soc.history.war.world-war-ii

"YMC" wrote in message
news:47b81737$0$4437$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...


>
> Wasn't there a large ferris wheel device that moved by rockets - and was
> suppose to be launched from sea and blow up enemy fortifications. I think
> the British came up with that one. In the experiments - it had a habit of
> going off course - and so was not brought into operation.


Yes there was such a device. It was propelled by small
rockets around the circumference of the left and right
wheels. It was hoped that this device could be launched
from a landing craft onto a defended beach, travel
at a reasonable speed and crash into a fortified position
at which time the large charge of explosives would
detonate.

As said above the problem of steering this device
called "Panjandrum" could not be corrected, and
it was abondoned. During testing too rockets
would come loose from the wheel and fly
in every direction.

Ref: Secret Weapons Of World War II by Gerald Pawle.