Technology in World War Two

TECHNOLOGY IN WORLD WAR 2
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It is often quipped that necessity is the mother of innovation. As a result, war situations represent some of the most challenging and desperate times. Thus, it is an exciting endeavor to evaluate the innovative developments that ensued in what is considered the most extensive and deadliest war in recent history. The war stretched from 1939 to 1945, pitting some of the world’s powerful nations against each other. One side comprised Germany, Italy, and Japan, while the other included the Allies such as Great Britain, the US, Soviet Union, France, and China. Formidable military forces and sophisticated armory certainly backed the esteemed status of the countries. Technology in the war primarily arose from the demand for superior weapons and convenient communication.
The radar technology had been evolving within the decade before the war. The essence of the innovation becomes clearer when complemented with the contention of some historians. They state that the forces in the war had undertaken covert preparations for over a decade before the war. Therefore, both sides of the conflict had functional radar systems when the war broke out in 1939. The term ‘radar’ is the contraction of “radio detection and ranging,” which implies the functionality of the technology. The radar system involves using radio waves for detection. It was conceivably conceptualized to supersede the human sight. Thus, the radar enabled the detection of objects when they were too far to be seen, even with binoculars. Radar technology allows detection even when clouds or darkness obscure the target objects. The radar system was not merely an improvement of the human sight but the pioneering of a sophisticated form of object tracking. The innovation was based on the concept of echo. Objects are scientifically expected to reflect incident waves, thereby driving back in the direction of their source. The reflected waves are essential for harnessing when experts establish a receiving point. The direction and time component of the waves signaled the object’s direction and distance. Therefore, both forces in the war utilized the technology to detect the approaching war vessels.
Haigh et al. deduce the conception of the electronic computer from the need to interpret the outputs of the radar system. Although other scholars may dispute the connection, the significance of electronic and computer technology in the war cannot be gainsaid. According to Haigh et al., radar technology is fundamental for generating rapid pulses and processing them through complex electronic circuits from which digital computers can be traced. However, the computer applications in the war would not be limited to processing the radar outputs. The talents of the snipers could not exclusively guarantee precision in firing. The artillery gunners required proper mathematical mapping to ensure effective targeting. These requisite calculations were too complex and numerous to conveniently and effectively obtain thro...