Military Innovations

Click here to watch Call of Duty WWII Trailer. This game gives a perspective of what fighting was like in WWII.

Artillery
Many new types of artillery were used in WWII. Since tanks and planes were becoming bigger and better, antitank and AA (antiaircraft) guns had to be made better. However, not just AA and antitank guns were improved. Many other guns used in WWII were also improved. There wasn't much difference between the guns used by countries. For example, the American 105 mm howitzer was very similar to the German 105 mm. Even though the guns were similar, the effectiveness was also determined by the type of ammunition in the guns. Proximity fuses were developed in WWII, allowing the ammunition to explode when it got close to an enemy. This type of ammunition used new radar technology.

Click here to view a complete list of all the artillery used in WWII.

Tanks
Many new tank designs were used in WWII, allowing them to be made bigger and better. Because of this, tanks were used much more effectively in WWII. They played a larger role in WWII than in WWI. Since tanks were used more, production of tanks during WWII reached thousands per month. During the war, almost every country used tanks in their armies.

Atomic Bomb
There were many new types of bombs used in WWII, but the most famous was the atomic bomb. Driven by nuclear fission, the atomic bomb had the power to destroy a whole city. The first two atomic bombs were used by the United States on Japan. On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. three days later, the atomic bomb Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Click here to learn more about the history of the atomic bomb.

Radar
Radar was very important in WWII. It was used for many different purposes such as storm tracking and locating enemies. For the first time, meteorologists could track storms, which gave a huge advantage when planning attacks such as D-Day. Radar could also be used by ships to locate enemies, and on land to locate incoming aircraft. Radar could also be used for navigation in the ocean. As mentioned above, radar technology was also used in ammunition to detect when a bullet got close to an enemy. When it got close, a fuse on the bullet would go off and the bullet would explode.

Click here to learn more about the history of the radar.