What Was the Great Panjandrum in World War II History?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Great Panjandrum, a peculiar and ambitious military project from World War II, highlighting its design, testing, and the humorous outcomes associated with its development. The scope includes historical anecdotes and reflections on military engineering and testing practices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the Great Panjandrum's design, which involved two large wheels with explosive capabilities intended to breach enemy defenses.
  • Another participant suggests that adequate testing of individual components before system testing could have improved the project's outcomes.
  • A humorous reflection on the unpredictability of plans is shared, referencing a quote from Robert Burns about the failure of well-laid schemes.
  • A participant humorously shares a personal anecdote about an invented weapon, drawing a parallel to the unexpected outcomes of the Panjandrum.
  • One participant expresses amusement at the discussion, indicating the humorous nature of the topic.
  • A comment on human behavior suggests that people often ignore warnings, implying a broader commentary on risk-taking in experimentation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of humor and critique regarding the design and testing of the Great Panjandrum, but no consensus is reached on the effectiveness or implications of the project.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects on the limitations of military engineering practices during the time, particularly in terms of testing and planning, but does not resolve the effectiveness of the Great Panjandrum itself.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in military history, engineering failures, and humorous anecdotes related to historical projects may find this discussion engaging.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,213
Reaction score
2,660
An interesting if not comical bit of war history.

...Then one day an Air Force officer, a Group Captain Finch-Noyes, came from Combined Operations with a rough sketch of what was to become the Great Panjandrum. It was a bold concept: two 10-ft wheels with 1 ft-wide steel treads joined by a wide drum.The centre section would be packed with 4000 lbs of high explosive and round the circumference of each wheel there would be a number of cordite rockets which would propel the whole thing at 60 mph off a landing craft, through the surf and, indifferent to obstacles and mines, up the beach to the wall. There the wheels would collapse and the explosive would be detonated. Within a month the prototype had been constructed in great secrecy at Leytonstone in north-east London. With equal secrecy it was transported under cover of darkness to Appledore.

...It hit a line of small craters in the sand and began to turn to starboard, careering towards Klemantaski, who, viewing events through a telescopic lens, misjudged the distance and continued filming. Hearing the approaching roar he looked up from his viewfinder to see Panjandrum, shedding live rockets in all directions, heading straight for him. As he ran for his life, he glimpsed the assembled admirals and generals diving for cover behind the pebble ridge into barbed-wire entanglements...[continued]
http://johnfowles.org.uk/nevilshute/thesecretwar/
 
Science news on Phys.org
Well, there is a lot to be said for adequately testing a concept - particularly separate components - before testing a system! :smile:

Perhaps they should have mounted the wheels on something immovable first to see if the rockets and the resulting angular momentum would provide a stable trajectory. :rolleyes:

But then again - “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”
 
That's hilarious, thanks Ivan!
 
Astronuc said:
“To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”

As I always say (being blatantly plageristic), 'The best laid plans, and vice versa, never work out.' :devil:
One of my favourite street-fighting weapons that I invented several decades ago luckily falls into the 'unused' category. It was a chainsaw blade attached to the end of a VW torsion bar with a Heim joint. Simple whiplash stroke to wrap it around someone's neck, and give it a pull... (Well, those of you who somehow think that I'm a nice guy despite my name are overdue for a reality check. :-p)
 
I very nearly spat coffee all over my monitor :smile:
 
Humans

Leave a bunch of em in a room with a button marked "DO NOT PUSH" and you would have to run to get a stop watch in time.

Learn from others mistakes. Who has time to make them all yourself.
 

Similar threads

Physics What are the steps to becoming a physicist?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
Why is the U-2 nicknamed the Dragon Lady?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
9K