How Did Technology Affect The Second World War

The Second World War was much bigger and deadlier than the first in every way. It was fought around the world, from Norway to New Guinea, from Hawaii to Egypt, and on every ocean – it was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Known to have been the most widespread war in history, it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. But unlike the First World War, the Second World War was fast moving and mobile; the use of technology was more widespread and effective. The innovation of science and new technology during the Second World War had both positive and negative impacts on the warfare. Although fatal weapons were the main cause of millions of death of soldiers and civilians during the warfare, the innovation
For instance, although the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused many casualties, it offered the best choice for a quick and easy defeat of Japan. In his official announcement of the bombing, US president Harry S. Truman stated: “It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued at Potsdam.” It appears he did what he thought was right. According to McGeorge Bundy, a journalist, the bomb was dropped in 1945 to shorten the war and save lives in the end. The bomb was a necessary last resort because of the Japanese refusal to surrender. If it had not been for the bombs, Japan would have continued fighting, which would have caused the war to last longer. Furthermore, the Battle of Britain, a fight between German and United Kingdom air forces, is another paradigm, but slightly in a different manner. It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. The German’s objective was to gain air superiority of the RAF, especially Fighter Command. However, Britain’s use of radar allowed them to defend against German air attacks because they knew where the majority of the German air force was heading. The forewarning from Radar prevented Britain from experiencing wider spread damage.
First of all, with continuous contribution in the development of technology and science, great number of scientists was able to progress new ideas and help during the war. The huge budget allotted for war—$321 billion from 1941 to 1943—was not solely focused on the creation of weapons. First in this research was the massive production of antibiotics. Nearly 700 overseas hospitals were responsible for initial care of the wounded. Stateside, 78 military hospitals cared for nearly 600,000 patients during the war. Norman T. Kirk, the first orthopedic surgeon, oversaw a medical organization with 535,000 medics, 57,000 nurses, 47,000 physicians, and 2000 veterinarians. They provided initial care and determined wounds. The ability of the military system to provide medical aid and treatment to the personnel was an important factor in bringing victory because it was a source of strength and increased morale. With this in mind, the discovery of chemical medicines saved an unbelievably large amount of suffering patients – for example the discovery of Sulfanilamide by Gerhard Johannes Paul Domagk was very innovative. While sulfanilamide was available, there was an 11% mortality rate. The discovery of penicillin by the Scottish bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming was also pivotal. To further manifest the benefits of