The German wind cannon, also known as the “WindKanone,” is one of Nazi Germany’s Wunderwaffe weapons that can shoot a blast of compressed air, knocking enemy aircraft off the sky.

Developed in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1945, the wind cannon was meant as a substitute for conventional anti-aircraft weapons due to their crippling shortage by 1943 to combat Allied bombing raids. It consisted of a large-angle barrel that bends like an arm resting in an immense cradle, like a broken pea shooter.

The cannon is fired by igniting a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen, which would trigger a rapidly ejecting projectile of compressed air and water vapor, like a solid “shot” of air. With sufficient force, it is proven that a powerful region of compressed and high-velocity air could inflict some damage and bring down enemy aircraft.

In experimental trials, Nitrogen Peroxide was deployed so that the brown colour allowed the path and destination of the transparent solid “shot” of air to be observed and photographed.

However, despite its potential, the WindKanone did not work as intended due to the aerodynamics of a flying aircraft, which neutralized the weapon’s effectiveness. In 1945, a Wind cannon was installed on an Elbe bridge, but yielded no results against Allied air attack.

https://pictureshistory.blogspot.com/2009/10/nazi-secret-weapons-wind-cannon.html

https://www.nevingtonwarmuseum.com/wind-cannon.html

https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/vortex-weapons