SAVING PRIVATE RYANWeapons of WWII

U Boat (Higgins Boat) (LCVP)

Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel

The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes. More than 20,000 were built, by Higgins Industries

could ferry a platoon-sized complement of 36 men to shore at 9 knots (17 km/h)

Similar boats used by:

British troops German troops Japanese troops

The Higgins Boat was used for many amphibious landing operations

Overlord on D-Day Operation Torch in North Africa, Allied invasion of Sicily, Operation Shingle and Operation Avalanche in Italy, Operation Dragoon Battle of Guadalcanal, Battle of Tarawa, Battle of the Philippines, Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa.

Tiger I

Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger.

Tiger 1German Tank

During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts

While the Tiger I was feared by many of its opponents, it was over-engineered, used expensive and labor intensive materials and production methods, and was time-consuming to produce.

Only 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944.

The Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and immobilizations. It was, however, generally mechanically reliable but expensive to maintain and complicated to transport due to its overlapping and interleaved road wheels. In 1944, production was phased out in favor of the Tiger II

The German Tiger Tank was possibly the most famous tank of World War 2.

it was introduced in August 1942 and was at that time the most powerful and heavily armored tank in the world.

The success of the Tiger was so profound, that no allied tank dared to engage it in open combat. This psychological fear soon became to be known as "Tigerphobia"

On May 26th May1941, during a Germans armament meeting, Hitler ordered for the creation of heavy Panzers which were to have an increased effectiveness to penetrate enemy tanks; possess heavier armor than was previously achieved; and attain a maximum speed of at least 40km/h. Another condition was the prototype had to be completed and presented to Hitler in time for his birthday on April 20, 1942. These key decisions led to the development of a new heavy tank, the Tiger 1. This project was known as the "Tiger program".

Two firms were contracted for the design of the new tank, Porsche of Stuttgart and Henschel and Sohn of Kassel. It's an interesting note that Porsche is the same firm that today produces the famed Porsche sports car.

Problems with the Tiger 1

prone to mechanical breakdowns and needed constant repairs and maintenance to keep it operational.

Fuel requirements were enormous, a resource which Germany was in short supply of

The massive size of the tank could not fit into the standard rail compartment. To overcome this, two sets of tracks were needed, one narrower 66cm transportation tracks and a wider 80cm combat tracks.

However when properly supported and maintained, it was a superior tank when deployed. It was not slow and un-maneuverable as some had noted. The road speed of the Tiger 1 was 38km/h

The first Tiger to see action was against the Red Army on August 29 1942, southeast of Leningrad with 1st company of sPzAbt 502. Four Tigers were deployed in a single file on marshy ground, a terrain completely unsuitable for a tank their weight. Three of the Tigers broke down due to mechanical failures and all four of them had to be recovered and repaired.

Zeppelins

A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin became interested in constructing a "Zeppelin balloon" after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, where he witnessed the French use of balloons to transport mail during the early part of the war. He had also encountered Union Army balloons in 1863, during the American Civil War, where he was a military observer.

Construction of the first Zeppelin began in 1899

Zeppelins logged in over a million miles of passenger travel without loss of life. The tragic destruction of LZ129 Hindenburg on 6 May 1937, and the onset of WW2 marked their demise. The last of the Zeppelins, LZ130 Graf Zeppelin II, was subsequently restricted to military use and, along with the globe-trotting LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, was dismantled in 1940.

Zeppelins were operated by the Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG (DELAG). DELAG, the first commercial airline, served scheduled flights before World War I. After the outbreak of war, the German military made extensive use of Zeppelins as bombers and scouts.

The Hindenburg

The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers, 61 crew), there were 35 fatalities as well as one death among the ground crew.

P-51D Mustang IV

was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts. During World War II Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 enemy aircraft shot down, second only to the Grumman F6F Hellcatbamong Allied aircraft.

The Mustang was originally designed to use a low-altitude rated Allison V-1710 engine, and was first flown operationally by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series two-stage two-speed supercharged engine, and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.

After WWII and the Korean War, many Mustangs were converted for civilian use, especially air racing

The Costa Rica Air Force flew four P-51Ds from 1955 to 1964.

M1903 Springfield

M1903 Springfield

It was officially adopted as a United States military bolt-action rifle on June 21, 1905, and saw service in World War I. It was officially replaced as the standard infantry rifle by the faster-firing, semi-automatic 8 round M1 Garand, starting in 1937. However, the M1903 Springfield remained in service as a standard issue infantry rifle during World War II, since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also remained in service as a sniper rifle during World War II, the Korean War and even in the early stages of the Vietnam War. It remains popular as a civilian firearm, historical collector's piece and as a military drill rifle.

Your Assignment

Research weapons of WW2. List and describe at least 10 popular

weapons used during WW2 and seen in the movie Saving Private Ryan

Discuss accuracy of weapon, popularity, uses, etc.