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HST701
TheMilitarysReluctantRelationwith
Technology:Invention,Innovation
andRejection

HistoricalQuestions
1)Howdoarmedforcesviewnewtechnologies?
Historically:rejectedimportantnewtechnologies

Machineguns
Continuousaimrapidgunfireonbattleships
Turbineenginesforbattleships
Parachutes
Jetenginesforfighteraircraft

2)Why?
Generalsfightthelastwar
Expense
Deskillingofofficers;needtoretrainpersonnel
3)WhendidtheAmericanMilitaryIndustrialcomplexbegin?

WorldWarI:WarofNewTechnologies
WorldWarI:moreinfluencedbynewtechnologies
thananyotherwarinhistory.
Examples?
Wirelesstelegraphy
Selfpropelledtorpedoes
Submarines,sonar,andantisubmarinewarfare
Airplanes:reconnaissance,bombinganddogfighting
Zeppelins:civilianbombing
Machineguns
Parachutes
Gaswarfareandgasmasks
Tanks

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BuilduptoWorldWarI:ArmsRace
Britishnavy:Worldsbiggestin19th century
Germanchallenge:post1860navalrace
fasterships
armoured ships
betterfirepower

Britishnavystilltriedtoignoremost
innovations
Refusedtopayinventorsforresearchand
development

BritishNavy:noimprovementsthat
dontgoBANG!
Speedmatters:CharlesAParsonsinventedthe
steamturbineengine
Couldpropelspeedboatat35knots
Britishfrigates:16knots

BritishadmiralsignoredParsons
ParsonscrashedQueenVictoriasDiamond
Jubilee1897navalreview

Turbinia Diddoughnutsaroundslow,stately
navyships

SteamReciprocatingvsParsonsSteam
Turbine

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TheTurbinia
ParsonsdemonstrationhumiliatedBritish
Admiraltyintobuyingturbineengines.

TheTurbineEngineledtonewship
design
From:ThreeRoyalSovereignClassBritish
BattleshipsandaMajesticClassBattleship.

To:HMSDreadnought1906
NewshipstartofanewclassofbattleshipsinRoyal
Navy
21knots
12inchgunson
fullswivelturrets
10milerange
Heavyarmour
Dreadnoughtclass!!
Intensifiednavalarmsrace

Germany:1907
U.S.:1907Michigan
Italy,France:1910
U.S.1914:14inchguns

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SuperDreadnoughtsthreatenedby:1)submarines
2)torpedoes
1)H.L.Hunley (1863):firstcombat
submarinetosinkenemyship
Notcompletelysubmergible
Sankin1866aftersuccess
(crewdied)
2)SelfpropelledTorpedos
Invented1866:EnglishengineerRobertWhiteheadand
AustriannavalofficerGiovanniLuppis
Usedhydrostaticvalveand
pendulum:adjustedtorpedo
hydroplanesforapresetdepth.
Germantorpedo1900

Dreadnoughts:Obsoleteby1915
GermanUboatsinKielinMay1914

Launchingatorpedoin1915

UBoatsinkingaDreadnought

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BattleofJutland1916
Worldslargestnavalbattle
Morethan200battleships
GermanytriedtobreakBritishNorthSeablockade

FifthBattleSquadronsupportingBritishGrandFleetsbattlecruisersin
battlewithGermanHighSeasMay1,1916.

TransferringInnovations
BritishAdmiralPercyScott
1890s:sawgunnermaintainrapid,accurate
gunfire

alwaysadjustedbodyforshipmotion
Scottorderednewgunelevatinggear,telescopicsighting
WilliamSims(1858 1936)borninPortHope,Ontario!!!
USNavy LieutenantCommander1902
sawBritishcontinuousaimrapidgunfire
atChinaStation(HongKong)
Simssent13officialreports
USNavy:systemwasunworkable

WilliamSims
entrepreneurial
Neededhighersupport:wroteto
PresidentTheodoreRoosevelt
CommanderinChiefofUSmilitary
NamedSimsInspectorofTarget
Practice

Brokeprotocol
Expensive:
Needednewequipment
Experiencedofficersnowdeskilled,
hadtoretrain

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TheMachineGun

InventedbyMainebornHiramStevens
Maximbetween18831885
InventedinEngland
Recoilfromshotsautomaticallyoperated
gun
MaximscompanymergedwithVickers
Britishgeneralsregardeduseofgunasungentlemanly
FirstusedinAfrica

BattleoftheSomme1916
Germanyhadthousandsofmachineguns
EnglandandUS:afewhundred
Difficulttooperate
problemscooling,heavy,heavyammunition
clips,onlyworkedasdefensiveweapons

AtBattleofSomme:Germansdugtrenches,
stretchedbarbedwireinfront,andwaited
withmachineguns
60,000Alliedsoldierskilledinoneday
ForcedAlliestobuymachinegunsand
changebattletactics

BattleoftheSomme trenchwarfare
1Julyto18November1916
OvermillionAlliedcasualties
Barbedwire
Deepertrenches

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TheAirplane
WrightBros.successin1903
U.S.WarDepartmentignoredtheirofferoftestedreliable
machines
ShamedintoactionbySen.HenryCabotLodge
Advertisedforairplane:40milesperhour,mustcarrya
passenger
FirstairplanessoldtoWarDepartmentfor$25,000
Militaryaircraftusedfor:
Reconnaissance
Bombing
Dogfights inairbattles

AircraftofGermany,England,France,
andItaly

Albatros D.III

British Sopwith Camel

Byendofwar,bombersandfighter
aircrafthaddiverged

Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI - 1918

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Aircraftproductionvs Aircraftin
TheatreofWar:WWI
1914 1918
France

67,987

France

138/45,000 lost 52,640

England

58,144

England

113/33,000

lost 35,973

Germany

48,537

Germany

232/23,900

lost 27,637

Italy

20,000

Italy

15,000

US

Austria

5,431

Russia

Russia

4,700

US

Austria
Belgium

150/1,200
55/740
244
86
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OlderTechnologyRePurposed
52ZeppelinbombingraidsonBritainclaimedthelivesofmore
than500people

InMay1916fighterplanesfiredincendiarybullets:
ignitedthehydrogengas
setZeppelinsonfire
endedtheiruse

GasWarfare
SecondBattleofYpres
Chlorinegasfirstusedon22April1915
DirectedbyDr.FritzHaberofKaiserWilhelmInstitute
forPhysicalChemistryandElectrochemistry
Germangeneralsignoredhisadvice
Firstoffensivefailed Canadiansheld
ground urineonhandkerchiefs
Haberlaterintroducedphosgeneandthen
mustardgas
Alliesintroducedgasmasks
91,198deaths;1,205,655casualties
(probablymanydeathsafterthewar)

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ARadicalNewInvention:TheTank

WinstonChurchill,firstlordoftheAdmiralty
Entrepreneurial
Calledthefirsttankslandships
20usedat1st BattleoftheSomme tobeeffective,
moreneeded
500hundredBritishtanksatCambrai 20November
1917brokeGermanlinesandthestalemate
turnedthefortunesofWorldWarI

Mostimportantinvention:theHaber
Process
FritzHaber(18691934)in1908at
KarlsruheUniversitydiscoveredmethodtofix
atmosphericnitrogenintoammonia;usedfor
fertilizersandnitrateexplosives(gunpowder))
HeandCarlBoschofBASFworkedto
industrializeprocess:ammoniaplantwas
establishedatOppau in1911
Significance?

ArtificialNitrates
AlliesduringWorldWarIhadto
importnitratesfromChile
AdmiralGrafvonSpee sanktwoBritish
battleshipsanddisruptedAlliedshipping
AtBattleoftheFalklandstwoBritishdestroyers
sankvonSpees ship
ButtheGermanshadno
naturalnitratessupply
Alliesthoughtwarwouldend
byChristmas1914

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HaberProcess
TheHaberProcessliterallyprolongedWWI
byFOURyears,leadingtomillionsofdeaths
TheAlliedGeneralsmystifiedwhyprojected
lengthofwarwaswrong evenafterwarsend
Mostpeoplestilldontunderstand.
HaberreceivedtheNobelPrizeforhis
discoveryin1918 why?
Doubleedgedswordoftechnology:his
inventionhasenabledbillionstobefed.

EndofEraofIndependentInventors
1915Sec.ofNavyJosephusDanielsfounded
NavalConsultingBoard
Edisontoheadit
Invitedeminentengineers,chemistsand
inventors
Keptoutimpracticalphysicists
Edison:terribleweaponsofdestructiontodefeat
despotism.
110,000proposals:only100worthwhile:1usedby1918
Camouflage,underwatersubmarinedetection(physicistRobert
Millikan)

Endedgoldeneraforindependentinventors

SperryandtheGyrostabilizer
Sperryinterestedintoygyroscopes
Madefirstpracticalgyrostabilizer
(testedonawheelbarrow)
improvedOttoSchlicks earlierattempt

Sellittonavytoreduceseasickness?
Capt.DavidW.Taylor chiefofBureauof
Construction:giftedmathematicianand
engineer
Sawpotentialforincreasinggunaccuracy

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Thegyroscope
Sperrydidnotinventthegyroscope itwas
thetechnologyuponwhichhebuilt!!!

Gyroscope invented by
Lon Foucault in 1852

Fromphysicaltomathematicaltesting
In1898TaylorconstructedandranfirstU.S.
experimentaltanktotestmodelsofwar
vessels.
WorkedcloselywithSperry
Workedoutformulaforroll
quenchingpowerof
gyrostabilizer
Onlyoneshipmodelhadtobebuilt
Gyroscopiceffectstestedmathematicallyforother
hulldesigns
Onlyonephysicalmodelrequiredforseriesoftests

FromGyrostabilizertoautopilot

WorkingwithNavy,Sperrywentontodevelop:
1)MetalMikeshipsautopilot
2)Gyroscopicguncontrol
3)Gyroscopiccompass
4)Repeatingcompass compass
readingsavailableatseveralstations
onship

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FromGyrostabilizertoAutopilot
5)Gyrostabilized shipsgunplatforms
FirstfullsizegyrostabilizerputonU.S.S.
Worden in1912.

6)Controlsfornavaltorpedoes
7)Depthchargebombs

Sperry,AerialTorpedos andthe
Autopilot
8)Aerialtorpedoes(precursorsof
flyingmissiles)
Believedthataerialtorpedoes
wouldendwar
WithsonLawrence(apilot)
9)airplaneautopilot
WithsonLawrence
10)artificialhorizonfornight
flight

Gyrostabilizersforpassengerships

1922NYTheadline
Gyrostabilizerswerelaterplacedonalllarge
passengerships,startingwithCunard
White
StarLiners:firstonRMSAquitania

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CivilianBenefitsfromWorldWarI
Technologies
FlagshipplaneforAmericanAirlinestopleft

CivilianBenefits
Surplusairplanesservedascropdusters,
leadingtofirstcustomdesignedcropduster
right

CivilianBenefits
FewEnglishartificiallimbdesignspriortowar
By1918,severalhundredBritishpatent
applicationshadbeensubmitted.
Manufacturersbeganfocusingonimproved
quality,notjustquantity

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Veteranwishspecialwelding
prostheticatWalterReedHospital
Otherspecieshavealso
benefitted

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