2024
Story Sunday: Panjandrum Weapon
The Great Panjandrum at Westward Ho!
Wacky WW2-Era Failed Weapon
In 1941, the Government of the United Kingdom established a temporary wartime body called the Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD) to find new and unconventional ways to kill the enemy. Efforts from this department led to such useful inventions such as the Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon and Squid anti-submarine mortar, as well as the Holman Projector, an anti-aircraft rocket battery—and a system of degaussing used to protect ships against magnetic mines. It also led to the invention of the bouncing bomb that could skip across water to avoid torpedo nets and was used in the very successful Dambusters Raid of 1943. Above all, it played an important role in developing parts of the Mulberry Harbour used in the D-Day landings.
Despite these successes, not all of the DMWD’s projects were fruitful. An attempt to conceal the River Thames from German bombers, by covering it with soot, failed due to the effects of wind and tides, although it did cause some confusion when the coal-covered waters were mistaken for [a] tarmac during blackouts. The most disastrous project, however, was the Panjandrum. With a name inspired by a character in a nonsensical piece of prose from the 18th-century British dramatist Samuel Foote, the Great Panjandrum was doomed from inception. Constructed as a pair of large wheels, each approximately 10 feet in diameter, it featured a central steel drum carrying over a ton of explosives. Around the rims of the wheels were cordite rocket charges, designed to spin the entire device, propelling it towards the concrete beach defenses along the French coast with the intent of creating a substantial breach. The designers estimated that a fully loaded, 1,800-kg Panjandrum could reach speeds of around 60 mph (100 km/h), with enough momentum to crash through any obstacles between its launch point and target.
Trials began with only a handful of cordite rockets attached to the wheels and the payload was simulated by an equivalent weight of sand. The rockets were ignited and the Panjandrum catapulted itself forward, out of the landing craft used as a launchpad […] a fair distance up the beach. However, a number of rockets on one of the wheels failed, causing the weapon to careen off course. Despite several further attempts with more rockets, the Panjandrum consistently lost control before reaching the end of the beach.
Amusing Planet
Kaushik Patowary
July 5, 2024
Of WordPress, Gallbladders & Twitter (X)
Hmmm…where to start… After a long absence, I am returning to my blog. WordPress Happiness Engineers have lost their freaking minds. I still operate in the “Classic” editor. I will NEVER use that nightmare of a “block” editor.
Suddenly, I have these strange, white squares and a “Plus New” symbol.
Here is a better link…
SnipBoard Image
I have also had to adjust my Admin Interface Style in General Settings. WP-Admin in the Classic style does not support the “Add New Post” drop-down I need to get to the Classic Editor. I can only get it in Default style. Can things get MORE confusing, here??? I SO miss the days when WordPress was EASY to use. Now, it is a giant PITA. I spent an hour trying to get a “Happiness Engineer” to explain to me WHY everything is so jacked-up. Has anyone noticed how screwed up the Reader is?
I have been gone so long that, I am having to re-learn how to blog. With all the changes, I am struggling to deal with this insane labyrinth. My absence has been due to my Significant Other needing assistance on a grand scale…and me, still battling my gallbladder. He is improving and I am…slowly.
In July of last year, I joined Twitter (X). Bastion of free speech, they said. Everyone has a voice, they said. Right. At the moment, I have been locked out of my account for six days. Want to know why? I apparently threatened YouTube with the word collapse. Musk stated in a post that he was building a YouTube alternative. It sounded good to me. I reposted his announcement and all I said was “@YouTube, you censor too much. I hope you collapse.” Bells went off, sirens started wailing in the distance and blood began to weep from the walls of my house. I was told that I had used violent speech. How in the AF could I possibly be a threat to YouTube??? *facepalm* I am supposed to be freed from my bird cage in a few hours. SMDH. I will continue to lurk, read & share my blog posts but, there won’t be any other engagement. It’s better than FakeBook, which I left years ago. I do still use Messenger.
Later…~Vic
Cosmic-Observation 