ReDoT

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

GRIZZLYMAN

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

vaughnm

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.

pheasantfanatic

Agreed.

North Texan

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.

Bowflex

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!

pahntr760

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

Red Lion

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

Red Lion

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.

falcon

"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.