Beech then horizontally aligned the sights of the rifles, used a string to pull the trigger, allowing it to be fired from within cover.

He modified a standard Lee-Enfield 300 rifle, cutting the stock in half, then connected the two halves with a board and mirror periscope. These weapons were developed by numerous sides during World War I, but they were being utilized by the end of 1914.Ī notable example was Beech’s periscope rifle, which was invented in 1915 during the Gallipoli campaign by a British-born Australian soldier, Lance Corporal William Beech. While there were several so-called “periscope” rifles developed during World War I as a response to the conditions of trench warfare, some varied in their success. So, how long would it take to construct the heliobeam? The Germans claimed it would only take 50 or 100 years. It would be made of metallic sodium and would be 9 km 2, with enough power to boil an ocean or fry a city.Īn earlier version, and more land-based: the Archimedes mirror. The Sun Gun, part of the space station, would be 8,200 km above Earth. A little later on, a group of German scientists at a research center in Hillersleben further tweaked Oberth’s original idea. This station was to house a 100 meter-wide concave mirror that could be used to reflect the sun’s light onto a concentrated point on earth, much like a magnifying glass. Several hundred years later, German physicist Hermann Oberth went to draw up plans for a space station. While this plan did not work out, Napier was the first to mathematically theorize geo-stationary orbit. The weapon was originally proposed by Scottish mathematician John Napier in the 16 th century as a means to destroy the pope. Its alternate name, the “heliobeam”, was an orbital weapon that was researched by Nazi Germany during World War II. Sun Gun/HeliobeamĪs the name might imply, the Sun Gun was not so much a gun as it was, theoretically, a giant mirror launched into space. In the blog this week, we’re taking a look at some of the not-so-great ideas that the war birthed. While there were a number of revolutionary discoveries, vehicles, and projects, they weren’t all winners. World War II brought about a period of rapid innovation and experimentation.

Name of first military tank prototype