Mankind has created many inventions that marvel us, fascinate us, and even scare us. When war comes around, each country is coming at each other with a new innovation, each creating something that would be better than the other. I will be talking about the main inventions of World War II and how they helped their side such as, Tanks, Radar, and Jet engines.
As tanks were invented during World War I, they weren’t much. A tank was actually just a box connected to two conveyor belts with a machine gun on top. These tanks were meant for much more. The most common tank used during WWII was Hitler’s Panzer Tank. These tanks were both swift and dangerous. Covered with armor and armed with dozens of explosives, they were the star of the war. As the war progressed, Hitler secretly planned to use these tanks against their ally Russia. He used them in operation Barbarossa, in which he planned to use several tanks and troops to take over Russia bit by bit. Soon, it seemed like Hitler would take Russia over until Joseph Stalin, Russia’s Leader, started using the T-34 tank. This tank was more efficient than the Panzer Tank and Russia soon got their territory back. As a result, tanks were important in the major battles of war, to their
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Radar takes a screen of the area and if an anomaly is found, it will appear on the screen. These contraptions would detect enemy bombers and alert the area. Historians say that if it was not for this radar technology, Britain would’ve lost against Germany in The Battle of Britain. Hitler planned to destroy Britain and pull them out of the war. Instead of bombing the outer stations, the Luftwaffe focused on the cities. The British were able to detect the German bombers from up to 100 miles away (Smith 1). They alerted the whole of the UK and they were able to seek shelter before the Germans arrived. In contrast, radar helped protect countries with their amazing detecting
Throughout the 20th century, the Allied Air Forces during World War II experienced rapid advancements in technology, mainly with the immense amount of new aircrafts that were being made, as well as the new tactics used. This progress would greatly influence modern day as it pushed for the evolution of the air force, as it pushed the boundaries of what was possible. The Allied Air Forces consisted of the United States Army Air Forces, The Royal Air Force, and the Soviet Air Force, all of which increased in control and power as the war went on, resulting in the vast improvements of aviation,
The technological advances since WW1 introduced such things as the atomic bomb and new and improved sea and air warfare. The atom bomb was a big part of WW2 as people could be killed from a bomb from a long distance. This bomb also covered a long area killing more people and people of the area bombed could still be feeling the effects in the form of cancer. New air warfare such as fighter jets were introduced in WW2. These planes carried deadly bombs and could take out a large number of people. New sea warfare was introduced, such ships as the corvette were popular, and the corvette was mostly used for shipping ammunition to Europe from North America. Also, submarines proved deadly as they were out of radar and carried deadly bombs such as the torpedo.
Before World War II, medicine and medical practices in the United States was lacking and ineffective. This made it so the majority of fatalities in war were not caused by trauma but by diseases. Diseases were often caught and incurable because of the lack of medical expertise the United States retained, causing death rates to be high. In war, diseases would wipe out soldiers before bullets were even fired. In the early 1930’s when the great depression started, the U.S was at its lowest point. Because of the poor state the United States was in, medical advancements were at a stop. Medical advancements with blood transfusions, vaccines, and antibiotics made it so the U.S strengthened as a whole. These medical advancements on the battlefield Reduced the loss of life in World War II.
WWII, one of the bloodiest wars in history. The Germans and the Axis Powers were combating the English and US with the other Allied Powers. From 1939-1945 war raged on in Europe and in the Pacific. In 1939 proposals were made (not approved until later) by the Nazi’s to create two of the most destructive and advanced weapons of the time (Gatland). Thus, the V-1 and V-2 rockets were put into production. The V-1 and V-2 rockets were important to the German’s because they believed that these weapons would give them an extreme advantage in the war, and eventually help them win the war. The development of these rockets were very important to the Nazi’s. These rockets were different and more advanced than any other bomb made before. Also, the developments of these rockets have had long term effects after the war. The V-1 and V-2 were intricate and powerful, making a recipe for destruction.
Wars have been around for centuries. A typical battle was fought on land. The infantry would line up and fire at the advancing enemy. World War I was first called "the Great War" because of the number of lives lost (Coetzee 11). There were approximately nine million deaths over the course of the four years the war lasted (11). World War I began because of the assassination of "Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne" (17). Tensions were high and war seemed the only solution (17). The alliances in Europe were well formed by the time 1914 arrived (17). "The Central Powers" were "Germany and Austria-Hungary" (Westwell 8). "The Triple Entente" were "Britain, France, and Russia" (8). All of the countries and citizens believed in the cause of the war from the very beginning (9). That enthusiasm would quickly change once the introduction of new weapons and strategies were revealed (9). Every country involved was seeking ways to improve on the resources they needed to fight, and hopefully win the war. None of the countries involved wanted the other side to have a military advantage over the other (7). World War I had technological inventions such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks and submarines, which changed the strategy of war. The outcome of these inventions resulted in more death and destruction than previous wars.
types of weapons used in World War I. The greatest advances were in aircraft and tanks.
The invention of radar had a huge impact on many military operations, whether or not it was the United States Military or other countries. Radar was used to detect distant objects by receiving radio waves that are reflected from the object. (Foley 4)This helped air control personnel at the naval base of Pearl Harbor know that something was on its way to it. If the reader does not think about radar, where would the people be to this day? Attacks would be even more of a surprise. It would be harder for America to find their own military personnel and identify friendly or enemy vehicles. Radar has come a long way throughout the years.
"Radar during World War II." - GHN: IEEE Global History Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
"Technology during World War I: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. Web. 05 Feb. 2010.
The foundation of mobile warfare has its roots in Ancient and Medieval World. The German Army late in World War I initially developed basic tactics that eventually evolved into modern mobile warfare. Germans developed those tactics in an attempt to overcome the static trench warfare on the Western Front. Elite "Sturmtruppen" infantry units were created to attack enemy positions using the momentum of speed and surpass but eventually failed because of the lack of mobility and support needed in order to continue advancing further into enemy controlled territory. During 1920s, British military philosophers Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart, General J.F.C. Fuller and General Martell further developed tactics of mobile warfare. They all postulated that tanks could not only seize ground by brute strength, but could also be the central factor in a new strategy of warfare. If moved rapidly enough, of tanks could smash through enemy lines and into the enemy's rear, destroying supplies and artillery positions and decreasing the enemy's will to resist. All of them found tank to be an ultimate weapon able to penetrate deep into enemy territory while followed by infantry and supported by artillery and airfare. In late 1920s and early 1930s, Charles De Gaulle, Hans von Seekt, Heinz Guderian and many others became interested in the concept of mobile warfare and tried to implement it in an organizational structure of their armies. Heinz Guderian organized Panzers into self-contained Panzer Divisions working with the close support of infantry, motorized infantry, artillery and airfare. From 1933 to 1939, Germany was on a quest to fully mechanize their army for an upcoming conflict.
Weaponry underwent a drastic and beneficial change during World War 2. These changes included upgrades in mobility, power, and durability. The Tank became an essential, which was used on all fronts. Guns also rose to the foreground, and better guns meant battles won. Lastly, the most pivotal and remarkable technological improvement came with the great advances in bombs and missiles. Weapons certainly played a key role in World War 2.
To conclude, while most of these technologies would most likely have been discovered and improved upon without the influence of war the process was sped up to meet the urgency presented with conflicts. Everyone is affected by at least one of these technologies on a daily basis whether it is derived from the materials, weapons, transportation, medical, or communications sectors. Technology allows Americans to live easier lives and although the many soldiers who have served their country did not actually create the technology, their sacrifices that led to the funding and need for improvements. Everyone should think about where their cell phones and computers came from and what others did to give everyone the freedom to use these devices.
RADAR is a term is used to refer to electronic equipment that perceive the presence, course, altitude, and distance of objects by using reflected electromagnetic waves. The term radar is in fact an acronym made up of the words radio detection and ranging (RADAR = RAdio Detection And Ranging). The fundamental basics of RADAR is built upon electromagnetic radiation. RADAR utilises radio waves which is a type of electromagnetic wave on the electromagnetic spectrum. RADAR finds target objects by sending out radio waves that bounce off targets as a radio echo. These echoes are then measured to detect the distance between the target and the RADAR system. These radio waves are not affected by lack of visibility and also penetrates weather to
Although use of the tank had some benefits, many of the tanks used by the British were ineffective due to the fact that they regularly didn’t make it to the battlefield, instead either breaking down or, due to the substantial rain, got stuck in the mud. However, many versions of the original tank, Little Willy, were developed – before the development of the Mark IV and Mark V. Furthermore, very few of the tanks were used successfully by either side, especially at the beginning of their development. Although, towards the end of the war, Britain was using various tanks and built 2,818 tanks from 1916-1918 . In comparison, Germany only built a total of 20 tanks, all within the final year of the war, proving that they didn’t think that the tank was a significant military technique and therefore did not feel the need to use their resources on a military force that they viewed as incompetent and wasteful.
The term radar actually comes from the acronym representing Radio Detection And Ranging. Radar is a detection system used to locate and identify objects. Simply put, radar is the process in which radio waves are emitted from the source of the system; those waves ricochet off objects in their path, and the radar system detects the echoes of signals that return. “One would think that so important a contribution to the world’s technology would be chronicled with great care at every step. This, unfortunately, is not the case, and for reasons quite understandable” (Page 14). Sometimes history can be hard to distinguish between truth and legend, and the history of radar is no exception.