Technology Advances WWII

Advances In World War II, continual advancements in technology were mandatory to maintain a competitive edge over the enemy. The WWII era housed a great many changes which affected weaponry, logistical support, communications and intelligence, medicine and various industries.

Tanks and Vehicles Due to the increased mobility of troops in WWII (not like the static front lines of WWI), TANKS saw significant advancements including increased speed, armor and firepower.

The amphibious DUKW tank was another crucial development during the war

On the ground, highly effective tanks such as the Panther and T-34 came to rule the battlefield,Panther

Ships WWI Navy battleships no longer dominated the sea power. Newly designed aircraft carriers were equipped with greater range and a heavier striking power.

USS Enterprise

Japanese Aircraft Carrier

Sonar Technology While at sea equipment such as sonar helped negate the U-boat threat while aircraft carriers came to rule the waves.

Small Arms The production of small arms changed dramatically with the introduction of stamping, riveting and welding. Semi-automatic rifles and assault rifles were also developed during this era.

Soviet Tank Dogs Interesting Soviet attempt to halt the German advance during The dogs were kept hungry, and food was placed under tanks in order to teach them to look under vehicles for food. Each dog was fitted with a 10-12kg mine. The detonator was attached to a 20cm wooden lever which jutted vertically above the dog. When it dived under an enemy tank, the lever would catch on the hull and detonate the mine, killing the dog and hopefully disabling the tank. In action, these dogs proved less than effective. Many were scared away by German gunfire, which caused them to run back to their handlers, often detonating the mine. Other dogs refused to dive under moving tanks as they had practiced on stationery vehicles, and others jumped under Russian tanks. They did succeed in damaging some German vehicles, but Soviet claims that 300 German tanks were put out of action by these dogs is widely optimistic.

 Soviet Tank Dogs 

 Bat Bombs 

Developed by America in the wake of Pearl Harbor, this seemingly ridiculous idea proposed that hundreds of bats should be captured, and a tiny incendiary bomb be attached to the body of each. These bats would be placed in a bat carrier which would subsequently be dropped from a bomber. A parachute would deploy at 1000 feet to slow its descent, and the trays inside the carrier would separate out to allow some 1040 bats inside to escape. Once free of the carrier, the bats would disperse and roost throughout the buildings of the Japanese city beneath. Shortly afterwards, the timer-delayed bombs would detonate, sparking raging fires throughout the mainly wood and paper buildings. During one test drop, a group of bats roosted inside several of the testing facilities’ warehouses and buildings, burning them to the ground. Luckily for thousands of bats, the program was cancelled in 1944, due to the development of the atomic bomb.

Aircraft Aircraft development was crucial during WWII due to its increased use throughout the war – as bombers, fighters and reconnaissance. Massive bombing raids were being utilized as an alternative to static trench warfare. Air superiority was the goal of both the Allies and the Axis, each dedicating as much man/woman and machine power as possible to produce the ultimate air weapon. By the end of WWII, pilots were flying jet aircrafts. Other advancements in armament, maneuverability and radar assisted with the continual advancement of military aircraft.

Boeing B 17

American Fighter planes

Nazi fighter plane

Japanese Ohka (Cherry Blossom) Suicide Planes As American forces advanced nearer and nearer the Japanese mainland, the Imperial Japanese armed forces became increasingly desperate to prevent Japan’s defeat. The Ohka was developed in a last-ditch effort to destroy the American fleet. It was a purpose-built kamikaze aircraft that was armed with a warhead weighing up to 1200kg. As it had no landing gear, it was carried to the target area by a G4M ‘Betty’ bomber. Once within range, the Ohka was released and steered towards an American ship by the pilot. It would go into a dive before igniting 3 rocket boosters which would accelerate it to up to 650mph before crashing into the enemy ship. At such a high speed, it would be almost impossible to shoot down with anti-aircraft fire. Despite more than 800 being built, however, only a few were used as most were being stockpiled for the anticipated invasion of Japan which never came, thanks to the atomic bomb.

Japanese Suicide Planes

First Jet Fighter During the course of the fighting, the Axis and Allies created increasingly more advanced aircraft which culminated in the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me262. Messerschmitt Me262

Atomic Weaponry Perhaps most significantly, the United States became the first to develop nuclear weapons in the form of the Little Boy bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, and Fat Man which was dropped on Nagasaki.

Little Boy and Fat Man

Enola Gay

Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945

Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki on August 9 th, 1945

Medicine While penicillin, a strong antibiotic, had been discovered pre-war it took the war to force companies to develop a way of making the highly effective medicine on an industrial scale. Penicillin was used en masse after D-Day on wounded men and it was found to be especially effective against gangrene.

Medicine World War Two also saw the growth of the blood transfusion service from a relatively primitive organization at the start of the war to a sophisticated process at the end, storing blood and distributing it to where it was needed. Though work on tetanus had started in WWI, it was developed and refined in the war years. By immunizing soldiers, the risk of tetanus dramatically fell.

Industrialization WWII played a critical role in the industrialization of many of the nations around the world on which every military greatly relied. We’ll learn more about this mobilization and industrialization when we talk about the US in war!