Final Essay: Technological Advancements in World War 2 and Their Role
Kaylee Wirkus
Bonneville High School
Honors World History
Mr. Pyper
03/01/23
Final Essay: Technological Advancements in World War 2 and Their Role There were lots of technological advancements that came about during World War Two. Four examples of these advancements are artillery, electronics, everyday items and medical advancements. These all were very helpful for the soldiers in World War Two and the civilians they were protecting.
There were many new weapons that were made during World War Two. These helped the people in the war to be able to protect themselves. It gave them better fire power, and more hope of winning the ongoing war. “One of the most infamous World War
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These new medications helped people to be able to fight the wars rather than the sicknesses going around. One of the medications is the flu vaccine. “The influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 had a major effect on World War I, and it motivated the U.S. military to develop the first flu vaccine.” (Little, 2021). Since the flu was so bad at the time the vaccine was especially helpful in the fact that less people would get it and so they could focus more on other things in helping with the war. Another medication developed was penicillin. “Before the widespread use of antibiotics like penicillin in the United States, even small cuts and scrapes could lead to deadly infections.” (Little, 2021). This is why penicillin was such a good thing. Now soldiers didn’t have to worry as much if they got wounded in battle. It also helped the medics out on the field too. “Military surgeons were amazed by how the drug reduced pain, increased the chance of survival and made it easier for nurses and doctors to care for soldiers on the battlefield.” (Little, 2021). Penicillin helped soldiers in many aspects. Not only were scientists able to create the flu vaccine and penicillin but they were also able to find out a way to do blood plasma transfusions. This was used to give people blood when needed. “Unlike whole blood, plasma can be given to anyone regardless of a person’s blood type, making it easier to administer on the battlefield.” (Little, 2021). They would transport it in, “two sterile jars, one with water in it and one with freeze-dried blood plasma” (Little, 2021). Making it easy to help those who needed blood on the battlefield. These treatments were extremely helpful in the health of those all around the
For example, the machine gun drove soldiers from the battlefield and into relatively safe trenches, dug-outs, and fortifications. Machine Guns helped solder. For example, machine guns and rapid-firing artillery, when used in combination with trenches and barbed-wire emplacements, gave a decided advantage to the defense, since these weapons' rapid and sustained firepower could decimate a frontal assault by either infantry or cavalry. Machine Guns helped soldiers in the trenches. For example, Heavy Machine Guns were later removed from the infantry battalions and grouped into machine gun units to centralize firepower.
Civil War Medicine vs. Colonial Medicine: How Civil War medicine is better Presented to Ryne Jungling Mandan High School In Fulfillment of the Requirements of AP History By Natasha Troxel 16 December 2016 In the 1700s, Americans owed their medical knowledge to the colonists. It was not until 1861, when the Civil War began, that Americans started realizing that they needed to make changes.
Stopping the Silent Killers: The Discoveries that Changed Medicine in War Before World War II the majority of fatalities in war were not caused by trauma but by diseases. Common diseases like dysentery, cholera, typhus, typhoid fever, smallpox and the influenza would wipe out entire camps of soldiers before bullets were ever fired. WWII marked the transition to trauma causing the most fatalities. Trauma wounds are defined as an injury to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agents like bullets, shrapnel, or blunt force injuries. Medical advances with blood transfusions, vaccines, and antibiotics caused a shift from infection being the most significant cause of combat fatalities to trauma causing the most deaths.
but they types of bacteria they were exposed to. I am going to further address the antiseptic methods if any was implemented at all. Additionally a brief history behind the individuals who developed these techniques and their contribution to the medicine during the civil war.
In addition to their medical uses, the Axis forces used corticosteroids as a chemical weapon during the Battle of the Bulge. Inventions that Changed the Course of the War World War II (WWII) was one of the most devastating wars in human history. It caused millions of casualties and massive destruction and changed the geopolitical landscape of the world (Gross, 2019). During this time, some of the greatest minds put their heads together to develop inventions that would help the Allied forces gain an advantage over the Axis forces. Many of these inventions were used to improve military tactics, communications, transportation, and weaponry.
Machine guns and poisonous gas were two new weapons used heavily during the war, along with the use of trench warfare. The weapons were more deadly than in previous wars, which caused the medical technology to lag behind. The medical staff was inexperienced to the new injuries caused by the modern weapons and the clinic had inadequate amounts of supplies to properly treat patients. The lack of funds used to supply the medical equipment caused many soldiers to go untreated which either amplified their injuries or caused death. For example, Kemmerich would have had a higher chance of surviving his leg amputation if there were modern medical techniques and supplies available.
They worked assiduously to uncover new methods of treatment in order to provide the best care for heroic soldiers. The catastrophe of the Civil War propelled medicine because it demanded that unprepared doctors adapt to face exceptional challenges. Advancements in the basic principles of medical technology during the American Civil War triggered a scientific movement that transformed medical practices from traditional methods into a modern discipline. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, most people restored to conventional approaches to medicine, which were all far from true science. When the Civil War began, educated doctors were in high demand but none of them could have anticipated the extent of tragedy occurring on the battlefields.
By the time the Civil War had begun Doctors had not yet grasped all there is to know about different medical techniques. They still had a lot to learn. But as more time went on they were able to gain a greater understanding on how different parts of the body reacted to different types of medicines. From working in the battle fields and in the hospitals, different methods were founded for the recurring type of problems soldiers faced. During the Civil War doctors faced a lot of patients daily, so they were able to have a lot of experience.
Their sensitivity to the poison gas increased with exposure. The gas made it very hard for the troops to breathe. This shows the size of the impact that the weapons had on the war and effect it had on the soldiers. The advancements of weapons and technology in World War One drastically changed the way wars were fought and had a big impact on the outcome of the war and helped improve the weapons and technology that we use
Overall, the techniques adopted in medicine led to the recovery of many soldiers and saved the lives of many soldiers, whose conditions once seemed impossible to
Artillery also helped the Allies with an eventual victory, as the Germans were no match for the thousands of explosive allied artillery rounds that rained down upon them, leading to a German
Advancements in Weaponry Throughout America’s history of war, weaponry has played a major factor in conflict. Weapons were improved for the benefit of the American soldiers. Since American war instruments have been improved in technology, the U.S was able to exceed over their opponents in war from the Colonial Era to the Antebellum Era. The usage of improved weaponry was a major advantage for the United States.
Also a major wartime creation was the invention of the tank. Britain created the tank in 1915 and first released it into combat at the Somme in 1916. Although the tank started
The period of the first world war saw new technological advances in military capabilities. With the invention of planes, tanks, artillery shells, machine guns and numerous others, humans became
The most significant obstacles to military innovation during the interwar period are socioeconomic factors, poor military leadership and the disjointedness between operational concepts and technological advancement. The first major obstacle to military innovation was the global socioeconomic state of affairs. In Britain for example, from 1920 through 1939, the general mood of the public was that of