Скачать или смотреть How One Mechanics Idiotic Welding Pattern Made Armor Deflect Shells Everyone Thought Would Penetrate

How One Mechanic's "Idiotic" Welding Pattern Made Armor Deflect Shells Everyone Thought Would Penetrate

#WWIIHistory #MilitaryEngineering #TankWarfare

In 1943, the U.S. Army discovered a terrifying flaw in its most important tank—the M4 Sherman. German shells weren’t just penetrating the armor… they were tearing tanks apart along their weld seams. Engineers couldn’t fix it without slowing production, and thousands of crews were paying the price.

Then, 600 miles away, a 29-year-old mechanic did something everyone said was stupid.

This video tells the astonishing true story of Walter Basinski, the civilian welder whose “idiotic” welding pattern violated every military specification—yet caused enemy shells to deflect instead of penetrate. Through secret modifications, rejected inspections, and one decisive ballistic test at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Basinski unknowingly rewrote the rules of armored vehicle survivability during World War II.

Using real combat reports, engineering breakdowns, and battlefield results from North Africa and Italy, this documentary-style deep dive reveals how one overlooked mechanic saved an estimated 4,100 tank crew lives—and influenced modern tank design still used today.

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