Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Who do you think had the best weapons in WWII?

I say that it's close between the U.S.A. and the Third Reich, but U.S.A. had the best, IMO.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Based on what I know I would have to say that overall the Germans had the best weapons across the board. MG 42 MG, and the ME 262 jet fighter good examples. We were lucky that some of their more advanced ones, like the sturm gevher (?) assault rifle were not mass produced.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The Germans

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Their tanks were much better as well.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

:)And their Heavy Artillery Guns were bigger also!

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

that MG 42 was wicked....

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The Germans had better tools. But the US had the best weapon. The best weapon was the American soldier. Tom.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

I don't know from squat about tanks, but I had always heard all these great things about the Russian tanks.

As for who had the best weapons, obviously we did, we won didn't we?

Although, the German's equipment was MUCH better made, we just used ours better.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The Russian T-34's were good and sturdy tanks, but good at getting through the muck in Russia, but also simple, as was the Russian way in making weapons. The German panzers were technologically superior and had superior firepower, but did have more mechanical problems.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Third Reich definitely were very SMART and ahead of the times in many areas. Guns, Tanks/Armor, and even in transportation (NASA would've never made it to the Moon without one of the Nazi scientists.. and many things were taken from the Nazi's to learn how to create modern day aircrafts).

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

:DThe US had the best battle rifle, service pistol, and best fighter plane (P-51 Mustang). But the Germans had better tanks, artillery and of course an assault rifle before anyone knew what an assault rifle was. Its pretty much a toss up until it comes to THE BOMB! We built it, they didn't.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Wait! France had weapons? What did they use them for?:D

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

I think that the Germans probably had better weapons at the beginning of the war, but the U.S really kicked in and put out some good weapons and planes on the battlefield later in the war.

(Especially the A-bomb:D)

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

True, very true!!!!! :D

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

mavwreck1975-The US had the best battle rifle, service pistol, and best fighter plane (P-51 Mustang). But the Germans had better tanks, artillery and of course an assault rifle before anyone knew what an assault rifle was. Its pretty much a toss up until it comes to THE BOMB! We built it, they didn't.





I agree with mavwreck1975. I didn't see his post until after I posted mine.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Yep, France made some BIG blunders at the beginning of the war!!!!:D:D:D

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The U.S. had the best weaponry, and superior military-industrial capacity. The Germans, while technically brilliant, tended to over-engineer everything they made. This resulted in too many systems that could break in the field, and not enough replacement parts and equipment.

The MG42 was a great machine gun, but it didn't win the war. Millions carrying the first issue semi-auto rifle (and a darned good one at that) made the difference on the ground. The Me 262 was a fascinating aircraft, but thousands flying in B-17's, B-24's, B-25's, and B-29's won the war in the air. It goes on and on. The German weapons look great on paper, but didn't amount to much in the field, especially after we became involved.

America prevailed for many reasons, and our weaponry is one of them.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Only because we had more of them to spare. The Germans, man for man, were better and more effective soldiers than found in any Ally nation. We were lucky that the bulk of the experienced battle hardened soldiers that the Germans had were swallowed up by winter and vast numbers ofSoviet cannon fodder.

The P-51 was about equal to the Focke-Wulf 190s, and far inferior to the Me-262s
Another common misconception. The Russian T-34 tanks were not only superior to anything the Germans fielded, but the Russians were able to produce lots of them thanks to the US sending them huge numbers of cargo transports full of steel.

Germany was way ahead of the the rest of the world in equipment, tactics, and training at the beginning of the war, but they didn't have the resources to sustain or even maintain the advantages.

Another fun area where Germans were way ahead of their time- camoflage.
They used a camoflage pattern called 'flectar' which consists of small dots in a color scheme. 50 years later, the US military in conjuction with the Canadian Military use supercomputers and untold millions of dollars to design camoflage patterns optimized for different environments (MARPAT). Yup, you guessed it, it looks almost exactly like German Flectar.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

now there's a typically myopic american viewpoint. pound for pound, the best soldiers of the 20th century were (and maybe still are) our Australian infantry. ever since the Anzac (Australian and New zealand Army Corp)forces hit the beaches at Gallipolion this dayin 1915 we have fought well above our weight division, and almost always with distinction. The Gallipoli campaign, Poziere's, Fromelle,Paeschendaele, Menin Road, Bullecourt, mont st quentin -during the first war, australians became the "go-to" men for accomplishing the near impossible ( the canadians were also magnificent in WW1).
likewise in WW2, where the Australian 6th division (again volunteers) gave the SS divisions a bloody nose in the ill-fated greek campaign(and drew the praise of the previously untouchable german elite), or throughout the African campaign where we clung on to tobruk when all was lost (and had rommel lamenting if only he had some australians on his side), then played vital roles in cracking the german kernal at 1st and 2nd El Alamein. then cross to the pacific where australians inflicted the 1st japanese land defeats at Milne Bay and kokoda (aided greatly by the americans hammering the japanese in the Battle of the Coral Sea, of course), then the bitter fighting on the north coast of New Guinnea.
in korea, the 3rd RAR (royal australian regiment) saved the situation at Kapyong ( it has been said that the whole campaign rested on the actions of 4 members of 3RAR 'B' company who held a defensive postion against multiple waves of chinese assault) and won an American Pesidential Citation.
i won't comment on Australiansoldiers opinions of American troops during vietnam -i don't wish to cause offence- but suffice tosay that your nations heart was not in it, and this became reflected in your troops.
sorry about the history lesson, but since today is a public holiday (Anzac Day) to commemorate those who gave the ultimate gift to serve this country, i had to put our viewpoint across. the american boys were not the best. they are behind us, and probably the German SS lads, in the "best" awards.

what you guys did have, though, were large amounts of good quality manpower and a heavy industry capacity that dwarfed all other nations.

best weapons?russia's T34 tank was the decisive tank of the war, although the german Tiger was the most feared (but too complicated and costly to produce in large numbers).the P-51 mustang was a great aircraft and would be top for long range work. the spitfire get's my vote as the best pure "fighter" of the war though. the Me262 was going to be a cracking invention, but fortunately hitler demanded it be used for bombing - it could have caused havoc amongst the allied bombing fleets. the mg42 was a great outfit. the british Lee-enfield bolt action could achieve semi-auto like rates of fire. the russian ppsh was brilliant for close quarter street fighting. the stuka was a terrifying pyschological weapon early, although it became a sitting duck when enemy fighters got on the job.the russian IL2 sturmovich proved almost indestructible.russia's katyusha rockets (Stalins organ) mixed terror with destructive effect.and of couse the american atomic bomb. the war effectively wasterminally decided on july 16, 1945 in New Mexico.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

My favorite Irish pub band does a great rendition of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda."

After hearing it early one night and not being drunk enough to forget to research it (and asking they guys what Gallipoli was anyway) I read up on it, and it was one nasty nasty fight.

And yes, myopic is the right word saladin, typically in a American schools (save higher education classes directed at world history of the 20th century), if it isn't American, or somehow related to us, they tend to just omit that part. Learning history from a song in a bar, singingly along loyaly with the rest of my drunkard buddies is no way to learn history...but its certainly more fun.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

beret holders

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The war was not won with superior weapons.It was won with superior numbers,and much greater manufacturing capability.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The Krauts had better weapons except in the field of handguns and battle rifles. That is until July 1945 when the first nuc was detonated in New Mexico. From that point on, NO-ONE could match us, and it's been that way ever since!

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Did you see how the Pentagon has ordered some new aircraft? It's not the FA-22 Raptor, it's some other thing made by Lockheed, and it takes off vertically, because the engine rotates up and down, I think the History Channel did a documentary on it in Modern Marvels or something.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Nope... Flag Poles. Usually used for flying white flags...

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Yeah I watched the Episode on Modern Marvels "Military Movers." It looks pretty cool, can fly like a plane or a copter and can carry more than a Chinook. I guess it really isn't new, as has been in testing and development for something like 12 years or something. It looks like it would be the ultimate aircraft for Alaska or Cannada and getting in and out of hunting/fishing locals.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Had to go with the good old USA. Germans had great quality weapons, and issued the most pistols to ground troops; but in the end, the Germans were still trying to work that bolt action while our troops were firing semi-auto. They tried the sturmgewher late in the war but couldn't produce enough of them.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

That Mg-42 just fascinates me. The Garand was the best service rifle and Id say the 1911 was the best sidearm but massive amounts of men and manufacturing capacity won it for us.

Looking back at all of it now..had Hitler actually listened just a little to his generals the war outcome may have been much different. His arrogance and ego spelled doom for all involved with him.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The M1 changed the technology. The US had the ultimate rifle for the time. We out-thunk'um. The M1 Garand was so vastly superior, there needs no further discussion...except for the sore thumbs. Regards, Rick.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The Germans had two semiauto rifles gew-41 and gew-43. The GEW-41 was not as sturdy as the GEW-43 as it used a gas trap system like the earlier Garand designs. The Russians were also using SVT-40s before the US even entered the war, and produced large numbers of them.Both the SVT-40s, GEW-41, and GEW-43 rifles had an integral scope mountso that they could easily be outfitted with optics.The Swedish Ljungman rifle was vastly superior to the M1 Garand in that it had a detachable magazine, had a tightly closed receiver, was way ahead of its time using direct gas impingement operation (outside the action I might add so that it didn't 'poop where it eats' like another famous direct gas impingement rifle), and it was much more accurate to boot. Yes, Sweden was neutral, but the M1 and the men who carried them changed tactics, not technology.

The M1 was a great rifle on its own merits, but not anywhere near the best or most advanced. What sets the M1 apart was that the US had the industrial capacity to turn out a brand new M1 rifle on the average every 35 seconds, 24/7 during the entire war. No other country involved in the war had the ability to turn out a semi-automatic rifle at such a rate. Other countries created large numbers of submachineguns made out of stamped metal at very fast rates such as the Sten, MP-38, MP-40, and MP-44.

If there was a gun that revolutionized anything it would be the MP-44. It influences every standard issue infantry rifle today.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

the question was "who had the best weapons?" not, who won the war or had the best numbers, Germanys weapons overall, were by far the best, they pioneered the helicopter, designed the 1st mono wing plane, the first jet ME262 however it was too late in the war, the V2 rocket,had a-bomb tech but didnt impliment it, pioneered the nerve gasses. the fastest firing machine guns. they still make some of the best things to this day, audi, BMW, steiner....schmidt & bender...need i go on

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

I would say the US edges out Germany only because we had the nuke.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

The US had the best gun. The 16inch/50 caliber Mark 7 gun of the IOWA class battleship fired two basic rounds; a 2,700 pound AP (Armor Piercing) and a 1,900 pound HC (High Capacity) shore bombardment projectile.These were superior to anything the Germans or Japanese had, including the 18" guns of the Yamato.

9 of these mounted on the IOWA class battleship, including it's fire control, speed,and armorment gave the US the best battleship.

I also believe we had the best aircraft carriers and by far the bestcarrier based fighterplanes, the Hellcat and Corsair.

Also; Don't forget the B-29 bomber, which theGermans and Japanesehad nothing close to.Maybe this was because the B-17 had bombed them allout. It was also better than anything theGermans had delivering bombs.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Agreed.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

My vote would be for the USSR. Their weapons systems were simple, reliable, and effective. They had no where near the manufacturing capacity and technology of the US, yet they were still one of the most formidable armies in the world. And unlike the Germans, their stuff usually worked. They didn't suffer from the reliability issues many German weapons had.

German designs and quality were second to none, but that doesn't translate to success on the battlefield. Their complex designs led to reliability problems in the field.

The U.S.'s advantage was our industry. We didn't have to produce the best of anything. In a war of attrition, we could simply outproduce everyone else. We could produce Shermans faster than German panzers could destroy them. We could produce Liberty ships faster than U-boats could torpedo them. We could produce carriers at rates the Japanese could never hope to sink. We could feed, clothe, and equip our military at rates no other country could match.

The U.S. had nukes at the end of the war, but by that time, Germany had already surrendered and Japan's fate was already sealed.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

M-1 Garand vs. Mauser bolt-action = Garand

Model 1911 vs. Luger = 1911

Browning M-2 vs. Mg-42 = Toss up.

I think there is no comparison. Our battle weapons were far superior. The Mg-42 was probably a better battle field machine-gun due to the overwelming size and weightof the Ma deuce, but the .50 Caliber makes bigger holes at much longer distances.

Good Hunting,
Bowflex



Don't forget the Thompson either!

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

With what the Germans had, the allies should have never won the war. It came down to strategy and will to fight. Plus, WWII was the dawn of US Air Power

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

Not including the German battleship Bizmark you would be correct in regards to naval guns.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

You kind of compare apples to oranges in your comparisons, as the garand was a semi-auto compared to a bolt action and the MG-42 was more of a medium MG meant for troops, whilethe M2was and is meant for light-skinned vehicles and aircraft.

RE: Who had the best weapons of WWII?
 

"Browning M-2 vs. Mg-42 = Toss up."

Your cannot compare apples and peaches. The Browning M-2 is a .50 caliber still used bymany nations including the USA. MG-42 is 7.92 mm. The MG-42 was/issuperior to the US M1919, .30 caliber machine gun. The MG-42 is still in use in several nations, including Germany, where it is called the MG-3. The new German Army had to reverse engineer the MG-42 because the design drawings could not be found.

The Spanish make a scaled down version of the MG-42 called the Meili. The Meili has an aluminum barrel shroud. It is 5.56 mm and is much better than the SAW. The US Secret Service uses it. i have firedthe MG-42 and the Meili a lot and just love them.