The Panzer I was designed as a training tank for the Wehrmacht; it was really not intended to be used in combat. However, September 1939 caught the Germans short of real tanks like the Panzer III and Panzer IV (the Panzer II was really too light, but a skilled commander could disable other tanks with it's 20mm gun).
(I do like to have some Panzer I's if I play the Germans in Steel Panthers, viewing them as armored MG nests on defense and expendable 'the enemy is here!' flags on offense).
I would consider the Tiger II a worse tank than the Tiger I. Every bad thing about the original was magnified in the sequel.
Worst airplane? Well, the Me 163 Komet killed more of it's pilots than Allied fighters did. The Ba 249 Natter was an even worse idea. However, this title possible goes to the Breda Ba.88 Lince (lynx), a twin engine fighter bomber. Several hundred were built based on prototype performance. However, once military equipment was added in the production models, performance dropped off to deathrap levels. In the end, those that survived the first few attempts to use them in combat were stripped of useful gear and left around airfields, to confuse photo-reconnaisance and serve as targets for the British to waste bombs on.
As for the counterintuitive selector on the AK-47, I've heard that explained that the gun was primarily intended as an automatic rifle, so auto on the first setting off safe was a logical extension of this (OTOH, the M16 was meant to primarily fire single, aimed shots, so it's selector settings were single before auto). No idea if this is true.
|