WW2 Weapons

The World Wars 1914-18 and 1939-45.

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Recent reports:

Stuka dive-bomber shortly before it was shot down
Diary for Friday, August 16, 1940: Air War Ju 87 Stukas (7 lost) wreck Tangmere Airfield (Hants); seven other airfields Read more
Russian tanks on the shore of Lake Khanka
Diary for Thursday, August 16, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: Emperor issues Imperial Rescript (decree) at 4pm Tokyo time ordering all Read more
E11 returns 300x222 1
Diary for Sunday, August 15, 1915: Sea War East Africa: Cruiser HMS Hyacinth shells Tanga. Baltic: Russian cruiser-minelayer Ladoga (ex-Minin) Read more
Spitfire survives low-level attack
Diary for Thursday, August 15, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 37): GÖRING EMPLOYS THREE 'AIR FLEETS' (Luftflotten 2, Read more
F6F comes in to USS Yorktown
Diary for Wednesday, August 15, 1945: Home Fronts Britain and USA: VJ-DAY ('Victory over Japan'). National holiday in Britain. King Read more
Askaris deutsche Ostafrika Schutztruppe 206x300 1
Diary for Saturday, August 14, 1915: Eastern Front West Russia: Russian sortie from Kovno repulsed until next day. Bukovina: Russians Read more
Barrage balloons
Diary for Wednesday, August 14, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 36): Widespread small raids on airfields and railway Read more
Emperor Hirohito accepts to surrender
Diary for Tuesday, August 14, 1945: Politics Japan accepts Allied demand for Unconditional Surrender. Read more
Krupp-Germania submarine
Diary for Friday, August 13, 1915: Sea War Aegean - First British transport lost: Coastal U-boat UB14 (Heim­burg) (towed from Read more
Spitfire pilots 'scramble'
Diary for Tuesday, August 13, 1940: Air War ADLERTAG (EAGLE DAY): Launching of great Luftwaffe offensive planned to destroy RAF Read more
Saburo Sakai after lost his eye
Diary for Monday, August 13, 1945: Air War Pacific: Sub.-Lt. Saburo Sakai, one-eyed Zero 'ace' (64 victories), shoots down B-29 Read more
Little Willie 300x172 1
Diary for Thursday, August 12, 1915: Secret War Britain - First tank begun: No 1 Lincoln or Tritton Machine called Read more
staff of Luftflotte 3 waves to a Stuka
Diary for Monday, August 12, 1940: Air War Heavy German raids on shipping off English South Coast, radar stations (inc. Read more
Russian attack Far East
Diary for Sunday, August 12, 1945: Korea Russians invade North Korea by land and sea. Sea War Pacific: Battleship USS Read more
Killed French soldiers in their trenches.
Diary for Wednesday, August 11, 1915: Western Front Argonne: Unsuccessful German attacks at Marie­-Therese and La Fontaine-aux­-Charmes, more Argonne attacks Read more
Bf 110 over Dover cliffs
Diary for Sunday, August 11, 1940: Air War Battle of Britain (Day 33): Highest daily losses up now. While German Read more
Childs saved from Nagasaki inferno
Diary for Saturday, August 11, 1945: Politics Allies reject Japanese pre­conditions on surrender question. Home Fronts Britain: Queen Mary docks Read more
Austria-Hungarian mountain gun on Pleisshorn
Diary for Tuesday, August 10, 1915: Southern Fronts Italian Front: Italian Isonzo attacks and also advance in Ortler range (Upper Read more
Macchi MC202 Folgore
Diary for Saturday, August 10, 1940: Air War First flight of Macchi-Castoldi C.202 Folgore powered by imported Daimler-Benz engine - Read more
Hiroshima after the atomic bomb
Diary for Friday, August 10, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: Radio Tokyo announces that Japan is willing to surrender provided future 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