1 00:00:07,375 --> 00:00:10,917 Narrator: From the outset of war, weapons have been designed 2 00:00:11,042 --> 00:00:15,875 to deliver death, destruction, and terror. 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,250 Whether it's a trebuchet launching more 4 00:00:18,375 --> 00:00:20,375 than basic projectiles... 5 00:00:20,542 --> 00:00:24,833 He comes up with the great idea to catapult the dead into the city. 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,042 Shane Adams: The boils had popped. 7 00:00:27,167 --> 00:00:30,417 It was blood, it was puss, it was vile. 8 00:00:30,542 --> 00:00:35,375 This was the first known example of biological warfare. 9 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:39,500 Narrator: ...or rockets designed to sow fire and fear... 10 00:00:39,625 --> 00:00:43,458 The Congreve rockets were fired. It was terrifying. 11 00:00:43,583 --> 00:00:46,583 This is what Francis Scott Key was describing 12 00:00:46,708 --> 00:00:48,750 when he wrote "the bombs bursting in air." 13 00:00:48,875 --> 00:00:50,417 Narrator: ...to 20th century missiles 14 00:00:50,542 --> 00:00:53,292 whose sound alone creates horror. 15 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:58,292 Michael Shelden: You can hear just this sort of screech as it reached the target. 16 00:00:58,375 --> 00:01:00,500 It made it difficult to stand your ground. 17 00:01:00,667 --> 00:01:03,500 Narrator: These are just a few of the dark superweapons 18 00:01:03,625 --> 00:01:06,417 fired in anger, no matter the cost. 19 00:01:06,542 --> 00:01:09,667 It was a way of advertising to the world, "Don't ( bleep ) with us." 20 00:01:12,542 --> 00:01:17,167 Narrator: Not all inventions are made with good intentions. 21 00:01:17,292 --> 00:01:19,167 Unlock the twisted history 22 00:01:19,292 --> 00:01:22,042 behind the world's darkest marvels. 23 00:01:27,458 --> 00:01:30,875 Across more than 12,000 battles fought in human history, 24 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,958 massive weapons of terror have been used to spread destruction and fear. 25 00:01:36,042 --> 00:01:41,167 Among the earliest is the trebuchet. 26 00:01:41,292 --> 00:01:43,792 Shane Adams: A trebuchet is an actual catapult 27 00:01:43,917 --> 00:01:47,958 that would be used to hurl an object. 28 00:01:48,042 --> 00:01:51,583 Narrator: The earliest, now known as traction trebuchets, 29 00:01:51,708 --> 00:01:56,042 still require the oldest energy source in warfare. 30 00:01:56,167 --> 00:02:00,292 A traction trebuchet uses humans to provide the power to actuate the trebuchet. 31 00:02:00,417 --> 00:02:05,042 So, to fire the implement, people grab the ropes 32 00:02:05,167 --> 00:02:07,000 and pull it in unison. 33 00:02:07,125 --> 00:02:10,000 So the amount of men in a traction trebuchet 34 00:02:10,125 --> 00:02:14,833 determine how much it can fire and how far it can fire. 35 00:02:14,917 --> 00:02:17,875 The earliest examples of this kind of catapult come from China, 36 00:02:18,042 --> 00:02:21,750 probably around the 4th or 5th century before the common era. 37 00:02:21,875 --> 00:02:23,958 Michael Livingston: These early traction trebuchets 38 00:02:24,042 --> 00:02:26,125 were essentially anti-personnel. 39 00:02:26,208 --> 00:02:30,458 They weren't what we imagine today as a trebuchet that's knocking down walls. 40 00:02:30,542 --> 00:02:33,958 This is really about clearing people off of fortifications 41 00:02:34,042 --> 00:02:36,500 so that you can then act. 42 00:02:36,583 --> 00:02:39,750 With the Islamic expansion all through north Africa into Spain, 43 00:02:39,875 --> 00:02:44,667 we start to see the development of new methods of artillery. 44 00:02:44,750 --> 00:02:46,708 And one of these is ultimately going to be 45 00:02:46,833 --> 00:02:50,000 a groundbreaking invention of adding the counterweight. 46 00:02:50,167 --> 00:02:53,167 Narrator: The first counterweight trebuchets 47 00:02:53,250 --> 00:02:56,417 could launch projectiles weighing up to 100 pounds 48 00:02:56,542 --> 00:02:59,083 to much greater distances. 49 00:02:59,208 --> 00:03:01,292 We first start seeing counterweight trebuchets 50 00:03:01,375 --> 00:03:04,875 in Europe around the 12th century. 51 00:03:05,042 --> 00:03:09,125 The idea then is you're using engineering to replace men so you need less men, 52 00:03:09,208 --> 00:03:13,667 but you can also now begin to up that amount of energy that is being stored. 53 00:03:13,833 --> 00:03:18,208 So you're going to have fewer men, much better firepower. 54 00:03:18,333 --> 00:03:21,208 Originally, when traction trebuchets were only throwing 55 00:03:21,333 --> 00:03:23,917 10 and 20-pound rocks, 56 00:03:24,042 --> 00:03:27,500 these counterweight trebuchets hurling those 100-pound rocks 57 00:03:27,625 --> 00:03:30,583 could easily do damage to a castle wall, 58 00:03:30,708 --> 00:03:32,833 or of course buildings on the inside. 59 00:03:32,958 --> 00:03:38,833 It's wonderful for breaking down the walls of a fortified city 60 00:03:38,958 --> 00:03:43,750 or for flinging things into a fortified city over those walls. 61 00:03:43,875 --> 00:03:47,542 We have examples of trebuchets 62 00:03:47,708 --> 00:03:52,125 flinging dead cattle over the walls and into a city, 63 00:03:52,250 --> 00:03:54,708 which had great benefits for siege warfare. 64 00:03:54,833 --> 00:03:59,000 It was a wonderful way to spread panic and stench and disease. 65 00:03:59,083 --> 00:04:00,667 Narrator: Engineers of the day 66 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:03,583 continued to develop these machines over time, 67 00:04:03,708 --> 00:04:07,875 leading to the most fearsome trebuchet ever built. 68 00:04:09,625 --> 00:04:11,083 1304. 69 00:04:11,208 --> 00:04:13,500 The armies of King Edward I of England 70 00:04:13,625 --> 00:04:18,583 have spread over Scotland on a quest to subdue a rebellion. 71 00:04:18,708 --> 00:04:22,667 King Edward I goes to Scotland to set the Scottish straight, 72 00:04:22,833 --> 00:04:25,250 as far as he's concerned, that he's in charge. 73 00:04:25,375 --> 00:04:27,167 Shane Adams: The fact that William Wallace's army 74 00:04:27,292 --> 00:04:29,333 was able to take Stirling Castle 75 00:04:29,458 --> 00:04:31,875 really pissed the king off. 76 00:04:32,042 --> 00:04:34,667 Christine Axen: So as Edward I is approaching Stirling Castle, 77 00:04:34,792 --> 00:04:38,167 about 30 to 40 Scots are inside. 78 00:04:38,292 --> 00:04:41,333 Narrator: They're under the command of Sir William Oliphant, 79 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:47,250 who is confident the thick fortress walls will stand against Edward's forces. 80 00:04:47,375 --> 00:04:49,667 Now Stirling Castle is a fantastic fortification. 81 00:04:49,792 --> 00:04:53,708 It's up on rock, the walls are strong. 82 00:04:53,875 --> 00:04:56,500 Christine Axen: Edward I, he's throwing incendiary devices. 83 00:04:56,625 --> 00:04:59,417 He's using smaller trebuchets. Nothing is happening. 84 00:04:59,542 --> 00:05:01,833 Michael Livingston: For Edward, this is a problem. 85 00:05:01,917 --> 00:05:04,667 You can't have this castle not fall to you. 86 00:05:04,750 --> 00:05:08,792 It's a significant base of operations. 87 00:05:08,917 --> 00:05:10,833 You need it, and if you have brought this all to bare 88 00:05:10,958 --> 00:05:14,042 and it doesn't fall, you look weak as a result. 89 00:05:14,167 --> 00:05:19,583 Narrator: After months of siege, King Edward is growing frustrated. 90 00:05:19,708 --> 00:05:22,000 The longer it holds out, the weaker he gets 91 00:05:22,083 --> 00:05:25,208 because he's losing men to food, 92 00:05:25,333 --> 00:05:26,958 to disease, to desertion. 93 00:05:27,042 --> 00:05:31,333 Edward Longshanks tried to get the Scots inside to give up. 94 00:05:31,458 --> 00:05:33,500 But they thought, why give up? 95 00:05:33,625 --> 00:05:35,292 "We're in the strongest built keep. 96 00:05:35,375 --> 00:05:37,083 You've been trying to get us out for months. 97 00:05:37,208 --> 00:05:39,542 We're not going anywhere." 98 00:05:39,667 --> 00:05:41,000 Michael Livingston: And so, the Scots had to be feeling 99 00:05:41,167 --> 00:05:42,333 mighty good about themselves. 100 00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:45,500 Until they had to sit there and watch 101 00:05:45,583 --> 00:05:48,000 while he started building, effectively, a superweapon. 102 00:05:48,125 --> 00:05:52,292 Narrator: It will become the world's biggest counterweight trebuchet, 103 00:05:52,375 --> 00:05:55,458 aptly named the Warwolf. 104 00:05:58,375 --> 00:06:01,667 Christine Axen: It takes five master architects and maybe up to 50 workers 105 00:06:01,792 --> 00:06:06,333 about four months to build him this monstrosity of a trebuchet. 106 00:06:06,458 --> 00:06:09,833 We know that it took 30 carts just to move the parts 107 00:06:09,958 --> 00:06:13,667 that went into this thing. It was absolutely massive. 108 00:06:13,833 --> 00:06:18,000 To do this, Edward must have simply been really mad. 109 00:06:18,083 --> 00:06:20,792 I mean, we could sort of project psychology to this, right? 110 00:06:20,917 --> 00:06:23,958 He's going to build the biggest weapon. He's making up for something. 111 00:06:24,083 --> 00:06:25,792 In this case, he's making up for the fact 112 00:06:25,917 --> 00:06:27,500 that he couldn't get this thing down. 113 00:06:27,667 --> 00:06:28,875 He's going to get it down now. 114 00:06:31,417 --> 00:06:33,667 Narrator: During the months it takes to build, 115 00:06:33,833 --> 00:06:38,167 the Scots grow increasingly intimidated. 116 00:06:38,292 --> 00:06:40,750 Michael Livingston: They see the English cutting down trees. 117 00:06:40,875 --> 00:06:44,208 They're probably taking apart some of the trebuchets that they have. 118 00:06:44,333 --> 00:06:46,417 They're doing that for parts. 119 00:06:46,542 --> 00:06:49,000 And then they would start to see them constructing 120 00:06:49,125 --> 00:06:52,583 what would ultimately be recognizable as a trebuchet, 121 00:06:52,708 --> 00:06:56,917 but one that is larger than any trebuchet they've ever seen or even heard of. 122 00:06:57,042 --> 00:07:00,208 It had to be the most frightening thing they'd ever seen in their lives. 123 00:07:00,333 --> 00:07:03,583 The Scots send out a parlay party. They want to make peace. 124 00:07:03,708 --> 00:07:07,125 They want to end that battle before their castle is destroyed. 125 00:07:07,208 --> 00:07:11,333 But Edward I has just spent the last four months waiting for this creation to be built. 126 00:07:11,458 --> 00:07:13,458 Michael Livingston: Edward said, "No, no. 127 00:07:13,583 --> 00:07:15,292 You wanted to be in there, you stay in there. 128 00:07:15,417 --> 00:07:18,000 I'm gonna shoot this thing." 129 00:07:18,125 --> 00:07:21,000 Narrator: By the time the Warwolf is complete, 130 00:07:21,125 --> 00:07:23,667 it stands over 60 feet tall, 131 00:07:23,833 --> 00:07:26,750 larger than a six-story building, 132 00:07:26,875 --> 00:07:32,042 and its arm can hurl 300-pound stones up to 700 feet. 133 00:07:32,208 --> 00:07:35,167 The stones, they could go up to 100 miles per hour, 134 00:07:35,292 --> 00:07:39,167 and this is shooting over the span of two football fields in a matter of seconds. 135 00:07:39,292 --> 00:07:41,625 It was really, really impressive, 136 00:07:41,750 --> 00:07:43,833 and I'm sure that that's why Edward wanted to make sure 137 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,750 that it actually was used at least once. 138 00:07:46,875 --> 00:07:50,667 Narrator: King Edward also wants an audience. 139 00:07:50,833 --> 00:07:55,000 By the time Edward is getting ready to actually fire this thing, 140 00:07:55,167 --> 00:07:56,458 he wants to show it off, too. 141 00:07:56,583 --> 00:07:58,167 This is now something that's 142 00:07:58,292 --> 00:07:59,542 going to display his power 143 00:07:59,667 --> 00:08:02,042 for the people back home. 144 00:08:02,167 --> 00:08:05,958 The stage was set, and royalty was set in place 145 00:08:06,083 --> 00:08:10,667 to be able to watch the Warwolf unleash its projectiles. 146 00:08:10,750 --> 00:08:15,167 For the Scots inside watching this, waiting for it, 147 00:08:15,250 --> 00:08:19,833 it's finally built, and they can see people gathering to watch this. 148 00:08:19,958 --> 00:08:22,833 Truly, imagine you're watching your own doom, 149 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,208 and they're selling tickets for it. 150 00:08:38,542 --> 00:08:43,250 And when it hits, it doesn't just break the wall of Stirling Castle, 151 00:08:43,375 --> 00:08:45,833 it breaks the will of the Scots. 152 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,042 After the first projectile hit the wall, it collapsed, 153 00:08:49,208 --> 00:08:53,333 and building after building, throw after throw, 154 00:08:53,417 --> 00:08:57,625 collapsed within it to the extent that Edward Longshanks, 155 00:08:57,708 --> 00:09:01,750 King of England, knew that he just hammered the Scots. 156 00:09:01,875 --> 00:09:05,083 Oliphant and the Scots inside are now allowed to surrender. 157 00:09:05,208 --> 00:09:08,250 Oliphant is sent to the Tower of London. 158 00:09:08,375 --> 00:09:09,542 He later goes on to escape, 159 00:09:09,708 --> 00:09:11,125 and in the spirit of William Wallace, 160 00:09:11,250 --> 00:09:12,833 goes back to Scotland to carry on the fight. 161 00:09:12,958 --> 00:09:16,250 Narrator: A fight they will ultimately lose 162 00:09:16,375 --> 00:09:17,958 after William Wallace is captured 163 00:09:18,083 --> 00:09:22,250 and publicly executed in gruesome fashion. 164 00:09:22,375 --> 00:09:25,708 William Wallace is publicly hanged, drawn, and quartered. 165 00:09:25,833 --> 00:09:28,750 He is strangled, he is disemboweled, 166 00:09:28,875 --> 00:09:33,792 he is castrated, he is beheaded, 167 00:09:33,875 --> 00:09:36,083 and his corpse is cut into four different pieces. 168 00:09:36,208 --> 00:09:37,625 Michael Livingston: And at this point, 169 00:09:37,708 --> 00:09:39,333 a lot of the Scottish begin to submit 170 00:09:39,458 --> 00:09:40,167 because they're worried about 171 00:09:40,292 --> 00:09:41,875 what's going to happen to them. 172 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,250 Narrator: Including Sir William Oliphant, 173 00:09:44,375 --> 00:09:48,667 who switches sides, becoming a servant to the English king. 174 00:09:50,208 --> 00:09:51,458 As for the Warwolf, 175 00:09:51,542 --> 00:09:53,500 its intimidating size 176 00:09:53,583 --> 00:09:56,375 turns out to be its ultimate downfall. 177 00:09:56,500 --> 00:09:58,958 Michael Livingston: One of the crazy things about all this, 178 00:09:59,042 --> 00:10:01,625 is this is the only time the Warwolf is used. 179 00:10:01,708 --> 00:10:06,083 This thing is so big, so difficult to build, 180 00:10:06,208 --> 00:10:07,833 to transport, to run, 181 00:10:07,958 --> 00:10:10,625 this is an enormous amount of expense 182 00:10:10,750 --> 00:10:12,833 just monetarily to use this. 183 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,208 And in the end, it's too much. 184 00:10:15,333 --> 00:10:17,000 Shane Adams: The Warwolf, 185 00:10:17,125 --> 00:10:20,083 with all the money spent upon it, 186 00:10:20,208 --> 00:10:23,583 was disassembled, taken down, and never seen again. 187 00:10:23,708 --> 00:10:27,208 Michael Livingston: In the end, this was really just a huge flex 188 00:10:27,375 --> 00:10:28,542 on Edward's part. 189 00:10:28,708 --> 00:10:30,667 It frightened people, and for a time 190 00:10:30,792 --> 00:10:32,042 they weren't willing to go against him 191 00:10:32,167 --> 00:10:34,958 because he had shown this determination, 192 00:10:35,042 --> 00:10:37,500 this willingness to go that extra mile, 193 00:10:37,625 --> 00:10:39,750 to create something that magnificent 194 00:10:39,875 --> 00:10:41,542 simply to make his point. 195 00:10:41,667 --> 00:10:44,125 Narrator: The Warwolf of 1304 196 00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:47,833 marks a new advance in superweapons of terror, 197 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:56,042 but the darkest twist on siege machines is yet to come. 198 00:10:56,167 --> 00:10:58,000 Narrator: By the early 14th century, 199 00:10:58,167 --> 00:11:02,417 soldiers are using an arsenal of creative trebuchet ammo 200 00:11:02,542 --> 00:11:05,583 to intimidate enemies into submission. 201 00:11:05,708 --> 00:11:09,167 Michael Livingston: The idea in warfare is you do what you must do, 202 00:11:09,292 --> 00:11:12,458 and if that means I'm going to throw a dead cow over the wall, 203 00:11:12,542 --> 00:11:16,500 or a dead chicken, or a dead person, or a rock, it doesn't matter. 204 00:11:16,583 --> 00:11:18,833 You're just throwing things that you think 205 00:11:18,958 --> 00:11:20,792 are going to be effective for your ends. 206 00:11:22,375 --> 00:11:25,417 Narrator: A notable example is in 1345, 207 00:11:25,542 --> 00:11:28,833 when a simmering conflict between the Italian Genoese 208 00:11:28,917 --> 00:11:31,792 and a Mongol horde comes to a boil 209 00:11:31,875 --> 00:11:36,083 in the walled city of Kaffa in modern day Ukraine. 210 00:11:36,208 --> 00:11:38,833 Joyce Salisbury: Italy during the 14th century 211 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,583 was made up of a bunch of city-states, 212 00:11:41,708 --> 00:11:45,000 and the Genoese from Genoa were one of them. 213 00:11:45,125 --> 00:11:47,958 They actually produced Christopher Columbus. 214 00:11:48,042 --> 00:11:51,125 Christine Axen: Kaffa is a port city on the Black Sea, 215 00:11:51,250 --> 00:11:53,458 and this means that a lot of the commerce 216 00:11:53,542 --> 00:11:54,750 that's happening around the Black Sea 217 00:11:54,875 --> 00:11:56,875 is coming through Kaffa. 218 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,500 The Genoese were so dominant in the sea trade 219 00:12:00,625 --> 00:12:05,375 that they got the rights from the Mongol empire to a port in Kaffa. 220 00:12:05,542 --> 00:12:09,500 Narrator: But the agreement between the Genoese and the local Mongols 221 00:12:09,625 --> 00:12:12,958 is not exactly a friendly one. 222 00:12:13,042 --> 00:12:15,000 Joyce Salisbury: The Genoese lease the land, 223 00:12:15,125 --> 00:12:17,792 and you would think that would be a reasonable arrangement, 224 00:12:17,875 --> 00:12:21,625 but there was always tension between the Genoese 225 00:12:21,750 --> 00:12:25,167 and the Mongol hordes who surround. 226 00:12:25,333 --> 00:12:28,292 Almost anything could trigger a battle. 227 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:34,500 In 1345, the Mongols decide to take back Kaffa. 228 00:12:34,625 --> 00:12:37,250 The Genoese decide they're gonna stay, 229 00:12:37,375 --> 00:12:43,500 and a war breaks out between the Genoese and the Mongols. 230 00:12:43,667 --> 00:12:46,125 Jani Beg, who is the khan of a group called the Golden Horde, 231 00:12:46,208 --> 00:12:50,333 encircled the city of Kaffa and tried to besiege it. 232 00:12:50,500 --> 00:12:53,125 They were called the Golden Horde because they were so rich, 233 00:12:53,208 --> 00:12:55,458 and a "horde" because they were so violent. 234 00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:56,875 Narrator: Making matters worse, 235 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,208 an outbreak of a deadly disease 236 00:12:59,333 --> 00:13:02,458 is swiftly decimating the Mongol ranks. 237 00:13:02,542 --> 00:13:06,458 While the siege is going on, the Mongols are getting sick, 238 00:13:06,542 --> 00:13:08,333 and nobody knows why. 239 00:13:08,458 --> 00:13:11,583 People were hearing rumors of a terrible plague 240 00:13:11,708 --> 00:13:13,500 that was in the east in China. 241 00:13:13,667 --> 00:13:16,625 They didn't know where it was coming from. 242 00:13:16,750 --> 00:13:22,167 Narrator: This mysterious disease comes to be known as the bubonic plague. 243 00:13:23,958 --> 00:13:27,458 The plague is a zoonotic carrier. 244 00:13:27,583 --> 00:13:29,917 Rats would actually get the bacteria in their bodies, 245 00:13:30,042 --> 00:13:33,042 the flea would then bite a rat, 246 00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:34,542 and then it would bite a human. 247 00:13:34,708 --> 00:13:36,708 Once that bacteria gets into the body, 248 00:13:36,833 --> 00:13:39,083 it goes right into the lymphatic system. 249 00:13:39,208 --> 00:13:42,083 You would develop black blisters under your neck at your lymph nodes, 250 00:13:42,208 --> 00:13:43,708 under your arms and your groin. 251 00:13:43,833 --> 00:13:44,958 Jordan Wagner: They'd get anywhere between 252 00:13:45,083 --> 00:13:47,875 two to ten centimeters in size, 253 00:13:48,042 --> 00:13:50,500 and then these big lymph nodes can open up, bleed, 254 00:13:50,583 --> 00:13:53,875 puss comes out, blood, nastiness, all over the place. 255 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,792 It took everybody out. It was indiscriminate. 256 00:13:59,458 --> 00:14:01,292 Narrator: But behind Kaffa's walls, 257 00:14:01,375 --> 00:14:04,667 the Genoese appear to be safe. 258 00:14:04,750 --> 00:14:06,833 Because the protective walls 259 00:14:06,958 --> 00:14:10,042 seem so great surrounding the Genoese, 260 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:13,833 the Mongols are imagining that the Genoese inside 261 00:14:13,958 --> 00:14:16,375 are living the high life. 262 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:20,083 They're supplied, they're not getting sick. No problem. 263 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:29,208 Christine Axen: Jani Beg, noticing that his own men are starting to die 264 00:14:29,375 --> 00:14:32,500 from this mysterious disease, he comes up with the great idea 265 00:14:32,583 --> 00:14:37,833 to use trebuchets to catapult the dead into the city. 266 00:14:41,417 --> 00:14:45,583 Shane Adams: The Genoese behind that protected wall thought they were safe, 267 00:14:45,708 --> 00:14:48,958 until they saw the first few bodies start flying over that wall. 268 00:14:50,667 --> 00:14:54,792 Just imagine seeing these bodies fall from the sky. 269 00:14:54,875 --> 00:14:58,167 The boils had popped. It was blood, it was puss. 270 00:14:58,292 --> 00:15:02,750 It was human excrement. It was vile. 271 00:15:02,875 --> 00:15:05,875 It was a very disgusting and gruesome scene. 272 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,917 Narrator: The Genoese dump the diseased bodies into the sea, 273 00:15:10,042 --> 00:15:12,083 but it's too late. 274 00:15:12,208 --> 00:15:16,250 The plague spreads quickly throughout the city of Kaffa. 275 00:15:16,375 --> 00:15:19,167 Shane Adams: As soon as the first Genoese started to get sick, 276 00:15:19,292 --> 00:15:22,667 fear started to set in, because they were no longer protected. 277 00:15:22,750 --> 00:15:27,333 So they ran to their ships and evacuated the city, 278 00:15:27,417 --> 00:15:30,833 and ultimately took that bubonic plague, 279 00:15:30,958 --> 00:15:33,292 the black plague, with them on that journey... 280 00:15:35,417 --> 00:15:37,125 ...to the extent that when the first ship 281 00:15:37,208 --> 00:15:39,083 started to dock in southern Italy, 282 00:15:39,208 --> 00:15:43,208 people were met with horror as half of these ships 283 00:15:43,333 --> 00:15:45,292 were filled with dead bodies. 284 00:15:48,708 --> 00:15:50,375 Christine Axen: When the Genoese sail home, 285 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:52,250 they bring the black death to western Europe, 286 00:15:52,375 --> 00:15:56,292 where it immediately spreads far and wide, 287 00:15:56,375 --> 00:15:58,833 and the entire world is suddenly immersed 288 00:15:58,958 --> 00:16:00,500 in this deadly pandemic. 289 00:16:00,667 --> 00:16:03,208 It's estimated that some 290 00:16:03,333 --> 00:16:05,167 35 million people were killed. 291 00:16:05,333 --> 00:16:07,292 That's the entire population of Canada essentially. 292 00:16:07,375 --> 00:16:09,292 And this would've resulted in the loss 293 00:16:09,375 --> 00:16:12,042 of 30 to 60% of the population. 294 00:16:13,667 --> 00:16:15,375 Intentionally or not, 295 00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:19,667 when the Mongols put the plague-ridden bodies 296 00:16:19,750 --> 00:16:24,583 onto the trebuchet and launched them over the walls into Kaffa, 297 00:16:24,708 --> 00:16:30,375 this was the first known example of biological warfare in human history, 298 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:34,333 and the results were absolutely catastrophic. 299 00:16:37,208 --> 00:16:39,417 Narrator: But it's far from the last time 300 00:16:39,542 --> 00:16:46,875 gruesome intimidation tactics will be used in combat. 301 00:16:47,042 --> 00:16:50,000 Narrator: No weapon of fear is more frightening than fire, 302 00:16:50,083 --> 00:16:51,875 and throughout history, 303 00:16:52,042 --> 00:16:55,458 arms have been created to deliver just that. 304 00:16:55,542 --> 00:16:58,750 Martin Morgan: When the Chinese developed gunpowder first, 305 00:16:58,875 --> 00:17:01,917 they quickly recognized that there was an application that could relate to archery. 306 00:17:02,042 --> 00:17:06,542 And they simply created an attachment for the standard arrow 307 00:17:06,667 --> 00:17:10,208 that would encapsulate some gunpowder. 308 00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:12,208 So it would give the arrow a little bit greater velocity, 309 00:17:12,333 --> 00:17:14,500 and therefore gave it a little bit greater range. 310 00:17:14,625 --> 00:17:18,083 And this marks a transition from missile technology 311 00:17:18,208 --> 00:17:21,167 being missiles that are accelerated by human force, 312 00:17:21,333 --> 00:17:24,292 contracting a bow for example, to missiles that are being 313 00:17:24,417 --> 00:17:25,958 propelled by scientific force. 314 00:17:26,042 --> 00:17:27,417 It's a chemical reaction. 315 00:17:31,625 --> 00:17:34,500 In an age where it was mostly just swords and spears 316 00:17:34,625 --> 00:17:37,833 and a few bow and arrows, these fire-powered arrows 317 00:17:37,958 --> 00:17:41,333 were pretty intimidating. 318 00:17:41,417 --> 00:17:42,917 Martin Morgan: In this early stage, 319 00:17:43,042 --> 00:17:45,542 the rocketry is taking baby steps. 320 00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:48,167 The baby steps will then eventually lead to the recognition 321 00:17:48,333 --> 00:17:50,875 that individual rocket-assisted arrows 322 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,250 are lacking in accuracy. 323 00:17:53,375 --> 00:17:57,667 What is desired is a battery of rocket propelled arrows 324 00:17:57,792 --> 00:17:59,917 capable of saturating a target. 325 00:18:00,042 --> 00:18:03,125 Narrator: By 1400, the Chinese believe 326 00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:08,000 they have the perfect sinister solution. 327 00:18:08,125 --> 00:18:09,500 Martin Morgan: A document from the Ming dynasty 328 00:18:09,625 --> 00:18:12,500 describes this thing called a huo che. 329 00:18:12,625 --> 00:18:13,833 It was simply a battery. 330 00:18:13,958 --> 00:18:15,667 In other words, rocket-assisted arrows 331 00:18:15,833 --> 00:18:18,333 that were massed together and mounted on a cart 332 00:18:18,500 --> 00:18:20,833 that could be wheeled onto the battlefield 333 00:18:20,917 --> 00:18:24,500 and could be then used effectively as an area weapon 334 00:18:24,625 --> 00:18:26,750 in opposition against an armed enemy. 335 00:18:26,875 --> 00:18:30,792 Greg Jackson: Frankly, it was a pretty impressive weapon. 336 00:18:30,875 --> 00:18:34,958 It fired over 300 of these fire arrows, these early rockets, 337 00:18:35,042 --> 00:18:36,958 and you could go about it one of two ways. 338 00:18:37,042 --> 00:18:38,958 You could either light all of them at once 339 00:18:39,042 --> 00:18:41,500 and have a massive barrage hit your enemy, 340 00:18:41,583 --> 00:18:45,583 or you could do them more sequentially. 341 00:18:45,708 --> 00:18:49,125 Field artillery today functions just like the huo che did. 342 00:18:49,208 --> 00:18:51,500 In other words, very, very smart people 343 00:18:51,583 --> 00:18:54,458 from hundreds of years ago developed battery firing systems 344 00:18:54,583 --> 00:18:56,667 that have inspired and influenced 345 00:18:56,750 --> 00:18:59,208 the types of battery firing systems that we're using today. 346 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,333 Narrator: Following the invention of the huo che, 347 00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:08,542 the use of rockets spreads shock and terror throughout Asia. 348 00:19:08,708 --> 00:19:11,333 But in the 1700s, 349 00:19:11,458 --> 00:19:15,250 one South Indian ruler adds a menacing twist. 350 00:19:15,375 --> 00:19:17,250 Martin Morgan: The Kingdom of Mysore 351 00:19:17,375 --> 00:19:20,167 is centrally located in south India. 352 00:19:20,250 --> 00:19:22,417 It was under Tipu Sultan 353 00:19:22,542 --> 00:19:25,542 that rocket technology had been taken to a level 354 00:19:25,667 --> 00:19:30,167 that Europeans had not even begun to imagine. 355 00:19:30,292 --> 00:19:31,750 Narrator: Differing from its predecessors, 356 00:19:31,875 --> 00:19:35,333 the Mysorean rocket is encased in iron, 357 00:19:35,458 --> 00:19:37,125 allowing it to hold more gunpowder 358 00:19:37,208 --> 00:19:41,833 and travel upwards of a thousand yards. 359 00:19:41,917 --> 00:19:45,125 So that was a massive advance over just using the gunpowder 360 00:19:45,208 --> 00:19:47,125 in conjunction with arrows. 361 00:19:47,208 --> 00:19:49,292 You got greater range and you got greater impact. 362 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:52,333 Narrator: Their chilling power 363 00:19:52,458 --> 00:19:54,208 can be seen during a stand-off 364 00:19:54,375 --> 00:19:58,500 against the English in 1799. 365 00:19:58,625 --> 00:20:02,000 In resistance to this economic empire 366 00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:05,208 that was created in India under the British East Indies Company, 367 00:20:05,333 --> 00:20:08,708 the Mysoreans were ultimately locked in combat against the English, 368 00:20:08,833 --> 00:20:12,333 leading ultimately and climatically to a 1799 siege engagement. 369 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:15,583 Narrator: Tipu's troops are outnumbered four to one. 370 00:20:15,708 --> 00:20:19,042 So in a Hail Mary, they fire a barrage 371 00:20:19,208 --> 00:20:21,625 of Mysorean rockets at the British, 372 00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:24,500 causing them to flee in terror. 373 00:20:24,583 --> 00:20:26,083 Michael Sheldon: The firepower lit up the sky 374 00:20:26,208 --> 00:20:28,500 and also did a lot of damage on the battlefield. 375 00:20:28,667 --> 00:20:30,917 But it's a great terroristic weapon 376 00:20:31,042 --> 00:20:33,083 because it was more frightening 377 00:20:33,208 --> 00:20:35,375 than it was actual physical destruction. 378 00:20:35,542 --> 00:20:38,042 Greg Jackson: It isn't long after the British 379 00:20:38,167 --> 00:20:39,708 are being attacked by Mysorean rockets 380 00:20:39,833 --> 00:20:42,000 that they decide we need to look at these things. 381 00:20:42,125 --> 00:20:43,833 They're stronger. They're better than what we've got. 382 00:20:43,958 --> 00:20:45,625 They're taken back to Britain, where they can essentially 383 00:20:45,750 --> 00:20:47,667 be studied and reverse-engineered. 384 00:20:47,792 --> 00:20:51,250 Narrator: Inspired by this new technology, 385 00:20:51,375 --> 00:20:56,792 in 1801, Britain creates a rocket research program. 386 00:20:56,917 --> 00:20:58,625 Greg Jackson: So by the time we get into the early 1800s, 387 00:20:58,750 --> 00:21:02,500 Sir William Congreve has more or less given Britain 388 00:21:02,667 --> 00:21:05,250 its own Mysorean rocket, and it bears his name. 389 00:21:05,375 --> 00:21:06,583 This is the Congreve rocket. 390 00:21:08,708 --> 00:21:11,458 Now, these aren't the most powerful rockets out there, 391 00:21:11,583 --> 00:21:15,125 but their psychological effect is absolutely on point. 392 00:21:15,208 --> 00:21:20,125 When a Congreve rocket explodes, it fires a massive red flare, 393 00:21:20,250 --> 00:21:23,167 and frankly, it had to be terrifying. 394 00:21:23,292 --> 00:21:26,542 These things can go 4,500 feet in range, 395 00:21:26,667 --> 00:21:28,833 and they were quickly put to use in the Napoleonic Wars, 396 00:21:28,917 --> 00:21:32,500 and more notably to Americans, in the War of 1812. 397 00:21:35,042 --> 00:21:39,333 Narrator: Close to 15,000 Americans die during the War of 1812, 398 00:21:39,458 --> 00:21:42,625 and another 20,000 are taken as prisoners. 399 00:21:42,750 --> 00:21:47,250 One of them is lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key. 400 00:21:47,375 --> 00:21:51,667 Martin Morgan: During the siege and bombardment of Fort McHenry 401 00:21:51,792 --> 00:21:56,125 in Baltimore Harbor, the Congreve rockets were fired toward Fort McHenry. 402 00:21:56,250 --> 00:21:58,375 It was terrifying, 403 00:21:58,542 --> 00:22:01,292 but it led observers to take note 404 00:22:01,375 --> 00:22:04,750 of "rockets' red glare." 405 00:22:04,875 --> 00:22:07,500 This is what Francis Scott Key was describing 406 00:22:07,667 --> 00:22:09,542 when he wrote those lyrics, 407 00:22:09,708 --> 00:22:11,125 saying, "and the rockets' red glare, 408 00:22:11,208 --> 00:22:12,167 the bombs bursting in air," 409 00:22:12,292 --> 00:22:15,167 in America's national anthem. 410 00:22:15,292 --> 00:22:17,625 As the glare of one of these rockets passed 411 00:22:17,708 --> 00:22:21,000 and it briefly illuminated the flying American flag, 412 00:22:21,125 --> 00:22:23,417 it was of great inspiration 413 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:25,417 not just to Francis Scott Key, 414 00:22:25,542 --> 00:22:29,042 but every American that was around Baltimore Harbor. 415 00:22:29,208 --> 00:22:31,208 Not even the rockets' red glare 416 00:22:31,333 --> 00:22:33,958 could knock down the flagpole and bring down the American flag 417 00:22:34,042 --> 00:22:37,750 that stood there defiantly over the course of this bombardment. 418 00:22:37,875 --> 00:22:41,125 And it led them to feel bolstered, 419 00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:43,917 to feel reassured that we can stand up 420 00:22:44,042 --> 00:22:47,708 to even the rocket bombardment of the Royal Navy. 421 00:22:49,917 --> 00:22:52,500 Narrator: But even the rockets' red glare 422 00:22:52,625 --> 00:22:56,292 pales in comparison to a Soviet superweapon 423 00:22:56,375 --> 00:23:02,167 unleashed during World War II. 424 00:23:02,250 --> 00:23:04,875 Narrator: June, 1941. 425 00:23:05,042 --> 00:23:08,667 Germany launches an invasion of the Soviet Union, 426 00:23:08,792 --> 00:23:13,583 an offensive dubbed Operation Barbarossa. 427 00:23:13,708 --> 00:23:16,083 The Soviet Union and national socialist Third Reich 428 00:23:16,208 --> 00:23:19,083 signed a non-aggression pact before the war began, 429 00:23:19,208 --> 00:23:23,833 but it ceased to be convenient very quickly for Nazi Germany. 430 00:23:23,958 --> 00:23:26,542 The Soviet Union sat upon the world's greatest 431 00:23:26,708 --> 00:23:29,083 oil resources for that time period. 432 00:23:29,208 --> 00:23:31,500 Nazi Germany had by that point realized, "You know what? 433 00:23:31,583 --> 00:23:33,917 We're going to need that oil for ourselves, and we don't want to have to buy it. 434 00:23:34,042 --> 00:23:36,750 We're going to take it." What could possibly go wrong? 435 00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:41,458 Michael Shelden: The invasion is a huge success at first. 436 00:23:41,542 --> 00:23:43,625 The Germans in the summer weather 437 00:23:43,708 --> 00:23:47,000 ride across the plains in relative ease. 438 00:23:47,125 --> 00:23:49,708 But as they reach the end of the year 439 00:23:49,875 --> 00:23:51,833 and the weather begins to turn nasty, 440 00:23:51,917 --> 00:23:54,167 they have a harder time making progress. 441 00:23:54,292 --> 00:23:58,542 Yet they do reach the gates of Moscow by December of 1941. 442 00:23:58,667 --> 00:24:00,333 Martin Morgan: And at about that same time, 443 00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:02,708 the enemy has marshaled his strength, 444 00:24:02,875 --> 00:24:04,750 and the Soviet Union begins to fight back 445 00:24:04,875 --> 00:24:06,667 with ever increasing strength. 446 00:24:06,792 --> 00:24:09,667 Narrator: Caught in an impossible stalemate 447 00:24:09,792 --> 00:24:11,792 and running low on supplies, 448 00:24:11,875 --> 00:24:14,500 the invading Nazis are about to find themselves 449 00:24:14,625 --> 00:24:20,000 in the crosshairs of a terrifying new Soviet weapon of shock and awe, 450 00:24:20,125 --> 00:24:22,042 the Katyusha. 451 00:24:22,167 --> 00:24:24,583 The Soviets roll out this new secret weapon, 452 00:24:24,708 --> 00:24:27,625 this battery firing rocket launcher 453 00:24:27,750 --> 00:24:30,667 that takes great effect against German fighting forces. 454 00:24:32,958 --> 00:24:36,500 You would just hope that you were a lottery winner during that attack 455 00:24:36,667 --> 00:24:39,583 and that you wouldn't experience a direct hit. 456 00:24:39,708 --> 00:24:43,792 Because if you did, your chances of survival were almost zero. 457 00:24:46,125 --> 00:24:48,583 Martin Morgan: The Katyusha system is called the BM-13. 458 00:24:48,708 --> 00:24:51,458 That's the official designation of the rail launching system 459 00:24:51,583 --> 00:24:53,625 that was then mounted on a vehicle. 460 00:24:53,708 --> 00:24:56,500 The system itself was a launching platform 461 00:24:56,625 --> 00:24:59,167 that had 16 separate rails, and it would therefore 462 00:24:59,333 --> 00:25:01,542 have a battery firing capability 463 00:25:01,667 --> 00:25:04,000 of 16 rockets simultaneously. 464 00:25:04,125 --> 00:25:10,042 Narrator: Each M-13 rocket is 2 1/2 feet long 465 00:25:10,167 --> 00:25:13,792 and weighs 93 pounds. 466 00:25:13,875 --> 00:25:15,708 These weren't massive rockets by any means. 467 00:25:15,833 --> 00:25:19,042 It was the number of them that made the difference. 468 00:25:19,167 --> 00:25:22,500 It was more a question of quantity over quality. 469 00:25:22,625 --> 00:25:24,917 Martin Morgan: The Katyusha system 470 00:25:25,042 --> 00:25:27,333 is recognized as being an area weapon. 471 00:25:27,417 --> 00:25:29,417 You're not sniping with it. 472 00:25:29,542 --> 00:25:31,625 You're firing a barrage of Katyushas 473 00:25:31,708 --> 00:25:33,333 at a certain beaten zone. 474 00:25:33,458 --> 00:25:36,250 Within that beaten zone, you are going to tear everything up. 475 00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:42,167 Narrator: This diabolical weapon has one more chilling feature. 476 00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:47,083 Martin Morgan: The Katyusha had a powerful psychological effect 477 00:25:47,208 --> 00:25:50,375 because the sound moved faster than the weapon. 478 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:51,833 And so the people on the receiving end 479 00:25:51,917 --> 00:25:55,167 would hear this screeching, whirring sound, 480 00:25:55,292 --> 00:25:57,667 and they would know what they were about to be in for. 481 00:25:57,750 --> 00:26:01,750 Michael Shelden: You can hear just this sort of whoosh, 482 00:26:01,875 --> 00:26:05,333 but then a screech as it reaches the target. 483 00:26:05,458 --> 00:26:07,542 It really was so frightening 484 00:26:07,667 --> 00:26:09,833 that it made it difficult to stand your ground. 485 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,750 Martin Morgan: If you heard the screeching sound of a Katyusha, 486 00:26:12,875 --> 00:26:14,792 the hardened veterans would disappear very quickly 487 00:26:14,875 --> 00:26:17,667 because they would all flee for cover, 488 00:26:17,792 --> 00:26:20,708 and that had a powerful intimidating effect 489 00:26:20,833 --> 00:26:23,708 against the people who were new to that battlefield. 490 00:26:23,833 --> 00:26:26,000 Michael Shelden: The Russians were giving the Germans 491 00:26:26,125 --> 00:26:28,958 a bit of their own medicine, because in the Blitzkrieg, 492 00:26:29,042 --> 00:26:32,833 the Germans had understood the terror that comes 493 00:26:32,958 --> 00:26:37,000 with screeching sounds from their Stuka dive bombers. 494 00:26:37,125 --> 00:26:40,708 What the Russians did was use that practice against them. 495 00:26:40,833 --> 00:26:43,250 Narrator: But it's the weapon's appearance 496 00:26:43,375 --> 00:26:46,417 that lends itself to a twisted new nickname. 497 00:26:46,542 --> 00:26:49,083 Many people thought when they looked at the configuration 498 00:26:49,208 --> 00:26:52,250 of these tubes on the back of these trucks, 499 00:26:52,375 --> 00:26:56,417 that it looked like a collection of organ pipes. 500 00:26:56,542 --> 00:26:58,833 In a kind of battlefield gallows humor, 501 00:26:58,958 --> 00:27:03,208 they gave it this nickname-- Stalin's organ. 502 00:27:03,333 --> 00:27:07,500 Narrator: Stalin's organ stops the Nazis dead in their tracks, 503 00:27:07,667 --> 00:27:11,708 contributing to the loss of over 250,000 504 00:27:11,875 --> 00:27:15,708 of Hitler's soldiers during the Battle of Moscow. 505 00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:21,917 The Germans are getting pummeled over and over again 506 00:27:22,042 --> 00:27:24,917 by the M-13 rockets that are fired by the Katyusha. 507 00:27:25,042 --> 00:27:29,292 The Germans don't like it because it sucks. 508 00:27:29,417 --> 00:27:33,292 Michael Shelden: Katyusha rockets truly worried the Germans, 509 00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:35,125 because they didn't have a defense against them 510 00:27:35,208 --> 00:27:38,792 and they had nothing like it to fire back. 511 00:27:38,875 --> 00:27:41,500 When you were in an assault by these Katyusha rockets, 512 00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:43,750 there was no place to go. 513 00:27:43,875 --> 00:27:46,667 They would cover a large area of the battlefield at once 514 00:27:46,792 --> 00:27:48,833 and leave a lot of dead bodies. 515 00:27:51,083 --> 00:27:53,000 Narrator: The lethal rocket is so effective, 516 00:27:53,167 --> 00:27:56,125 the Soviets ramp up production, 517 00:27:56,208 --> 00:27:59,750 ordering 10,000 more during the course of the war. 518 00:28:01,875 --> 00:28:03,042 Michael Shelden: Russia just won't let up. 519 00:28:03,167 --> 00:28:05,375 They keep coming and coming and coming. 520 00:28:05,542 --> 00:28:07,667 And they sow such fear, 521 00:28:07,792 --> 00:28:10,875 that almost all the Nazi leadership run to the west, 522 00:28:11,042 --> 00:28:13,750 right back to the borders of Germany, 523 00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:16,000 rather than face the Russians 524 00:28:16,125 --> 00:28:18,625 with their Katyushas on the east. 525 00:28:18,708 --> 00:28:21,042 Narrator: But back in the western theater, 526 00:28:21,208 --> 00:28:29,167 the Nazis have their own top secret mega-weapon in the works. 527 00:28:29,292 --> 00:28:33,042 Narrator: By 1941, Adolf Hitler is ready to fire back 528 00:28:33,167 --> 00:28:38,250 at the Soviets with a truly horrifying piece of artillery, 529 00:28:38,375 --> 00:28:42,458 one that's been in the works for almost a decade. 530 00:28:44,667 --> 00:28:46,625 The Schwerer Gustav. 531 00:28:46,750 --> 00:28:49,667 Michael Shelden: The Schwerer Gustav was an enormous weapon. 532 00:28:49,792 --> 00:28:54,750 It was the kind of gun that you would be frightened just to see at a distance. 533 00:28:54,875 --> 00:28:58,458 It's so enormous that it's going to have to be mounted 534 00:28:58,542 --> 00:29:02,708 on railway tracks especially built for it to work. 535 00:29:02,833 --> 00:29:05,333 Narrator: This gigantic Nazi cannon 536 00:29:05,458 --> 00:29:09,458 will become the most notorious railway gun in history. 537 00:29:09,542 --> 00:29:14,792 But its inspiration comes from an earlier deadly conflict, 538 00:29:14,875 --> 00:29:19,042 the American Civil War. 539 00:29:19,208 --> 00:29:21,167 Barton Myers: The Brooke naval rifle was originally designed 540 00:29:21,250 --> 00:29:25,000 by John Mercer Brooke for the Confederate navy. 541 00:29:25,167 --> 00:29:28,458 It was the first armored rail cannon 542 00:29:28,542 --> 00:29:32,042 used in combat in world history. 543 00:29:32,208 --> 00:29:36,167 The Brooke naval rifle weighs roughly ten tons. 544 00:29:36,250 --> 00:29:40,792 It could fire a 64-pound projectile nearly five miles. 545 00:29:42,042 --> 00:29:43,917 The basic problem, however, 546 00:29:44,042 --> 00:29:47,667 was that it can only fire in one direction. 547 00:29:47,792 --> 00:29:50,250 In 1864, at the siege of Petersburg, 548 00:29:50,375 --> 00:29:54,958 the Union army deploys its own railway gun, the Dictator, 549 00:29:55,083 --> 00:30:00,417 which fires a shell weighing 225 pounds. 550 00:30:01,583 --> 00:30:04,042 But the recoil is so powerful, 551 00:30:04,167 --> 00:30:08,917 it destroys the railway car that it's sitting on. 552 00:30:09,042 --> 00:30:13,333 Even the impractical nature of these early rail guns 553 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:15,333 didn't deter later inventors 554 00:30:15,500 --> 00:30:20,083 from attempting to invent larger guns on rail. 555 00:30:20,208 --> 00:30:23,083 Narrator: Including German engineer Gustav Krupp, 556 00:30:23,208 --> 00:30:26,375 first tasked by Hitler in 1936 557 00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:29,083 to develop their own version of a railway gun 558 00:30:29,208 --> 00:30:33,500 capable of obliterating the French Maginot Line. 559 00:30:33,667 --> 00:30:37,000 Michael Shelden: The Maginot Line was a defensive line 560 00:30:37,125 --> 00:30:38,833 that stretched pretty much across 561 00:30:38,917 --> 00:30:41,375 the French border with Germany. 562 00:30:41,542 --> 00:30:44,167 The Germans thought to get through the Maginot Line 563 00:30:44,292 --> 00:30:47,042 they would need guns big enough to destroy 564 00:30:47,167 --> 00:30:50,167 those deeply emplaced fortifications. 565 00:30:50,333 --> 00:30:54,375 And so the Krupp arms manufacturers 566 00:30:54,542 --> 00:30:56,667 are able to deliver to Hitler 567 00:30:56,833 --> 00:30:59,333 the most massive gun that's ever been built. 568 00:31:01,042 --> 00:31:05,250 Narrator: The weapon weighs 1,350 tons, 569 00:31:05,375 --> 00:31:09,625 about the same as six Boeing 747 jets. 570 00:31:09,750 --> 00:31:13,333 It fires 15,000-pound shells 571 00:31:13,417 --> 00:31:16,167 at a range of 29 miles. 572 00:31:16,333 --> 00:31:19,250 Martin Morgan: Schwerer Gustav was not just a powerful weapon. 573 00:31:19,375 --> 00:31:21,500 It was a way of advertising to the world, 574 00:31:21,583 --> 00:31:23,000 "Don't ( bleep ) with us." 575 00:31:23,167 --> 00:31:25,042 Narrator: But by the time the weapon 576 00:31:25,208 --> 00:31:29,708 is finally completed in 1941, it's too late. 577 00:31:29,875 --> 00:31:33,167 The entire reason that Krupp designs this weapon 578 00:31:33,292 --> 00:31:35,750 is so that Germany will have something 579 00:31:35,875 --> 00:31:37,625 that can defeat the French Maginot Line. 580 00:31:37,708 --> 00:31:39,000 And in the end, 581 00:31:39,167 --> 00:31:41,208 it's not firepower that does that, 582 00:31:41,333 --> 00:31:44,917 because German units simply maneuver around the Maginot Line 583 00:31:45,042 --> 00:31:48,000 from its less heavily defended northern frontier. 584 00:31:48,125 --> 00:31:53,333 Narrator: As a result, the Schwerer Gustav is put on the backburner. 585 00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:55,917 But the time and resources spent constructing 586 00:31:56,042 --> 00:32:00,042 this colossal weapon will not go to waste. 587 00:32:00,208 --> 00:32:01,917 Martin Morgan: By the autumn of 1941, 588 00:32:02,042 --> 00:32:05,333 Soviet forces held out at the city of Sevastopol. 589 00:32:05,417 --> 00:32:09,833 This leads to an eight-month long siege operation 590 00:32:09,958 --> 00:32:12,500 during which all manner of German firepower 591 00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:15,583 was brought to bear against Soviet forces in the city. 592 00:32:15,708 --> 00:32:20,000 And that firepower eventually would include Schwerer Gustav. 593 00:32:20,125 --> 00:32:21,500 Michael Shelden: Sevastopol, if you think about it, 594 00:32:21,625 --> 00:32:24,000 is quite a long way to take that gun. 595 00:32:24,125 --> 00:32:25,917 It's well over a thousand miles. 596 00:32:26,042 --> 00:32:29,333 Martin Morgan: It took 25 freight cars 597 00:32:29,417 --> 00:32:33,000 to transport the various component assets of Schwerer Gustav. 598 00:32:33,125 --> 00:32:36,375 So it was its own train just to get there, 599 00:32:36,542 --> 00:32:39,500 only to then be assembled so that it could fire some shots. 600 00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:44,500 Narrator: Once in place, the Gustav fires 47 rounds, 601 00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:48,583 laying waste to various targets throughout the city. 602 00:32:48,708 --> 00:32:51,125 Hardened underground ammunition storage facilities, 603 00:32:51,208 --> 00:32:53,500 troop concentrations at railroad marshaling yards, 604 00:32:53,583 --> 00:32:55,292 completely destroyed. 605 00:32:55,375 --> 00:32:58,000 Ships that are riding in the harbor are destroyed 606 00:32:58,083 --> 00:33:01,208 by the concussive force of AP rounds that are going off. 607 00:33:01,333 --> 00:33:06,375 Michael Shelden: Even though it was very difficult to fire and to put into place, 608 00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:10,000 the Germans decided it was worth it for its fear factor, 609 00:33:10,125 --> 00:33:14,333 for the ability to strike terror. 610 00:33:14,458 --> 00:33:16,708 This seemed like the most superweapon of all. 611 00:33:16,875 --> 00:33:19,333 Narrator: But as evidenced by the Warwolf trebuchet 612 00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:25,042 over six centuries ago, bigger is not always better. 613 00:33:25,167 --> 00:33:27,125 Martin Morgan: Schwerer Gustav was extremely effective 614 00:33:27,250 --> 00:33:29,833 in use during the siege of Sevastopol. 615 00:33:29,958 --> 00:33:34,167 The only problem is that the accuracy is falling off dramatically 616 00:33:34,292 --> 00:33:37,208 and much faster than expected, 617 00:33:37,375 --> 00:33:40,042 to such an extent that after they had fired 47 rounds, 618 00:33:40,167 --> 00:33:42,875 they realize that we might as well not even continue. 619 00:33:43,042 --> 00:33:46,083 Michael Shelden: The gun is so labor-intensive, 620 00:33:46,208 --> 00:33:49,167 requiring thousands to move it and maintain it, 621 00:33:49,292 --> 00:33:51,375 but the really glaring problem with it 622 00:33:51,500 --> 00:33:55,792 was that such a big gun can be seen from the air for miles. 623 00:33:55,917 --> 00:33:59,542 So the gun was a sitting duck to any kind of air attack. 624 00:33:59,708 --> 00:34:04,333 In the end, it's not a very useful weapon at all. 625 00:34:04,417 --> 00:34:07,417 It looks impressive, but because it wasn't practical, 626 00:34:07,542 --> 00:34:10,083 it was never going to be effective. 627 00:34:13,375 --> 00:34:15,500 Narrator: Despite the Nazi cannon's flaws, 628 00:34:15,583 --> 00:34:20,750 by the end of the battle, the Soviet army is annihilated, 629 00:34:20,875 --> 00:34:25,292 suffering over 115,000 casualties. 630 00:34:27,375 --> 00:34:29,375 Martin Morgan: After the siege of Sevastopol, 631 00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:33,000 Schwerer Gustav never fires another shot in anger. 632 00:34:33,167 --> 00:34:34,458 Narrator: To prevent the technology 633 00:34:34,583 --> 00:34:36,667 from falling into Allied hands, 634 00:34:36,792 --> 00:34:42,833 the Germans ultimately destroy the weapon in 1945. 635 00:34:42,917 --> 00:34:44,792 It's interesting that the Germans felt 636 00:34:44,917 --> 00:34:46,000 they needed to be destroyed. 637 00:34:46,083 --> 00:34:48,333 It was one of the darkest 638 00:34:48,417 --> 00:34:51,042 of all the superweapons of the Nazi regime 639 00:34:51,167 --> 00:34:55,167 because at a distance it would frighten the hell out of you. 640 00:34:55,292 --> 00:34:58,000 But it still begs the question of who would want to copy 641 00:34:58,167 --> 00:35:00,958 such an impractical weapon? 642 00:35:01,042 --> 00:35:05,500 Narrator: But a giant superweapon like the Schwerer Gustav 643 00:35:05,583 --> 00:35:09,000 isn't the only Nazi idea for spreading devastation 644 00:35:09,167 --> 00:35:12,208 and fear in the hearts of Germany's enemies. 645 00:35:16,292 --> 00:35:18,917 Narrator: 1943. 646 00:35:19,042 --> 00:35:21,333 The Nazis are secretly developing 647 00:35:21,500 --> 00:35:24,500 a terrifying new weapon to destroy London-- 648 00:35:24,625 --> 00:35:27,292 the V-3 Supergun. 649 00:35:27,375 --> 00:35:30,708 The Germans always believed that Britain would be a pushover. 650 00:35:30,833 --> 00:35:33,292 They thought that after they stormed their way 651 00:35:33,417 --> 00:35:35,083 through the low countries in France 652 00:35:35,208 --> 00:35:38,917 that turning to England would be a fairly easy job. 653 00:35:39,042 --> 00:35:41,500 Narrator: One of the earliest assaults against the Brits 654 00:35:41,583 --> 00:35:45,625 happens on September 7th, 1940. 655 00:35:45,750 --> 00:35:48,792 The Germans launch a surprise bombing attack on London, 656 00:35:48,875 --> 00:35:54,583 setting off a relentless siege known as the Blitz. 657 00:35:54,708 --> 00:35:56,375 Martin Morgan: Over the course of the eight months of the Blitz, 658 00:35:56,500 --> 00:35:59,750 43,000 British subjects lose their lives. 659 00:35:59,875 --> 00:36:02,000 Civilians. 660 00:36:02,083 --> 00:36:05,333 Over one million homes are destroyed. 661 00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:08,917 So for the United Kingdom, this is a massive loss. 662 00:36:09,042 --> 00:36:12,000 Narrator: But the Brits fire back. 663 00:36:12,083 --> 00:36:13,708 The British had an enormous advantage 664 00:36:13,833 --> 00:36:16,792 in their early adoption of radar 665 00:36:16,875 --> 00:36:19,958 that allowed them to know exactly when 666 00:36:20,042 --> 00:36:23,167 these Luftwaffe planes were coming over to attack. 667 00:36:23,250 --> 00:36:25,417 And so they would meet them head-on 668 00:36:25,542 --> 00:36:29,333 with Spitfires and other fighter planes. 669 00:36:29,458 --> 00:36:32,375 Martin Morgan: It becomes this grind over and over again 670 00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:34,292 of the Germans send in a big attack 671 00:36:34,375 --> 00:36:37,042 and the RAF comes up to fight them. 672 00:36:37,167 --> 00:36:39,583 And eventually, over 2,000 German aircraft 673 00:36:39,708 --> 00:36:41,542 are lost in combat. 674 00:36:45,542 --> 00:36:47,208 Narrator: Their tenacity pays off 675 00:36:47,333 --> 00:36:52,667 when Hitler abandons the siege on May 11, 1941. 676 00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:55,833 But the fight is far from over. 677 00:36:55,917 --> 00:36:57,500 Martin Morgan: By late 1942, 678 00:36:57,625 --> 00:37:00,208 the RAF and the United States Army air forces 679 00:37:00,333 --> 00:37:03,625 were conducting precision bombing raids against German cities 680 00:37:03,708 --> 00:37:05,917 and killing German civilians by the thousands, 681 00:37:06,042 --> 00:37:08,042 and Adolf Hitler wanted revenge for it. 682 00:37:08,167 --> 00:37:11,375 And that speeds up the development 683 00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:13,417 of the so-called V-weapons. 684 00:37:13,542 --> 00:37:15,375 The V-1, the V-2, and the V-3. 685 00:37:15,500 --> 00:37:17,083 The V is significant 686 00:37:17,208 --> 00:37:19,167 because the V was roughly translated 687 00:37:19,250 --> 00:37:20,417 in our language as vengeance. 688 00:37:20,542 --> 00:37:22,708 These were vengeance weapons. 689 00:37:22,833 --> 00:37:25,500 Narrator: For the next two years, the Germans continue 690 00:37:25,583 --> 00:37:27,667 to develop the weapons in secret. 691 00:37:27,750 --> 00:37:30,292 But after the Allied invasion of Normandy 692 00:37:30,417 --> 00:37:33,958 on June 6th, 1944, or D-Day, 693 00:37:34,083 --> 00:37:38,167 Hitler's desire for vengeance reaches a fever pitch. 694 00:37:38,250 --> 00:37:42,208 One week later, the V-weapons are unleashed, 695 00:37:42,333 --> 00:37:45,292 first on London and later Belgium. 696 00:37:45,375 --> 00:37:48,125 Martin Morgan: It would start with the V-1 buzz bomb. 697 00:37:48,208 --> 00:37:51,292 This was a pulse jet powered flying bomb 698 00:37:51,417 --> 00:37:53,083 that would be used to strike targets 699 00:37:53,208 --> 00:37:55,000 like the city of London. 700 00:37:55,083 --> 00:37:57,083 Michael Shelden: The V-2 was much more sophisticated. 701 00:37:57,208 --> 00:37:59,500 That was a real rocket. 702 00:37:59,583 --> 00:38:01,417 Martin Morgan: This was the world's first ballistic missile. 703 00:38:01,542 --> 00:38:03,458 That was one engineering solution 704 00:38:03,542 --> 00:38:08,917 for getting a projectile on a target at great range. 705 00:38:09,042 --> 00:38:10,792 Michael Shelden: The combination of these weapons 706 00:38:10,875 --> 00:38:12,833 should have had greater impact than they did. 707 00:38:12,958 --> 00:38:15,542 They certainly frightened a lot of English people, 708 00:38:15,667 --> 00:38:19,125 but none of them proved to be decisive at all. 709 00:38:19,208 --> 00:38:24,292 Narrator: And so Hitler imagines an even greater vengeance weapon, 710 00:38:24,375 --> 00:38:26,333 one that can spread destruction, terror, 711 00:38:26,458 --> 00:38:29,167 and most importantly, payback, 712 00:38:29,250 --> 00:38:30,792 throughout the city of London. 713 00:38:33,042 --> 00:38:36,958 The Germans begin the construction of a V-3 Supergun site 714 00:38:37,042 --> 00:38:40,792 at a place called Mimoyecques in Northern France. 715 00:38:40,917 --> 00:38:43,208 And it was here where there would be 25 barrels 716 00:38:43,333 --> 00:38:45,208 divided into five groups. 717 00:38:45,333 --> 00:38:47,875 And once that facility had been completed, 718 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:53,333 these 25 Supergun barrels would deliver 600 projectiles 719 00:38:53,458 --> 00:38:58,292 against the city of London each and every day. 720 00:38:58,375 --> 00:39:01,000 Narrator: While the Nazis raced to complete the Superguns, 721 00:39:01,083 --> 00:39:05,833 it's nearly impossible to keep their plans under wraps. 722 00:39:05,958 --> 00:39:09,292 Michael Shelden: In 1944, their fortifications 723 00:39:09,375 --> 00:39:12,208 were spotted by aerial surveillance. 724 00:39:12,333 --> 00:39:17,292 We knew it was bad news, and so we began a process of bombarding it. 725 00:39:17,375 --> 00:39:19,458 And one of the most famous attempts 726 00:39:19,542 --> 00:39:21,333 to destroy those fortifications 727 00:39:21,417 --> 00:39:23,375 was mounted by a young lieutenant 728 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:25,125 in the American Navy 729 00:39:25,250 --> 00:39:28,000 who agreed to volunteer to fly a bomber 730 00:39:28,125 --> 00:39:32,000 jammed with explosives over that site of the V-3, 731 00:39:32,125 --> 00:39:37,292 and then bail out after aiming his plane with these explosives 732 00:39:37,375 --> 00:39:39,208 straight at that fortification. 733 00:39:39,375 --> 00:39:43,500 That young lieutenant was named Joseph Kennedy. 734 00:39:43,625 --> 00:39:46,042 He was president Kennedy's older brother. 735 00:39:46,208 --> 00:39:49,500 And it didn't work. 736 00:39:49,667 --> 00:39:53,375 The electronics on the bomber went off prematurely, 737 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:56,667 blowing poor Joe Kennedy up in the process. 738 00:39:56,750 --> 00:39:59,625 So the man who the Kennedy family thought 739 00:39:59,708 --> 00:40:00,875 would be the president of the United States, 740 00:40:01,042 --> 00:40:03,000 older brother Joe, 741 00:40:03,083 --> 00:40:07,833 was blown up trying to take out the V-3 guns. 742 00:40:07,958 --> 00:40:11,708 Narrator: Despite the tragic accident, the Allies remain determined 743 00:40:11,833 --> 00:40:15,500 to eliminate the Nazi's supersized death cannon. 744 00:40:15,625 --> 00:40:18,708 The RAF dam-busters ultimately contribute significantly 745 00:40:18,833 --> 00:40:20,667 to the destruction of the site at Mimoyecques 746 00:40:20,792 --> 00:40:23,583 by using this weapon that's called the Tallboy. 747 00:40:23,708 --> 00:40:26,958 It's a 12-ton bomb, 748 00:40:27,042 --> 00:40:30,125 and it absolutely destroys the site 749 00:40:30,208 --> 00:40:33,167 to such an extent that the project has to be abandoned. 750 00:40:33,333 --> 00:40:36,250 But that system from the start was doomed 751 00:40:36,375 --> 00:40:38,333 because Germany couldn't do any of it 752 00:40:38,417 --> 00:40:40,625 without invading other countries 753 00:40:40,708 --> 00:40:42,875 and enslaving the populations of those countries. 754 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,208 And when you do that, you're going to get war. 755 00:40:45,375 --> 00:40:46,875 And when you get war, you might get 756 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,500 a multi-national coalition of 14 countries 757 00:40:50,625 --> 00:40:51,875 that come and kick the living ( bleep ) out of you, 758 00:40:52,042 --> 00:40:53,333 and that's what happened. 759 00:40:53,458 --> 00:40:55,542 Narrator: The Warwolf trebuchet, 760 00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:57,833 the Katyusha rocket system, 761 00:40:58,000 --> 00:40:59,625 the Schwerer Gustav, 762 00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:02,000 and the V-3 cannon, 763 00:41:02,125 --> 00:41:03,833 though they had their flaws, 764 00:41:03,917 --> 00:41:06,500 these terrifying weapons of shock and awe 765 00:41:06,583 --> 00:41:10,708 combined the modern technology of the day with sinister intent, 766 00:41:10,833 --> 00:41:13,500 and have left scars on both the battlefield 767 00:41:13,667 --> 00:41:16,083 and the psyches of those who faced them.