WW2 Weapons

The World Wars 1914-18 and 1939-45.

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Recent reports:

Air Marshal Sir Arthur Travers Harris,
WW2 War Diary for Sunday, February 22, 1942: Air War Britain: Air Marshal Harris becomes AOC-in-C RAF Bomber Command. Home Read more
Column of FT-17
World War One Diary for Thursday, February 22, 1917: Home Fronts France: 150 Renault FT-17 light tanks ordered. Southern Fronts Read more
Japanese troops in Burma
WW2 War Diary for Saturday, February 21, 1942: Southeast Asia Burma: British troops begin withdrawal over river Sittang (night February Read more
Post at the exit of a glacier
World War One Diary for Wednesday, February 21, 1917: Southern Fronts Trentino: Italian guns destroy Austrian railhead at Tarvis. Macedonia: Read more
Recovery of a supply bomb in Demiansk 'Cauldron'.
WW2 War Diary for Friday, February 20, 1942: Air War Eastern Front - Demiansk Airlift: force of Ju 52s (increasing Read more
donations for war orphans
World War One Diary for Tuesday, February 20, 1917: Secret War Austria: Note invites Prince Sixtus to Vienna for peace Read more
burning ships in the port of Darwin
WW2 War Diary for Thursday, February 19, 1942: Sea War Pacific: THE DARWIN RAID. Japanese Carrier Force and land-based bombers Read more
decoded Zimmermann telegram
World War One Diary for Monday, February 19, 1917: Secret War Britain: Royal Navy Room 40 deciphers Zimmermann Telegram full Read more
French submarine cruiser 'Surcouf'
WW2 War Diary for Sunday, February 18, 1942: Sea War Atlantic: Free French submarine Surcouf (world's largest sub) sunk in Read more
British working party
World War One Diary for Sunday, February 18, 1917: Western Front Somme: British troops repulse German attack on their new Read more
Nazi propaganda Channel dash
WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, February 17, 1942: Home Fronts Britain: Commons debate on escape of German battlecruisers from Brest. Read more
BEF labour battalion working party
World War One Diary for Saturday, February 17, 1917: Western Front Somme: 3 BEF Fifth Army divisons (3,800 casualties) gain Read more
submarine tanker supplies two U-boats
WW2 War Diary for Monday, February 16, 1942: Sea War Atlantic - Operation Neuland: 2 U-boats make simultaneous attacks on Read more
disabled war veterans learn a new job
World War One Diary for Friday, February 16, 1917: Western Front France: Nivelle visits Haig at Montreuil, latter unaware that Read more
General Percival leads his surrender party
WW2 War Diary for Sunday, February 15, 1942: Far East Malaya: FALL OF SINGAPORE. General Percival surrenders unconditionally to General Read more
trench body armour.
World War One Diary for Thursday, February 15, 1917: Western Front Flanders: German trench raids near Laos, west of Messines Read more
Japanese paratroopers are landing near Palembang
WW2 War Diary for Saturday, February 14, 1942: Air War Pacific: Japanese paratroops land at Palembang (Sumatra). Dutch destroy one Read more
Bernstorff, the 'good German'
World War One Diary for Wednesday, February 14, 1917: Neutrals USA: German ambassador Ct Bernstorff sails from Hoboken NJ (home Read more
Japanese troops in Singapur
WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, February 13, 1942: Far East Malaya: Japanese cut off water supply to Singapore. Eastern Front Read more
Mata Hari, the Dutch exotic dancer
World War One Diary for Tuesday, February 13, 1917: Home Fronts France: Mata Hari arrested in Paris. Western Front Artois: Read more

About WW2 Weapons

WW2 affected virtually almost any corner of the globe. In the six years between 1939 and 1945, some kind of 50 million people lost their lives, and hardly any who survived were not affected. It was the costliest and utmost widespread conflict the world has forever obtained.
It was subsequently battled on ground, sea and in the air with weapons which in fact had first been used in World War One of 1914-18. Ironically, a far greater conflict was to come out from the burning embers of these ‘war to end all wars’, and with it huge innovations in technologies.
The countries engaged in WW2 finally owned the techniques, potential and weapons to fight every other in a much more powerful – and more deadly – manner.

However only Britain, her Empire allies as well as Germany were engaged during the full period (as well as, in fact, Japan and China since 1937). For all the other nations the conflict was of a shorter duration. The US and Japan, for example, were at war from December 1941 to August 1945 (and the USA was at the same time at war with Germany, until Hitler‘s defeat in May 1945).

The state of affairs was so complex, the skeins of partnerships and enmity so connected that it would require a really huge document in fact to illustrate the prospect.
Only one factor was less complicated and widespread to all the nations involved: the nature of the weapons that the soldier used to struggle their way to triumph – or defeat.

Of course, there were differences in detail of the WW2 weapons: the German Panzer V Panther was a very different tank from the US M4 Sherman, the Russian T-34, or the English Cromwell. But in fact they were all much the same – armored vehicles mounting powerful guns running on tracks.

The small arms with which the various opponent countries equipped their armies were totally different weapons in details too, but basically these were all guns for launching projectiles at high speed.
Simply speaking, lots of people would just say that guns are guns, bombs are bombs, aircraft are planes, and so on. But there is definitely even more to it than that, for the abilities to obtain victory or lose a war actually rested on these kinds of WW2 weapons’ qualities, just as a lot of as it did on the fighting abilities of those who employed them and on the strategic sense of those who directed them in their use.

Shermans vs Panthers
Shermans vs Panthers with 3d models.

General about WW2 Weapons:

All information, data, specifications and statistics used on the website WW2 Weapons have been compiled from a variety of sources and the large library of the author – who now lives on Crete for a long time – about military history and history, especially about the world wars, which has been built up over decades.

The most important source references and notes about additional literature can be found at the end for the most articles. To the best of our knowledge and belief, the most secure and reliable information and sources were used, which are also constantly updated and improved.

These data and specifications are used among other things for as accurate as possible historical military simulations, such as the war game WW2 Total. The photos are mostly ‘public domain’, but partly also property of the author.

The author therefore asks for understanding that he can’t handle additional requests for the sources or pictures beyond that due to time constraints and provides the information and its sources to the internet community as ‘as published’, i.e. either the visitor of this website considers it helpful and agrees with it over, or just leaves it.
Discussions and suggestions for improvement are nevertheless welcome and can be held below the respective reports.

Panzermuseum Munster,
Norman ‘Kretaner’ visits Panzer Museum Munster, Germany.
WW2 Weapons
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Conflict of Nations - World War III