Failed Results of Unconventional Warfare

On July 30, 1864, Union forces exploded 8,000 pounds of black powder in a tunnel underneath Confederate trenches at Petersburg, Virginia, creating a crater 170 feet long and 120 feet wide, and 30 feet deep.  The unorganized rush of Union troops into the crater resulted in Union failure, with Federal troops suffering well over double the casualties inflicted on the Confederate troops.  The Battle of the Crater as this action was called is an example of an unconventional military idea that did not work.  Back on May 15, 2014 History and Headlines featured a list of 10 Weapons and Weapons Systems that Flopped.  Today, we list 10 more of these off the wall military ideas as a sequel, although not all are total failures.  There are more than enough other failed weapons and goofy ideas to create several more lists.   (Be sure to see our related articles,“10 Bizarre World War II Weapons”  and  “Weird Weapons of World War I”)