Overpowered Guns used to Cheat in Battle

Warfare is one of the most influential drivers of technological innovation. When the fighting breaks out, participants will utilize the latest technology and weaponry to give them an edge over their opponents. There are some weapons, however, that those on the receiving end found dishonorable, overly cruel, or just plain unfair.

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Credit:
Show Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Script: Robert De Graff
Narrator:

Chris Kane

[numberyota]

Fun Fact: Gatling Guns are still legal to own in the US because they are not considered to be Automatic Weapons by the ATF. They're expensive though.

[acem]

“If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.” John Steinbeck

[harbingerd.]

Germans: *Uses poison gas to inflict slow and painful death*

Americans: *Brings out Shotguns*

Germans: NEIN! ZIS IS NOT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PLAY ZE GAME!

[justinforgette]

Honorable mention: the 155mm Howitzer can be used as a direct fire death cannon if needed. Not sure if it was ever used in such a way but it's definitely something you absolutely do not want to be in the business end of.

[dannydacheedo]

Gatling: My creation will reduce the casualties of war.

Human nature: yeah...about that

[nizaralsaidi]

"Just plain unfair"

Has there ever been a war that's fair ?

[DadVibesBizkitNL]

Very cool to include the Girardoni air rifle. I’m a huge air rifle enthousiast and the rifles that are built today are no joke.
At that time it was really high tech. Today pre charged pneumatic rifles (PCP), like the girardoni, have around 2900PSI in the air reservoir. That having said, 80 shots on an 800PSI tank, with 46caliber round balls effectieve to 125 yards is astonishing. I have yet to see that in modern airguns. Usually at that range you could expect around 25 effective shots at 125 yards, that being a 9mm or 12.7mm pellet @ 3000 PSI

[AniwayasSong]

I always chuckle when the topic of 'That's not FAIR' is used to describe the evolution of weaponry. War isn't 'Fair, ' and only a Fool would try to engage in one that is.

[nebiyuesayas]

For anyone who'd like to know a little more:
1. Shotguns were effective in WW1 (at close ranges only, about 50 yards at most), but they were really prone to muck and mud (especially the 1897 since it had an externalized breechblock and a lot of openings). Also, the shells were made with paper, which made them have trouble feeding if they got wet since they swelled and jammed in the gun. Brass cartridges were rare and expensive-most did not make it to Europe in time.
2. Slam fire had a really limited use-you're dealing with higher recoil, and most trench guns had really tight cones (you're not peppering 5-6 guys with one large spray of buckshot, you're blasting one dude in particular with a tight spread), so usually you just used slam fire as an emergency or if you were firing at a grouped-up target.
3. Yes, the Allies did protest sawbacks, but sawbacks don't actually inflict further damage (and like SH notes, they were purely used as tools). Also, while the protests were partially why the Germans stopped using sawbacks, it was not the only reason-the actual saw became less useful since most soldiers either didn't need a saw or got a separate tool instead, plus sawbacks take more time to make, so they were withdrawn and many had their saws removed.
4. If you have a Gewehr 98 bayonet, you can tell if your bayonet was originally a sawback by looking at the back-if the back is straight and even the whole length, it was a straight edge the whole time. If the back has a dip and thins near the middle, it was originally a sawback but had the teeth ground off.
5. For anyone curious, the reason Thompson drum mags weren't used was because they're heavy, noisy, and awkward to carry and load compared to sticks. Some were used really early on by the British, but most were withdrawn. Also, Thompson magwells have cuts milled in the sides (the stick magazines go straight into the opening, the feed lips of the drums fit around and into the cuts). The Thompsons used by gangsters (the M1921 and M1921, with the famous foregrip) and the first military Thompson (the M1928A1) have these cuts, while the WWII Thompsons (the M1 and M1A1) don't. If you milled the cuts into the receiver of a WWII Thompson, you could use the drums."

[goodqualitysaltgg]

1:25. My response. "Didn't you fuckers invent the flamethrower didn't you fuckers play with mustard gas first"

[smithjack]

The only ones who find a weapon unfair are usually the ones losing and would use it with out a second thought had they thought of it first

[paleoph]

And of course no one mentions the other shotguns used in WW1, the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington Model 10, both of which were also capable of slam fire.

[John_Conner]

10:01 you know if this gun made it to large scale production we might not have ever fought a war. The opposing armies wacking off to each other would have erupted in laughter and terrible jokes.

[arandomgamingchannel]

0:24 To cheat? TO CHEAT? I would say the trench gun was used to level out the playing field.

[Ididitlikethis]

Germany: No! You can’t use shotgun! It’s against the rules of warfare!

America: I forgot the part where that’s my problem.

[leonndambuki]

" Humans are always creative when it comes to killing and making each other suffer but not so much in helping each other"

[corymorimacori]

“If a bullet to the chest won’t stop you, my words will!” Winston Churchill

[xXxDeamonlordxXx]

I'm no firearm expert, but i had a friend who served in the DDR Military (not for the longest time, though.) who told me once "if you have an Uzi and a Granade and you want to sweep a room, just throw the Uzi in." I wonder if they really had such an light trigger that they could sometimes go off on their own. Maybe he spoke of the replicated Uzis.

[DelinquentChibi]

For years, the Uzi was regarded as being the best SMG you could get your hands on, that is until H&K managed to one-up IMI with the invention of their MP5. Regardless, both guns are VERY sexy.

[CeeKayzrz]

There's no such thing as an "overpowered gun" that is "used to cheat". In combat, you bring as much mechanical advantage, tactical advantage, violence of action, as you possibly can. The only fair fight is the one you lose.