Warfare of the World Wars Essay

“Never before had so much brain-power been focused on a single problem.”(Laurence qtd. in “Eyewitness”). Many inventions can be said to have changed the world, and the way it worked. Only a core few of these many inventions can be said to change air warfare, and few of those are as game-changing as the B-29 Superfortress by Boeing. The B-29 was the plane that dropped the atomic bombs in World War Two (“bomber”). The plane by Boeing was used most in World War Two as a strategic long-range bomber. This invention revolutionized the concept of war, and war is a factor in all life on planet earth. The B-29 bomber changed warfare by sparking the innovation of aircraft technology, saving lives, and allowing more power to be carried by the means

Have you ever wondered about the aircraft from World War Two? Or how aircrafts operated, or what materials they used to operate and win in dogfights? The WWII era was one of the first time that airplanes were used to fight in wars on such a large scale and with such a large impact. Aircraft was extremely beneficial in this war. Airplanes were a huge advantage in WWII because of all the ammunition they carried, and they used a lot of resources to help fight during WWII for their country.

Between the four years of 1861 and 1865 the United States was engaged in a Civil War. This involved a division between the free North and the slave holding South, where eleven southern states split from the Union, altogether refusing the idea of a single American nation. Abraham Lincoln, who was the president at the time, disapproved of this revolt and had “500,000 soldiers to crush what threatened to be an aggressive rebellion.” In April 1861, the first shots were fired, and what followed became an unthinkable tragedy of gigantic proportions. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were killed and millions more wounded; large areas of the South were engulfed by aggressive battles almost resulting in a Union defeat under determined Confederate forces. Focusing on the major turning point battle of the war, the Battle at Gettysburg, the confederate Army was led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army was led by General George G. Meade. This battle lasted for three days - July 1st through the 3rd, 1863, and ended when the Confederates had failed to break up the main Union line.

Technologies based on ideas from the First World War have changed the way countries defend and attack during wartime through the mechanization of warfare, chemical warfare, and war transportation.

“Assess the significance of the deployment of new technology in influencing the nature of warfare in the years 1845-1991”

On December twenty-third of the year 1776, Thomas Paine wrote the renowned words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Never had truer words been written. Not only was the revolution trying for the men of the colonial army, but for the British army, and all those who had something riding on the outcome of the war. Though they were subjected to different sides of the war, George Washington, King George III of England and William Howe all experienced the hardships and trying times of the year 1776.

During World War Two, a guy named Hitler made his way up the chain in Germany and gain power and he decided to lead his army with the help of Japan’s and Italy’s army; he attacked France, Britain, and the Soviet Union. While doing that, he also captured Jew and put them in camps were that became their graves. This event in history is called the Holocaust. In America December 7, 1941; Pearl Harbor just got bombed by the Japanese. The day after Japan declared war on America; followed by Germany and Italy declaring war on America. Ten weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a document that would change all the lives of Japanese and Japanese descent life's. That document was the Executive Order of 9066.

In every war fought throughout the history of mankind, the dependence on weapons was highly sought after. From swords to guns, weaponry has progressed throughout the ages with each war fought. No other war has seen more advances in weaponry than World War II. Many of those advances made this war focused on artillery, land vehicles, naval ships and aircraft. These advances, although beneficial, have also led to more bloodshed on the battlefield because they can do a lot more damage than their previous versions. Understanding these advances helped the Allied Powers win over the Axis in many battles, but both sides contributed many advances in weaponry.

Imagine that you are a pilot in World War II fighting for the Allies. You and your bomber squad are flying over enemy territory below, and are just at the point of pressing a button, which will unleash havoc on the ground below. This, was quite a common theme in World War II, as bombings from both the Axis and Ally side happened extremely often. The bomber plane was heavily changed in World War 2, and the journey of evolution that it has taken is truly fascinating.

World War II was an event that shook the world, creating an era of stress and adversity. Even in such a difficult time, the world continued to grow and develop during the end of the war, benefiting the Allied powers and helping them get out of the war. The end of World War II was an era of highly significant major events, miraculous breakthroughs in technology and science, and political views and actions.

In the introduction to his book, World War II: New Technologies: Technologies That Affected WWII Warfare, Ryan Jenkins said, “Weapons are not the only technology of war, however. Wars are not won by guns, bullets and bombs alone. Communications and intelligence technology, production techniques (both industrial and agricultural), weapons components, and much else are a part of warfare, and the nations that succeed in those areas are just as likely to succeed as those whose success comes solely in the form of weapons.”

This book discusses the weapons and vehicles of all the countries that fought in World War II. It offers an excellent overview of the diverse weaponry used by both the Axis Powers and the Allies and which weapons were most effective. I will use this information to provide insight on how these weapons had an effect on the outcome of the war. “Assault Rifles - these forced a complete redesign of the modern infantry tactics, as well as the logistics to support them”. (Ludeke 2010 : 78)

If World War I served as airpower’s infancy, then the developments and adaptations made during World War II were airpower’s awkward teenage years. The lessons learned during WWI and WWII laid the foundation for the newest domain of warfare to mature from. Through the inter-war period all major belligerents developed doctrine on how to employ airpower in the “next” war, over land and sea. It is my belief that the United States was the best, out of all belligerents, at adapting its airpower throughout World War II (WWII) and did so while fighting in two separate theatres. Three adaptations I believe best highlight the adaptability of America’s airpower are the strategic bombing changes regarding Japan, the addition of drop tanks on fighters and close air support.

Throughout the span of American history, there have been many culturally significant eras. Following the atrocity of World War II, Americas economy began improving rapidly. A new decade represents another period of triumphs and tragedies, that are inevitably apart of an cultures history. The excess of new products created lead to a significant change in americans perceptions. New technology becoming available for public consumption helped improve the quality of families lives. From the approval of the hydrogen bomb production, to the commercialization of Disneyland, the 1950’s remains as one of the most culturally significant decades in American history.

From the beginning of time war has been a factor of history. It was not until the application of artillery was the world introduced to what would become known as “The King of Battle”. Artillery is without a doubt the most casualty producing weapons on the battlefield. Able to reach enemies miles away in any direction, artillery has been a pivotal planning factor in war since its inception. World War II was no different, on the early morning of June 6th, 1944 Operation Overlord would pit the US Army Rangers against the king of battle.