During the Second World War, a large number of various engineering vehicles and ammunition for various purposes were developed. For one purpose or another, it was proposed to use self-propelled vehicles with special equipment or special weapons, unusual types of weapons, etc. In various ways, it was proposed to destroy barriers, destroy firing points, build crossings or perform other tasks facing military engineers. However, none of these samples can match the boldness, originality and even, perhaps, insanity of the Great Panjandrum product.
Fearing a possible landing of the enemy in continental Europe, Nazi Germany for a long time built numerous objects of the so-called. Atlantic Wall. Sections of the coast hundreds of kilometers long were covered with firing points and bunkers, as well as various explosive and other obstacles. Having received information about the existence of such protection of the coast, the command of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition was forced to look for new ways to overcome obstacles that could ensure the passage of troops through all existing obstacles.
General view of the Great Panjandrum product. Photo Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk
No later than mid-1943, a special organization DMWD (Department of Miscellaneous Weapons Development), responsible for the creation of new unusual types of equipment and weapons, received another task. It should be noted that DMWD specialists were usually entrusted with the development of projects that were not included in the remit of other departments of the military department. As a consequence, this organization was often given highly original assignments, followed by equally unusual results. The Great Panjandrum project was a vivid confirmation of this rule.
The command wanted to get some kind of means of dealing with concrete walls standing in the way of the troops. With the help of an explosion, this product was supposed to make passages in walls up to 3 m high and more than 2 m thick. At the same time, the dimensions of the passage had to correspond to the dimensions of the existing tanks. An explosive charge of the required power should have been delivered to the target without the participation of a person or any equipment. The existing landing ships and boats were supposed to be a possible carrier of engineering weapons.
Several DMWD designers took on the task, including Neville Shute Norway, who already had experience in creating unusual designs. First of all, he calculated the required dimensions of the warhead of the new weapon. For the destruction of the concrete wall with the given parameters and the formation of a passage for the British tank, more than 1 ton of explosive was required. Such a large charge made special demands on the means of its delivery. The intended use, launch from ships and the specifics of the situation on the beaches also did not facilitate development.
Tests, November 12, 1943 Photo Wikimedia Commons
Several versions of the design of the delivery vehicle were proposed and considered, after which the least complex and the most appropriate to the available technical specifications were chosen. No matter how strange it may seem, DMWD specialists decided to deliver the warhead from the landing ship to the target using a special wheeled system with solid-propellant jet engines. Truly, tough times call for tough decisions.
At this stage, the project received the working designation Great Panjandrum, which can be translated into Russian as "Big Shot" in the meaning of "very important person". The name itself was taken from the illustrated book The Great Panjandrum Himself by the writer Samuel Foote and the artist Randolph Caldecott. The reasons for this choice are unknown. Apparently, the DMWD staff believed that the new weapon would have the same effect as the appearance of the book's title character. You can also recall the fact that the original work belonged to the genre of absurd literature.
The issue of classification of the Great Panjandrum product is of great interest. According to its purpose, it was supposed to become a typical engineering explosive charge necessary for making passages in enemy obstacles. Nevertheless, the presence of its own chassis and power plant allows you to correct this definition. Thus, the "Big Shot" can be called a self-propelled engineering ammunition. This weapon simply does not fit into the existing classification without adding new categories.
The launch vehicle is ready to launch. A still from a newsreel from the Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk
From the point of view of design, the promising ammunition was supposed to be a wheelset, instead of the axis of which an explosive case was used. The elements of the propulsion system responsible for movement were placed directly on the wheels. The authors of the project calculated that their proposed appearance would allow the product to reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97 km / h), cover distances of up to several miles and punch holes in concrete barriers with an explosion.
The main structural element of the Great Panjandrum product, connecting all other units together, was the central building. It was made in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of about 1 m and a height of about 2 m. At the ends of the cylinder wall there were expanding sections with holes, with the help of which round covers were to be installed on the bolts. In order to avoid unpleasant incidents, arrows were depicted on the end caps, showing the direction of rotation of the product during movement. It was possible to place a ton of explosives inside the cylindrical body, as required by preliminary calculations. The charge received a contact fuse, which is triggered when the product stops abruptly due to impact on the target.
On the wall of the central body, nine plates of small height were fixed at equal intervals. Near the end of the body, the plate was connected to the spoke of the wheel using a gusset plate. Near each end of the case, there were nine wooden or metal spokes about 1 m long. The wheel rim with a diameter of just over 3 m could be made of wood or metal. The rim was connected to the spokes using a set of reinforcing elements. In the future, this design of the wheels was repeatedly refined, but the general architecture, implying a rigid connection of the body, spokes and rims, did not change.
The Great Panjandrum had two wheels of a similar design attached to the ends of the central body. Thus, outwardly, it looked like a coil. Due to the rigid connection between the wheels and the body, the entire product was to be rotated during rolling. No hinges, etc. the devices were not used due to the need to simplify the design as much as possible.
The "big shot" came off the carrier. A still from a newsreel from the Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk
The proposed architecture of the engineering ammunition did not leave any free volumes, and the requirement to simplify the design did not allow equipping it with a power plant of the usual types. For this reason, N. Sh. Norway and his colleagues used a very original - albeit more than non-standard - way of moving. On the rim of each wheel there were nine sets of devices for attaching solid-propellant rocket engines with a cordite charge weighing 9, 1 kg each. Exactly half the distance between the spokes was a rigid stop, with which the front ends of the two engines were connected. The rear ends with nozzles were fixed on a diamond-shaped frame and spread apart in different directions so that the flame and smoke did not fall on the wheel rim. Each wheel thus had nine sets with 18 motors. The propulsion system as a whole, respectively, consisted of 36 products, which made it possible to obtain a sufficiently high thrust. All engines were connected to a common electrical ignition system connected to an external operator console.
The product in the firing position had a length and height of about 3 m - corresponding to the diameter of the wheels. The width slightly exceeded 2 m. The mass of the fully equipped "Big Shot" reached 1.8 tons. Moreover, more than half of the total weight was accounted for by the explosive charge. The total mass of solid rocket fuel reached 327.6 kg.
The combat use of the Great Panjandrum system looked simple enough. A landing ship or boat carrying self-propelled engineering charges was supposed to approach the shore, directing the bow ramp to the selected enemy fortification. Then the calculation of the complex had to carry out the final aiming of the product by turning it in the desired direction. The electrical system ignited all 36 engines, allowing the product to budge.
The product came out to the beach. A still from a newsreel from the Imperial War Museum / Iwm.org.uk
Due to the correct orientation of the engines of the two wheels "Big Shot" had to start moving. The engines located at the lowest point created thrust forward relative to the body, located at the top - backward. This made the wheels spin and move the product forward. Under the influence of jet thrust, spinning the wheels, the product could accelerate and gain a sufficiently high speed. Further, with the help of engines or due to inertia, the system could reach the selected target, hit it and detonate the existing charge. A ton of explosives could punch a large passage through a thick concrete wall or destroy a permanent firing point.
At the end of the summer of 1943, DMWD specialists completed the design and built the first prototype of the new weapon. The assembly was carried out at one of the factories in the London area of Leightonstone. The test site was a test site near the village of Westward Ho in Devon. One of the beaches of the Bristol Bay was to become the direct place of test launches. It is interesting that the assembly and transportation of the Great Panjandrum prototype to the landfill was carried out in an atmosphere of the strictest secrecy, but this did not help keep the project secret. The beach chosen for testing was popular with the local population, which is why the public immediately learned about the new development, and onlookers were constantly present at subsequent tests. The warning about the danger of the new design did not apply to the public.
The first test launch of the Great Panjandrum product took place on September 7, 1943. Having no experience with such systems, the testers decided not to risk it, because of which the number of rocket engines was drastically reduced. Instead of a standard warhead, the central building contained sand of an equivalent mass. The prototype was loaded onto a landing craft, which soon moved away from the coast at the required distance. At the command of the operator, the engines were ignited, after which the engineering ammunition rolled off the carrier and headed for the shore. However, the reduced power plant did not provide the required thrust, and in addition, the right wheel motors failed. Because of this, the product entered a turn and then stopped.
The result of an unsuccessful launch in January 1944. A trail of a sliding prototype is visible in the sand. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The prototype was taken out of the water and equipped with new engines, increasing their number. With the gradual increase in the number of engines, several new starts were carried out. Certain results were obtained, but the task was still not solved. The "Big Shot" system could already reach the coast, but the engine thrust and the gained speed were still not enough to cross the beach with the subsequent conditional defeat of the training target.
The first tests clearly showed that the proposed original idea, in general, is viable. Nevertheless, it was not possible to obtain the required results for technical reasons. DMWD specialists returned home and continued their design work. By introducing certain changes, it was planned to get rid of the identified shortcomings, as well as to ensure effective defeat of the target. It took about three weeks to develop an improved version and assemble a second prototype of the Great Panjandrum self-propelled jet propeller.
The design of the body and wheels remained the same. However, an additional movable support appeared on the hull, necessary for the installation of a small stabilizing wheel. The support could rotate relative to the body, which is why the third wheel constantly remained on the ground. The main reason for the problems with driving performance was considered an insufficiently powerful complex of jet engines. In the updated design, four motors were to be placed on each wheel rim support. The wheel, accordingly, now had 36 such products, and the entire system as a whole - 72.
Great Panjandrum layout from Dad's Army TV series
At the end of September, the second prototype was delivered to the beach training ground, loaded onto a landing craft and delivered to the launch point. The engines started working successfully and rolled off the engineering charge from the carrier. Gradually accelerating, the Big Shot reached the shore. Nevertheless, some problems had already appeared by this time. Due to impacts on the bottom or insufficiently strong structure, several engines fell from their mounts and flew in different directions. After that, the product drove a little along the beach, after which it fell on its side and, under the action of the working engines, rotating, crawled back to the sea. Such a completion of the tests could not be called successful in any way.
The test showed that the third stabilizing wheel did not cope with its task, which is why it was removed. Soon a new way of stabilizing along the course was proposed. It meant equipping the product with a set of special cables and fasteners, with which it was possible to keep the product on the required trajectory. It was proposed to use two cables, wound on a central body or on a drum on a carrier: such a system would not allow the self-propelled charge to deviate strongly from a given direction.
During the week, DMWD specialists led by N. Sh. Norway continued testing, experimenting with a power plant and a new control system. Various numbers and models of engines were tested, and cables of various thicknesses were tested. In the course of these works, some results were again obtained, but the situation as a whole still did not look the best. So, the ammunition accelerated too much and simply cut off the thin cables. Thicker ones, in turn, could negatively affect overclocking or lead to other problems.
Tests of the HEAD PUFF system, footage from the cinema
After reviewing the current results of the Great Panjandrum project, the customer slightly changed the technical requirements towards their simplification. Seeing the fundamental impossibility of achieving high hitting accuracy, the military was allowed to ensure only movement in the direction of the enemy. At the same time, the ammunition was still required to deliver the charge to the target, and not return with it to the sea.
After a series of further improvements and improvements, the Department of Development of Various Weapons presented the latest version of the "Big Shot". In January 1944, the new prototype was delivered to the same test site near Westward Ho. There was only one launch in the presence of representatives of the high command of the armed forces. Apparently, it was the presence of the heads of the military department that determined the further fate of the original project.
As in previous tests, the Great Panjandrum successfully got off the carrier boat and headed for the coast. Again, several rocket engines were blown off the wheel. Due to the difference in thrust, the prototype gradually began to turn to the right until it began to move in the direction of the cameraman who was on the shore. Realizing that the situation was getting out of control, the high commission chose to quickly retire to cover. The operator did not immediately understand what was threatening him, but, fortunately, the prototype continued to turn right and managed to go to the sea before anyone was hurt. On a bump, the product overturned and began to rotate, lying on its side. At the same time, the still working engines fell off the mountings and flew in all directions.
Chase…
It is unlikely that the result of such tests could be the respect of the military leaders for the unusual project. Nevertheless, the impossibility of practical use of the Great Panjandrum was once again confirmed empirically. Even a few months after the start of the project and repeated improvements, the original weapon had too many flaws that, in principle, could not be eliminated. Due to the lack of real prospects, the project was closed. Existing prototypes were dismantled as unnecessary. Further development of engineering ammunition went along other paths.
After the war, the Great Panjandrum project became widely known and was repeatedly considered in different contexts. Perhaps the most interesting mention of this development is the merit of the BBC. In December 1972, another episode of the comedy television series Dad's Army, Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel, was released (directed by David Croft, screenplay by D. Croft and Jimmy Perry). The "protagonist" of this series was a new promising weapon called High Explosive Attack Device Propelled by Ultra-High Frequency or HEAD PUFF, which in Russian translation was rendered as "Enhanced cruel attacking agent spinning at ultra-high frequency" or LOT OF HORROR. The militia fighters, to whom the entire television series is dedicated, were involved in secret tests as support personnel, but something went wrong, and they had to save the project, and with it their hometown.
The monster is defeated
The serial product HEAD PUFF was significantly different from the real prototype. It had wheels of a more complex design with fewer engines, which, moreover, could be stopped and started at the command of the on-board automation. Instead of a central body stationary relative to the wheels, a hinged cylinder was used, which retains its position during movement. Finally, cinematic weapons were radio controlled. Of course, because of all this, HEAD PUFF and "Big Shot" had only some external similarities, but the existing differences allowed us to get a very interesting plot with a lot of madness inherent in the original real project.
In June 2009, during the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landing, the organizers of the Appledore Book Festival presented their version of the reconstruction of the Big Shot. By their order, the pyrotechnic company Skyburst built a similar product. It differed from the original in a slightly different layout, with wheels closed on the side and less weight due to the lack of a warhead. The launch of the replica took place on the very beach that was a testing ground several decades ago. It was assumed that the new "weapon" will be able to accelerate to 24-25 km / h and travel about 500 m, but the actual cruising range was ten times less. Although it must be admitted that the pyrotechnics made this short trip very effective and incendiary.
The Big Shot replica built for the Appledore Book Festival 2009
The Great Panjandrum project was based on the desire of the military to obtain a relatively simple and effective means of dealing with enemy concrete structures and fortifications, allowing them not to expose their personnel to special risks. Specific and rather complex technical requirements had to be met by using more than original ideas. Nevertheless, as practice has shown, the proposed appearance of the self-propelled engineering ammunition did not allow counting on successful practical use.
It should be noted that the lack of prospects for the finished product and the doubtfulness of the project even at the stage of the formation of technical requirements can be a reason for suspicion. There is a version according to which the "Big Shot" project was created exclusively as a means of misinforming the enemy. Information about a cheap, simple and powerful means of dealing with fortifications could provoke Hitlerite Germany to take certain actions that could negatively affect her defense. This version has no serious confirmation, but it can still explain a lot.
One way or another, throughout the Second World War, the British defense industry tried to create new types of weapons and equipment. Some of these developments went into series, while others never went beyond the polygons. Engineering ammunition Great Panjandrum, for objective reasons, failed to reach the troops and take part in real battles, but this does not make it less interesting in terms of technology and history.
