Wartime can bring out the worst in people. But, if the vehicles showcased here are any indication, it can also bring out the best, especially when it comes to creativity. Now, these clever machines didn't always succeed in the long-term. Some of these solutions worked for a while but were quickly countered by an enemy mad genius on the other side, making for a deadly game of real-life cat and mouse.
This is a salute to all of those who came up with battlefield solutions that were outside the box, giving their troops the upper hand. Get suited up soldier, we're marching into the history books for a look at military innovation at its best. Here's a curated selection of the most interesting and inspired tools of the war trade that earned the upper hand.
15 Volkswagen Schwimmwagen
VW made about 15,000 of these nifty 4WD amphibious vehicles for the German WWII effort. The engine, a 1.1 liter V4, could also be run via propeller, pushing the "Frog" through the water. Thanks to the runaway (float-away?) success of the Type 166 and others, Volkswagen has made more boat-cars than anyone in history.
14 Armored Bulldozers
During WWII, there was a need for something proven and powerful that could move dirt, debris, and obstacles out of the way in a hurry. It seemed so simple to the British - take a standard-issue construction bulldozer and clad it with armor. The "Armored Bulldozer" was born and has been used by armies since.
13 Halftrack
Half truck, half tank - the Halftrack was all business as it carried soldiers and munitions during WWII. A country boy at heart, the half-track was able to work its way across entire landscapes thanks to the tank half of the equation. The truck part made it easy to drive. They also sported top-mounted machine guns.
12 Vespa 150 TAP
Possibly the most insane vehicle ever introduced into the field of battle, the Vespa 150 TAP was nothing more than a showroom-floor model Vespa impaled by a huge rifle. The French built around 800 of these things to battle the Algerians in the late 1950s. And no, firing the gun while driving the "Bazooka Vespa" was not an option.
11 M60A1 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge
Did somebody order a bridge? The U.S. Military's solution to immediate bridge needs was solved some 50 years ago. The tank-mounted apparatus has been steadily upgraded since. The bridge, which does detach from the tank, is 60 feet long and sturdy enough for wartime heavyweights to cross without issue.
10 Churchill Crocodile
The Churchill Crocodile was a deceptive piece of military might. It may have looked like an ordinary Churchill tank towing a cute little U-Haul trailer behind it - but this badass Brit had a secret. The Crocodile was actually an armored flame-thrower, capable of hitting a target 120 yards away. And that little trailer was filled with fuel.
9 Borgward IV C
Germany had a remote-controlled tank during WWII. The Borgward IV started off life as a mine sweeper but was quickly re-purposed as an RC tank. The brand-new remote control technology was the brainchild of Adolphe Kegresse, a French designer. OK, the project was ultimately dropped by the Nazis, but they did use it to great effect during multiple operations.
8 Carro Veloce 33 "Tankette"
The Italian-made Carro Veloce 33 Tankette was a sports car-sized tank that was directly modeled on a successful British build. The "fun-sized" tanks were manufactured by Fiat and featured the famous automaker's six-cylinder FIAT-SPA CV3 engine, which was water-cooled. They produced 1200 of the CV33s, thankfully, not a Carro Veloce Spider among them.
7 Type 2 Ka-Mi
The Imperial Japanese Navy wanted tanks to swim and Mitsubishi made it happen. It was an absolute terror when it was water-bound, but it failed to have the same impact on the land. Having learned the strengths and weaknesses of the Ka-Mi the hard way, the clever contraption was back-benched, used mainly used to fortify defensive positions.
6 NKL-26 Aerosan
The most frightening thing ever on two skis, the Soviet Union-made NKL-26 Aerosan was armored and sported a 7.62mm DT machine gun. Powering this little go-getter was a snow-blowing M-11G aircraft engine. It was operated by a pair of soldiers and could transport up to four additional infantrymen, provided they could hold on tight enough.
5 Harley Davidson J Model With Machine Gun Sidecar
In 1916, The United States needed something new and different to help battle Pancho Villa and his Mexican revolutionaries at the border. The First Air Squadron enlisted motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson to come up with something. The resulting design was a J Model bike married to an armored, machine-gun mounted sidecar. Not a lot of protection for the driver, however.
4 AEC 4x4 Armoured Command Vehicle
The United Kingdom needed a mobile command center that was battlefield tough. What it came up with was an AEC 4x4 ACV or "Lorrie," which was basically an armored bus on a truck chassis. First built in 1941, the AEC saw lots of action in the North African Campaign and all the way through the end of WWII.
3 Churchill AVRE-Bobbin Type D
The famous Churchill AVRE tank was fitted was all sorts of interesting war-time accessories. One of the craziest was the "Bobbin," which was essentially a large disposable spindle of wood and canvas that allowed the tank to lay down a protective carpet over nasty bits like barbed wire and debris.
2 Bullshorn Plough
Imagine the absolute panic that would consume you if one of these things started heading in your direction. This Road Warrior-esque piece of military history actually dug out mines without setting them off, clearing a path for soldiers to walk safely through. This type of attachment could fit on British Churchill tanks as well as American Shermans.
1 DUKW Amphibious Vehicles
The DUKW or "Duck" Amphibious Vehicle absolutely changed the beach landing game as it was an extremely effective way to get 25 troops or 5,000 lbs. of gear from ship to shore during WWII. It was also a nimble land cruiser as well - it could reach up to 50 mph on solid ground.
(Source: https://www.hotcars.com/15-interesting-and-clever-military-vehicles-that-gave-armies-the-upper-hand/)
