X
During WWII, the US Army surveyed 700 wounded GIs, asking the question: “What enemy weapon used against you seemed most frightening?” Here are the top ten.
1] 88mm gun
Most Americans killed on battlefields in Europe during WW2 were torn apart by artillery fire. The most feared of all German weapons was the legendary “Acht-acht,” as the Germans called it. Designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, it proved so effective that it was adapted into a tank-killer and artillery piece. The gun’s rounds could rip through Allied tanks before the Tommies or Yanks could get close enough to fire a shot. Shrapnel from rounds fired by just one gun could decimate an infantry company in minutes. It was the primary reason why most GIs eagerly dug foxholes.
2] Dive Bomber
The Junkers Ju 87 produced one of the most recognizable sounds in the history of war – the wailing of a siren. This terrifying screech defined the victorious Third Reich, especially during the Blitzkrieg period from 1939 to 1942, when Hitler’s forces surged across Europe and deep into the Soviet Union. Although it proved remarkably easy for top fighter pilots to shoot down during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, for civilians fleeing the battle and soldiers cowering in foxholes, the Stuka was very much a source of lifelong nightmares.
3] Mortar
The Germans often employed mortars with exceptional skill and agility. Particularly loathed and terrifying was the infamous multi-barreled Nebelwerfer. The psychological impact was as significant, if not greater, than the explosions it caused. Pfc. Harry Bealor of the US 70th Division recalled: “It made a grating noise like the bark of a seal, or someone scratching his fingernails across a piece of tin…You’d think the whole damn mountain had exploded. I’ve seen guys picked up off the ground and thrown several feet through the air by the concussion.”
4] Horizontal bomber
This was the most widely used German bomber of the war, with over 15,000 units produced between 1936 and 1945. It made a shocking debut on the battlefield during the Spanish Civil War—a dress rehearsal for World War II—and was the most adaptable of the German bombers, also serving as a night fighter, a heavy fighter, and a torpedo bomber. Although it was difficult to control, its formidable rear armament meant it was best not to linger too long on this bomber’s tail, but rather to attack from the sides.
5] The machine gun
Nicknamed the “Buzz Saw,” the MG-42 machine gun wreaked havoc in WWII. It sounded like a piece of cloth being torn close to the ear. It was the best machine gun of WWII, firing 1,550 rounds of 7.92 mm ammunition per minute, much faster than its nearest American rival, the Browning M-1919A4. German infantry units often based their tactics on the gun, not rifles, with platoons carrying spare barrels and extra ammunition, using the weapon to lay down hellish fire, pinning Allied attacks with just a few weapons. The gun was likely to overheat if you kept your finger on the trigger, so it was fired in bursts of about 200 bullets. Around 400,000 were produced during the war.
6] Strafing
The verb “to strafe” is of German origin, and the tactic of flying low to the ground and firing on the enemy was practiced with devastating effect as Hitler’s armies conquered Europe. It was an unpopular tactic for most fighter pilots, who put themselves at increased risk of being shot down, and it took a strong stomach to spit bullets at civilians lining roads and soldiers crowding beaches, as happened at Dunkirk in May 1940. The German general, Erwin Rommel, was almost killed by strafing in 1944, getting a taste of what the Luftwaffe had done so often during the war. There were few things as terrifying as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 swooping low and then a crack-shot Nazi in its cockpit letting rip with two 20mm cannons. As with so many German weapons, the best response was to take cover and get your head down, preferably below ground.
7] Land mines
Careful where you step! German mines were among the most effective weapons, increasingly used throughout the war, sometimes in astonishing quantities. In late 1944, GIs discovered 12,000 non-metal mines made of Bakelite or wood in a field in France—a metal detector could detect none. They accounted for only 2.5 percent of US combat deaths but more than a fifth of tank losses. There were also mines nicknamed “Bouncing Betties”—when the unfortunate GI stepped on one, the mine shot hundreds of miniature ball bearings into the victim at waist height, neutering and/or killing them. No wonder men stepped carefully through the hedgerows in Normandy and elsewhere, gingerly following strips of white tape laid down through minefields.
8] Tanks
The Germans produced superb tanks, and their engineering was generally superior to most similar Allied weapons. However, they lacked a Henry Ford or General Motors to convert factories into mass production marvels swiftly. While they fell short in numbers, German tanks compensated with their armor and firepower. A British tank commander in Normandy in 1944 recorded the following conversation:
“What do the Germans have most of?”
“Panthers. The Panther can slice through a [British] Churchill [tank] like butter from a mile away.”
“What’s next on the list?”
“Tigers. The Tiger can get you from a mile and a half.”
“And how does a Churchill get a Tiger.”
“It’s supposed to get within 200 yards and put a shot through the periscope.”
“Has anyone ever done it?”
“No.”
9] Booby traps
The Germans were also ingenious and highly skilled in using booby traps. The key was to predict the enemy’s behavior and movements. In one instance, the Germans left a crooked painting inside a building. Unfortunately, an officer straightened it and was killed in the process. Gates, doors, windows, and discarded weapons could all be rigged with traps. Experienced troops learned not to touch anything, such as a telephone, or to open a door.
10] Rifles
The Karabiner 98 “kurz” was adopted as the standard service rifle for the German Wehrmacht on June 21, 1935. Although semi-automatic and fully automatic rifles supplemented it during World War II, the Karabiner 98k remained the primary German service rifle until 1945. While it was less effective than the American M-1 rifle, it was popular among German troops for its reliability. The Soviets captured millions at the end of World War II, and they were circulated worldwide in the following decades, and they continue to be used in some conflicts.
