professors to create an antitank grenade. The idea was to throw it at a tank’s side, where it would stick and deliver a powerful explosion.
Early tests were highly discouraging as the prototype grenades failed to adhere to any surface. However, with the outbreak of World War II, the British urgently needed antitank weapons to counter German panzers, prompting the revival of the concept.
The redesigned grenade featured a flexible woolen outer layer coated with an adhesive, covering a glass inner capsule. The glass was intended to provide rigidity for throwing while shattering on impact, allowing the sticky outer layer to cling to the tank’s surface.
In theory, this design was sound. In reality, the sticky bomb adhered to everything it came into contact with, including the thrower’s uniform, making it highly impractical in combat.
Rather than throwing the grenades, soldiers were forced to approach tanks directly and manually attach the grenades, a tactic that was far more dangerous and nearly suicidal. Due to these impracticalities, the British seldom employed this weapon during the war, though they distributed many to the French resistance.
7. The Bat Bomb
Project X-ray was an ambitious plan to use bats as weapons to ignite fires in Japanese cities. The idea originated from a dentist who was inspired by a trip to Mexico, where he encountered vast numbers of bats.
The bats, equipped with small incendiary devices, were intended to be released over Japanese cities, where they would nest in the highly flammable wooden structures and set them ablaze. This method was seen as a more precise and targeted alternative to traditional firebombing campaigns.
In March 1943, the U.S. government approved further research into this unconventional idea. Several challenges had to be addressed, such as safely transporting the bats and designing effective incendiary devices for them to carry.
Tests demonstrated that the concept was feasible. This was confirmed when armed bats were unintentionally released during an attempt to capture images of bat flight patterns. Within 15 minutes, the incendiary devices detonated, nearly destroying the entire air force base where the tests were being conducted, including a general’s car.
Project X-ray was ultimately abandoned after the U.S. military concluded that the technology would not be ready for deployment before the war’s end.
6. The K-19 Submarine
The K-19 was the Soviet Union’s inaugural nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, designed to provide a more resilient platform for retaliatory strikes against the United States. However, the submarine appeared to be plagued by misfortune from the very start.
During its construction, several workers met tragic, Final Destination-like fates. One electrician was killed by a falling part, while an engineer died after falling between the submarine’s missile tubes.
On its maiden voyage, the submarine narrowly avoided a catastrophic nuclear reactor meltdown, which would have resulted in the deaths of everyone on board.
The captain enlisted 22 volunteers from his 136-member crew to enter the overheating reactor and hastily construct a makeshift cooling system. All 22 volunteers suffered agonizing deaths from radiation exposure, deteriorating from healthy individuals to swollen, bleeding, and hairless victims within hours, succumbing shortly after.
The submarine was taken out of service just 10 years later in 1972, following a fire that claimed the lives of 28 sailors on board.
5. The Mogami-Class Cruisers
The Mogami-class cruisers were crafted by the Japanese to technically comply with the Washington Naval Treaty while aiming to be qualitatively superior to the light cruisers of other nations.
Although the Japanese attempted to adhere to the treaty’s 10,000-metric-ton displacement limit for cruisers, they exceeded it by 3,000 metric tons. Compounding the issue, the ships were overloaded with firepower, rendering them top-heavy and unstable.
Sea trials revealed further flaws. Firing salvos from their guns caused the ships’ welds to rupture at the seams. During fleet exercises in stormy conditions, all Mogami-class ships suffered hull distortion, rendering their gun turrets inoperable and necessitating extensive repairs.
After narrowly escaping destruction at the Battle of Midway, the lead ship of this class was transformed into an unusual hybrid—part aircraft carrier, part cruiser. However, it remained ineffective and was ultimately sunk by American forces.
4. The Novgorod-Class Battleships
During the 1870s, Russia constructed several Novgorod-class battleships to safeguard its interests in the Black Sea and Dnieper River. The design was influenced by a British shipbuilder who argued that circular warships were ideal.
In theory, these circular vessels allowed for heavier armament relative to their size, offered better protection against enemy fire, and were highly maneuverable. However, the reality proved to be starkly different.
After building two ships, numerous design flaws in the circular hull rendered them almost ineffective. They were too sluggish to navigate against the Dnieper River’s current and proved challenging to steer.
These ships would spiral out of control whenever their guns were fired. Additionally, their flat bottoms made them unstable, preventing accurate gunfire even in mild swells. After 30 years of service and a decade of inactivity, the Novgorod-class battleships were decommissioned just before World War I began.
3. The Tegetthoff-Class Battleship
The Tegetthoff-class battleship was the first in the world to feature triple gun turrets. Built in Austria-Hungary shortly before World War I, these ships appeared formidable on paper, boasting heavy armor and 12 30-centimeter (12 in) cannons. In reality, they were plagued with issues.
Despite their heavy armament, these ships were excessively top-heavy. The lead vessel was prohibited from making sharp turns after sea trials showed it would tilt dangerously during such maneuvers. Consequently, they spent most of World War I docked in port.
When they did set sail, misfortune followed. In 1918, two of the battleships were ambushed by Italian torpedo boats. One emerged unscathed, but the other began to tilt precariously.
The crew tried every measure to stabilize the ship, including counterflooding, jettisoning weight, repositioning the gun turrets, and attempting to beach it. Despite their efforts, the ship capsized and sank.
After the war, the victorious Allies confiscated these battleships and quickly dismantled them for scrap.
2. The Aphrodite Flying Bomb
The Aphrodite project was based on a straightforward idea: obsolete B-17s would be stripped to their fuselages and engines, then loaded with 5,400 kilograms (12,000 lb) of Torpex explosives to create massive flying bombs.
However, the automated systems of the time were unable to take off independently. As a result, a human pilot and navigator were required to fly the plane into the air, transfer control to a radio guidance system operated from a trailing aircraft, and then parachute out. The drone would then proceed to its target under radio control and detonate. While the concept was sound, execution proved far more challenging.
In 1944, the first mission involving four aircraft ended in disaster. One plane crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff in Britain. Two others also crashed, resulting in the deaths of their pilots. The fourth aircraft reached its target but crashed before causing significant damage, possibly due to enemy fire.
The second mission included three aircraft. One crashed, and another was destroyed by enemy fire en route to its target. The third plane, fully armed with explosives, circled a town before plunging into the ocean.
While the third mission achieved limited success, subsequent attempts failed entirely. These missions only resulted in more pilot deaths and wasted resources. After a dozen flights, the project was abandoned, having caused more casualties among friendly forces than enemy troops.
Among the project’s casualties was Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., who died in a midair explosion. He was the eldest brother of John F. Kennedy, who later became the President of the United States.
1. The Ross Rifle
The Ross rifle, designed by Sir Charles Ross, was renowned for its accuracy as a hunting rifle. The Canadian government, viewing its soldiers as skilled sharpshooters, believed it would be ideal for troops deployed to the trenches during World War I. They were mistaken.
The Ross rifle was longer than the standard British firearm, making it cumbersome in trench warfare. However, this was just the start of a lengthy series of problems associated with the rifle.
The bayonet would detach when the rifle was fired, and the internal mechanisms frequently jammed due to the dirt and mud in the trenches. Most critically, the bolt sometimes dislodged upon firing, shooting backward into the shooter’s head, leading to severe injury or death.
Canadian soldiers issued these rifles often abandoned them at the first chance, opting to scavenge weapons from fallen soldiers. Within a year, the Ross rifle was withdrawn from service, despite objections from Canadian military leadership.
