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How Did Technology Affect The Development Of Modern Warfare

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The technological changes that characterized modern warfare had their roots in the Middle Ages, however, their progression in the last two centuries are really what caused the increased speed, efficiency, and lethality of modern warfare. As such, the technological advancements can be broken down to a set of components: logistics, communication, efficiency, dimension, scale, reliability, and effectiveness. The reason for there being so many different components so to speak, is that the technology of modern warfare was so revolutionary that singular inventions can fit into a categorization of their own (such as machine guns defining efficiency). Logistics: the transportation of people and materiel from one location to another. In centuries past, …show more content…

The breakthroughs in achieving underwater and aerial capabilities meant that now a vertical dimension had been added to the battlespace. Submarines could be used for a multitude of purposes ranging from bypassing enemy warships for intelligence purposes to actually carrying out stealthy strikes against enemy naval capabilities with a greatly reduced risk of retaliation. Early air power was pretty limited in scope in the sense of combat capabilities. Hot air balloons were used for reconnaissance (observing enemy troop movements) and artillery spotting. From there, they were adapted to drop hand grenades and small bombs. However due to their vulnerability they were replaced by Zeppelins for bombing purposes. With the advent of fixed-wing aircraft, the airpower dynamic shifted greatly. Airplanes were faster, had greater range, were less vulnerable, and had better offensive capabilities than hot air balloons and Zeppelins (especially when amassed into squadrons). Initially airplanes were used as forward reconnaissance elements before early pilots started experimenting with firing rifles and dropping grenades from their cockpits. With the invention of the interrupter gear and metal propellor blades by Anthony Fokker and Roland Garros respectively, forward-facing machine guns could be mounted on aircraft enabling them to shoot at air and ground targets in their line of sight. With the

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This didn’t particularly affect the war as sometimes the weather wasn’t clear enough to see, due to clouds blocking the view, and most reconnaissance reports weren’t paid enough attention by military officials when planning and preparing for battles. Forward-firing machine guns began to be installed onto planes by 1915, but the invention of an interrupter mechanism that allowed machine guns to shoot through moving propellor blades was the real advancement that happened. Planes were starting to be used to bomb key areas once bomb racks were attached, targeting sites related to military production, and even attacking civilians to damage public morale and reduce support for the war. This explains how planes evolved from only being used for military spotting and gathering information, to being able to attack and bomb the enemy using machine guns and artillery stored on the plane, weapons that were previously only used by the army troops. Planes didn’t affect the war much until weapons started being mounted onto planes, introducing aerial bombing, which became an important part of the war and changed how it was fought.

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Before WW1 air planes were used primarily for observation and for gathering intelligence. In WW1 a Dutch inventor, working for the Germany, developed a way of allowing machine guns to fire through the propeller. This sparked the first “dog fights”. These midair confrontations helped pave the way for new and better ways of fighting in mid air. Now the use of missiles have widely replaced mounted machine guns in aerial combat however the premise still remains the same to this day.

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The Weapons of World War II During World War II, a multitude of weapons were used, varying from conventional firearms and artillery, to more unorthodox armaments like suicide bomb dogs, Hitler’s Gustav gun, and even bat bombs. The majority of weapons used in World War II were very traditional. However, sometimes innovative, interesting, and even bizarre ideas gave way to extremely efficient weapons or lack thereof. The advancements in weaponry during World War II was unprecedented. Each major nation had its own rifles, planes, tanks, and equipment that they had created and manufactured in order to attain victory over their foes.

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While both the Allies and Axis sides possessed their military powers through the army, battleships, and tanks, air warfare was also crucial for either side to win in and played an important role in the outcome of WWII. They were used in many tactical missions, as well as to transport troops, equipment, and supplies to the battlefield in mere minutes. Many major events happened due to air bombings and fights in the sky, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor, which eventually dragged the U.S. into the war, all the way to the Atom bomb droppings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Planes have been proved effective regarding both sides, and WWII would have turned out a whole lot differently without them.

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However, throughout World War One, lots of new technology was made and lots of old ones were improved to make fighting more efficient for countries. The biggest war technology was, and still is today, the airplane. At first, they were used for spying and gathering information about what your enemy’s next move was. Soon after, they started being used for bombing, then became fully equipped with machine guns. Fighting in the air was one of the most dangerous jobs of the war.

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While submachine guns, tanks, and Anti-aircraft weapons were key in the war, “aircraft carriers were the largest of the new weapons in World War II. They allowed unimaginably close takeoffs in the pacific side of the war. With only a few islands large enough for runways and fuel stations, it was hard for bombers to get to their target and back without risking plunging into the ocean. The invention of aircraft carriers got the bombers twice as close to their destination than before. The bombers could then have a greater capacity of pay load and they could also stay bombing for longer before they had to return back.

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Back in World War One, airplanes were a thought of the future, but they became extremely prominent in World War Two, and essentially ruled the offensive and defensive strategies of the European and Pacific Theater. The Germans were able to defeat many countries through their use of advanced military equipment, as they notoriously demolished France, Belgium, Poland, Norway, and Denmark. Hitler was able to utilize many successful tactics such as the Blitzkrieg and the Sitzkrieg. Those deadly tactics, when combined with the use of airplanes and tanks, was virtually unstoppable. Germany kept advancing its technology until it matched Britain, who was able to consistently match and fend off Germany’s shiny new weapons.

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During the beginning of the first world war, aircrafts were used primarily for military observation of enemy states and did not play a large role until near the end of the war where they were used to bomb enemy territory on the western front. The first fighter planes produced in World War I, was rarely used due to their overall inaccuracy and inefficiency whereas the fighter planes/jets produced during world war II, had more speed, enhanced armoury and were more accurate and precise. As such, the long-range aircraft of the second world war removed the Mid-Atlantic Gap. Furthermore, technological progression had a large influence on the production rate of airpower.

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Many new concepts were created involving aircrafts for military use, this also included many old concepts that were simply never realized because they were not feasible before the war. During and before the war, many new methods for designing aircrafts were created which allowed for previously impossible ideas to become reality. One of the major ideas utilized in World War II was strategic bombers. Strategic bombers were planes that were outfitted to be able to fly over an area and drop bombs on the land. The British would lead large fleets of bombers to indiscriminately bomb areas as large as cities, this became known as “carpet bombing” ("Military Aviation: Key Innovations.").

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