Brendan Haggerty

Mr. Palcsey
Honors English 10
4/24/2018
Innovations in Technology during WWII
World war 2 is known as the deadliest war of all time. The war killed millions of people

in a span of 6 years. So many people were lost, and the main reason for the large losses was

because of innovations in technology. New weaponry, communication, travel, and military

tactics were the main reasons why so many were able to die so fast. Nations spent years upon

years creating this technology that would be used for mass destruction. World war 2 surpassed

all other wars in death toll because of these innovations. Another major mass killing war was

World war 1, just another example of a modern war that lead to the death of millions. These

modern wars had the advantage of new innovations, which made it so easy for them to wipe out

10s, 100s, and even 1000s at a time. This new modern war meant that if nations wanted to be

successful they had to be at the top of innovation. Nations such as the US, Germany, USSR, and

many more supported science and technology so they could compete well in the war. Albert

Einstein once said, “Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological

criminal.”. What Einstein meant by saying this is that innovation is what will lead this war to

become criminals and this innovation will cause the lack of peace. Nations new the importance

of innovating at the time and that was why so many technological advancements were made

during World war 2. During the period circa 1939-1945 many technological advancements were

made in response to the war and have left a great impact on the world today.

World war 1 was a massive war that killed millions, but it was significant because it leads

right into World war 2. World war 1 started in 1914 and ended in 1918. Germany was able to fall
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towards the end of World war 1 because their front lines were being pushed heavily, they could

not withstand the brute power of the US, Britain, France, and more. Although they were getting

crushed on the front lines Germanys main problem was internal. Many did not support the war in

Germany so the was a massive shift in power in Germany to top the war. At the end of the war a

Germany was declared a republic and announced that peace was going to be sought after

(Armistice - The End of World War I 1918 2). A treaty was signed by the new German republic

and the 4 years of war ended. "...at the front there was no celebration." (Armistice - The End of

World War I, 1918 2). There was no celebration because there was so much death and the

soldiers did not find it right to celebrate. The soldiers on the front lines lost so many friends and

could not find joy in the end of the war. The war finished at exactly 11 o’clock on November

11th. The official radio announcement that marked then end of the war for the troops was,

“Official Radio from Paris - 6:01 A.M., Nov. 11, 1918. Marshal Foch to the Commander-in-

Chief. Hostilities will be stopped on the entire front beginning at 11 o'clock, November 11th

(French hour). The Allied troops will not go beyond the line reached at that hour on that date

until further orders.” (Armistice - The End of World War I, 1918 7). Most back home celebrated

the ending of the war but the soldiers had a tough time doing this because of how awful the war

was. Some troops had nervous breakdowns when hearing the news, others were scared it was a

hoax, it was a scary time for the troops. Soldiers lived in turmoil after the war because their

bodies were so used to the intense fight for life. The official mark of the end of this war was the

signing of the treaty of Versailles. The treaty was signed by Germany in June of 1919 which

marked the official end of the war. The treaty was negotiated in January and June of 1919 in

Paris France, this treaty was negotiated between the allies. The allied powers negotiated the

punishment for Germany and put it into action with the treaty of Versailles. France wanted to
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completely crush Germany in the treaty so that there would be no chance of them gaining power

again, the US and Britain did not want to give the Germans more willingness to start another war

(Kaiser 2). Germany had no say in what was to be put into the Treaty, they had no other option

but to sign the treaty. "The German government signed the treaty under protest." (Kaiser 3).

Germany had terms they had to live by when they signed this treaty. Some of these terms were

that Germany was reassigned their borders and had to deal with reparations for the war. Germany

Had to give back all the land it gained during WW2 to the surrounding nations as part of the

treaty. Part five of the treaty said that the Germans could not regain a strong military they were

only allowed to grow so much. Another major component was that Germany was responsible for

reparations to the nations it destroyed. In 1924 and in 1929 the Germans agreed to reparations

treaties but could not keep those treaties as their nation entered a great depression in 1932. After

much backlash from signing the treaty Germany looked to leave it behind. Hitler rejected the

treaty all together in 1935. From 1937 to 1939 Hitler regained the land that the Germans had lost,

this was their first regain in power. In 1939 Hitler and the Germans invaded Poland marking the

beginning of WW2. All-out war came when Hitler invaded Poland.

With a new war in the midst, a time of innovation was stirring. “The second World War

was a conflict that saw a great deal of scientific and technical innovation.” (Science and

Technology in the Second World War 1). Nations during the time set up research development

stations to help benefit war efforts. The allies grouped together to create these research stations,

at the stations they were to create technological advancements to help the war efforts. Some

examples of technological innovations created during World War 2 was radar, nuclear bombs,

and jet engines. One of the greatest technological advancements made during World War 2 was

radar. Development on Radar came in the early 1930’s. The idea for radar came off the
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innovation Heinrich Hertz made with electromagnetic radiation (Skolnik 1). Another major

scientist who did major research about Radar was James Maxwell. “Maxwell’s work led to the

conclusion that radio waves can be reflected from metallic objects and refracted by a dielectric

medium, just as light waves can.” (Skolnik 1). With the conclusion that radio waves could reflect

off objects made from metal, came the idea of creating Radar for war purposes. There were few

attempts at fully developing radar prior to World War 2, its full use came with World War 2.

During the early parts of World War 2, and throughout the war radio waves were used to detect

aircraft, this was known as Radar. The US, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Japan where the

pioneer nations to use radar for the war (Skolnik 4). After the pioneer nations had success with

Radar many other nations followed and decided to use it themselves. Radar was used to see

enemy aircraft from a far-away distance, so they could prepare for battle. Radar was one of the

greatest technological advancements hat came from World War 2. Another major innovation

made during World War 2 was the creation of Nuclear technology. The major research team that

lead to the creation of nuclear technology was the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan project was

a project led by the Americans to create a functional nuclear bomb. The project was started when

the Americans believed that they would see similar technologies from the Germans, and they

knew Adolf Hitler would not be afraid to use it (Manhattan project 1). One of the leading minds

to help create the nuclear bomb was Albert Einstein. Einstein was a world-wide known scientist

who helped create many technological advancements, his help in creating the nuclear bomb was

huge. Within years the US creates a functional Nuclear bomb and were prepared to use it. The

US was looking for an end to the war and they believed the mass destruction the bomb the bomb

had could cause the end of the war. Hiroshima was the first place the US decided to drop the

bomb. Shortly after the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima they dropped it on Nagasaki. The
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bombs worked, and Japan surrendered. The Nuclear bomb was a major component of World War

2. Another major technological advancement made during World War 2 was the invention of the

Jet engine. The Jet engine was created at the beginning of World War 2 around 1931 by Frank

Whittle and Dr. Hans von Ohain. Whittle was a British pilot and test pilot who created the idea to

use fuel propulsion backwards to push a plane forwards at high speeds (Bellis 9). Whittle was

able to work on creating the first jet engine in 1935. It proved to have a successful flight after he

created it. Dr. Hans was a German physicist who worked on the same concept. Dr. Hans wanted

to create jet that “did not require a propeller” (Bellis 14). Whittle and Dr. Hans created similar

patents but had different internal arrangements. Jet engine planes were used in the later part of

Second World War for travel, bombing, and mapping. This was a major innovation that gave the

US, Germans, Britain’s, and more an advantage in World War 2. These three inventions were at

the peak of innovation, but many more inventions came out of World War 2.

The second World War had great impact on humanity, it took away many souls but

provided great innovation that have helped the world today. Without the war the world would not

be like what it is today. The war gave the world so much to look back on but so much to look

forward to. Innovation was at its peak during that time, without this spike in innovation the world

would be left without many of the thing made from WWII. Without the war there would not be

Radar to detect speed and control aircraft. Without the war there would not be Nuclear bombs to

defend ourselves from other nations. Without the war there would not be Jet engines for military

and travel. The war may have been brutal in terms of losses, but the world gained many

technological advancements. The war will be known as a horror story but also as a time of

innovation and invention.

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Work Cited:

“Armistice - The End of World War I, 1918.” Armistice - The End of World War I, 1918, 2004,

www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/armistice.htm.

History.com Staff. “Treaty of Versailles.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009,

www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles.

Pillar, Paul R., et al. “The Lesson of Pre-World War II Germany.” The National Interest, The

Center for the National Interest, nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/the-lesson-pre-world-war-ii-

germany-9496?page=show.

Wiegrefe, Klaus. “The Road to World War II: How Appeasement Failed to Stop Hitler -

SPIEGEL ONLINE - International.” SPIEGEL ONLINE, SPIEGEL ONLINE, 2 Sept. 2009,

www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-road-to-world-war-ii-how-appeasement-failed-to-stop-

hitler-a-646481.html.

“United States History.” The Manhattan Project, www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1644.html

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Skolnik, Merrill I. “Radar.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr.

2018, www.britannica.com/technology/radar/History-of-radar.

Veterans Affairs Canada. “Science and Technology in the Second World War.” Historical Sheet

- Second World War - History - Veterans Affairs Canada, 27 Nov. 2017,

www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/historical-sheets/science.

History.com Staff. “Manhattan Project.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2017,

www.history.com/topics/the-manhattan-project.