German Military Technology In Wwii

In 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland essentially starting World War II. The German’s technological advancements before and during the war made them a fierce opponent for the Allied forces. Although many of Germany’s greatest weapons were developed too late to impact the war, they had tremendous influence on the world.

In 1940 the Germans realized the need for a semi-automatic rifle to replace the traditional bolt-action rifle. The G41(M) and the G41(W) were developed, but the G41(M) completely failed and the G41(W) proved to be unreliable. Both guns used the “Bang” system in which gases from the bullet were trapped near the muzzle in a ring-shaped cone; this in turn pulled on a long piston that opened the breech and re-loaded the gun. Corrosive salts in the ammunition primers made this system very unreliable. Then the G43 was developed which emulated the Soviet Union’s SVT38. It was easier to mass produce and much more reliable then both G41’s, however it’s late development hindered its impact on the war.

German developed many tanks before and during the war and although many were outclassed by allied forces their strategic use of them made them effective. The first of the German tanks were the Panzer class. The first to versions, the Panzer I and II, were light tanks armed with machine guns. A collaboration of both versions was responsible for many early wins for the Germans. In 1940 349 Panzer III tanks equipped with much more firepower and armor were ready for Germanys attack on France. However the Germans soon realized that the improved firepower of the Panzer III was still undersized compared to the Allied forces. The Soviet Union’s T34 tank was the best in the world and outclassed German tanks in every way. To compete, German engineers emulated many of the design differences of the T34. They added sloped armour, which helped divert enemy fire, thicker armour, to provent penetration, a wider track, to improve stability, and an overhanging gun which improved accuracy. The tank was called the Panther and the improvements made it very successful. Finally larger versions of the Panther were developed and called the Tiger and King Tiger, but these pushed the envelope with the technology available and had many flaws.

The Treaty of Versailles limited Germany’s production of naval ships after WWI. Instead the German military sneakily produced U-Boats which were ships that could dive