Most of these designs, however, failed to see the light of day because of budget cuts and the rapid conclusion of the war. Now, with the help of military expert Steve Viper, we will did up the plans, models, and prototypes of these incredible killing machines – the behemoth tanks, the suicide bombers, the first guided missiles. Together with German artist and model-maker Holger Bull, Steve will build the weapons which never came to be and examine those which were deployed but ultimately discarded – discovering the mind-boggling potential of these super weapons and the practical faults that hindered their development.

Hütter Hü 136 – The German Kamakazi
Imagine sitting on a 2200 pound bomb at a speed of 560 km/h – with little chance that you will ever get out of this safely. That is exactly the situation the pilots would have had to face if the “Hü 136” would have been built. The idea for this bomber that could only move straightforward was developed by the two brothers Ulrich and Wolfgang Hütter, best-known as glider designers. They submitted two designs to the “Reichsluftfahrtministerium” (German Air Ministry). In both of them there was no undercarriage intended, only a belly skid – but would that have been enough to save the pilot’s life?
Imagine hurtling through the air at a speed of 560 km/h on what is essentially a 2200-pound bomb with wings – no undercarriage, only a belly skid as a safety precaution. Such a situation awaited the potential pilots of the Hü 136, the brain child of the brothers Ulrich and Wolfgang Hütter, best known for their glider designs. Submitting two designs to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry), the brothers proposed no feasible way for the pilot to disengage – in short, a potential suicide mission.

Landkreuzer P 1000 Ratte – The 1000 ton rat
As early as 1942, Hitler enlisted the help of the Krupp corporation in the hopes of developing a tank of monumental proportion and potential. Krupp’s design proposed a tank five times heavier than the Panzer VIII Maus, the largest tank ever actually built. Armed with a 128mm anti-tank gun, eight 200 mm anti-aircraft guns and two 15mm heavy machine guns, the 35 meter long mega-tank possessed a 23 cm thick armour of hardened steel, penetrable by only naval-sized artillery. And of course, the Landkreuzer was to be fitted with naval artillery of its own, two 280mm SK C/34, guns normally mounted on heavy naval cruisers like the Schornhorst or Gneisenau. Of course, its sheer size brought with it a host of problems; basic locomotion required a whopping 16,000 horsepower, and its weight would have destroyed roads and crushed bridges.

Fritz X – The original cruise missile
Much of the bombing in WWII took the form of cluster bombing because of the tremendously low probability (0.6%) of hitting a target with a single free-falling bomb. Attempting to rectify the accuracy problem, the Germans developed the Fritz X, bomb fitted with a receiver unit and a tracking flare that could be steered by radio and optically guided from the aircraft. The Fritz X upped the accuracy rate to 50% for a target area of just 5x5 meters. This precursor to the model cruise missile had a payload of 1400 kg, and had actually achieved great success in sinking the flagship of the Italian fleet, thereby preventing the ship from falling into Allied hands. Yet the Fritz X project was ultimately discontinued. Why?

Arado E-580 - a pilot’s grave
In late 1944, the end of the war was in clear sight. Depleted of manpower and materials, the Germans held the Volksjäger competition, soliciting fighter plane designs that could be easily and cheaply made and also could be piloted with minimal training. One of the oddest submissions was from Arado, a recently-nationalized aviation firm, who submitted a design called the E-580. While the design had much in common with the eventual winner of the competition, the Heinkel He 162, there also existed some fairly significant engineering miscalculations, most notably the positioning of the cockpit directly on top of the jet intake. This configuration was not only a flawed design in terms of performances, but it also would have spelled disaster for the pilot who, in all likelihood, would have been sucked into the intake upon ignition of the engine! We explore the ideas behind this half-baked scheme.

Possible other weapons:
- Messerschmitt Me 262: the world's first operational jet fighter
- “Dora” (also known as “Heavy Gustav”): a 80cm railway gun and the largest calibre rifled weapon in the history of artillery
- Horton HO – IX: a flying wing fighter/bomber that was expected to have less aerodynamic drag
- The Zeppelin "Fliegende Panzerfaust" (Flying Mailed Fist): designed as a parasite fighter that was to be towed to combat behind a Me 109G
- Messerschmitt Me 264 (the “Amerika Bomber”): a long range aircraft that should have been used for attacks on the American East Coast

And there are many more…