Once launched, the parachutes and lines were obvious and easy to avoid as they descended. However, the machines were complicated, taking time to launch. The hope was they’d catch hold of enemy aircraft as they slowly descended by parachute. Firing a barrage of rockets from non-rifled (hence the term unrotated) tubes, the machine worked by having the rockets release the mines and cables. Upon reaching a sufficient height the machine would explode, releasing a veritable “flock” of airborne mines attached to cables, to snare enemy aircraft and detonate. As weird as its name sounds, the convoluted machine was intended to be used to deadly effect, but was apparently entirely ineffective against enemy aircraft. But did you know that for a time in WWII, due to a British engineering project, it was at least possible to accidentally fly into an aerial minefield? During WWII, British engineering efforts culminated in the creation of a bizarre weapon intended for the Royal Navy known as the Unrotated-projectile Rocket Launcher. Anti-tank, anti-shipping, and anti-personnel mines are all notorious due to their extreme danger and, especially in the case of anti-personnel mines, ability to inflict grievous harm after the end of hostilities.
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