World War II Technology

1. World War II Technology

2. Advances in aeronautics • During World War II Nazi Germany made numerous advances is rocketry. The V-1 or “buzz bomb” was an automatic aircraft (today known as a “cruise missile”) and the V-2 was a “ballistic missile” that flew into space before falling down on its target (both were rained on London during 1944-45, killing thousands of civilians). Damage caused by a V-2 Rocket

3. Aeronautics: Post-war uses • The “rocket team” that developed these weapons for Germany were brought to the United States after World War II and settled in Huntsville, Alabama, under their leader, Wernher von Braun. They helped to build the rockets that sent American astronauts into space and to the moon. It is because of these advances in rocketry that we have satellites and all of their associated uses (GPS, Guided Missiles, Cell-Phone location systems, Satellite TV, Etc.) today

4. Computing Machines • During the war sophisticated computing machines were made by the British for breaking the Nazi “Enigma” codes. The Americans also developed sophisticated machines for calculating ballistics and other battlefield equations. Fine-tuning ENIAC. J. Presper Eckert (the man in the foreground turning a knob) served and John Mauchly (center) designed ENIAC to calculate the trajectory of artillery shells. ENIAC contained nearly 18,000 vacuum tubes and filled a 1,500-square-foot room. To program it, different accumulators had to be wired to each other.

5. Computing: Post-War uses • These are the forerunners of today’s computers which operate everything from your car to your cellphone today. This Apple II computer was introduced in 1977.

6. Radar and Sonar • Radar is the ability to use radio waves to detect objects at a distance. The basis of Radar was invented at the start of the war in Britain and the technology shared with the U.S. Radar allowed nations to track incoming air attacks, guided bombers to their targets, and directed anti-aircraft guns toward airplanes flying high above. Researchers not only constructed the radars, but also devised countermeasures. During their bombing raids, Allied bombers dropped thousands of tiny strips of tinfoil, code-named “window” and “chaff” to jam enemy radar. Sonar made use of sound waves and was largely used for the detection and location of German submarines. It helped the allies destroy many German submarines and open up the Atlantic for the shipment of war materials from America to Britain.

7. Radar and Sonar: Postwar Uses • Today radar is used to monitor our airspace and prevent surprise attacks. Air Traffic Controllers use radar to manage air traffic and avoid air collisions. It is also used by police to ensure that motorists travel at safe speeds. • By constructing complex pieces of electronic equipment that had to be small, rugged, and reliable, radar engineering also set the foundations for modern electronics, especially television. Radar signals could also be used for navigation, as a ship or airplane could measure its distance from several radar beacons to “triangulate” its position. A system for radar navigation, called LORAN (long-range navigation) was the precursor to today’s satellite-based GPS technology • Sonar is used to monitor our coastlines, for weather detection equipment, and is used to monitor fetal health in pregnant women

8. Penicillin • The discovery of the capabilities of the Penicillium Notatum mold on killing bacteria was made in 1869 and Alexander Fleming popularized the discovery in the 1920’s with his further studies on the matter. However it was not until World War II that the powerful antibiotic was first mass produced. Penicillin was used during the war to fight blood poisoning that could be brought on even through simple wounds due to the unsanitary conditions of war. It was also used to fight STD’s such as Gonnerhea and Syphilis which were sometimes contracted by the soldiers.

9. Penicillin: Post War uses • Penicillin itself is still used today to treat bacterial infections. It was also the precursor to the powerful antibiotics that we take today to keep infections from becoming life-threatening illnesses.

10. Synthetic Materials • During the War the home front experienced shortages and rationing of many basic items such as rubber, gasoline, silk, and metals. • New materials emerged to fill these voids; many had been invented just before the war but found wide use during World War II: plastics and plastic wrap were invented to create storage containers to take the place of metal containers and aluminum foil. Artificial, chemically made fabrics such as Nylon and Rayon took the place of silk, cotton, and other natural fibers. Synthetic rubber was created to replace the real thing.

11. Synthetic Materials: Postwar uses • Today many household goods are made of plastics and Saran Wrap is a staple of most homes. • Most vehicles use tires made of synthetic rubber. • Many closets contain clothes that are at least partially made of synthetic fabric (polyester, rayon, spandex, etc.)

12. Pressurized Airplane Cabins • Flying at high altitude puts occupants of an aircraft at risk of hypoxia (poor oxygen levels in the blood), altitude sickness, decompression sickness and barotrauma (cause by pressure differences). Despite these risks, bombers at the start of WWII were only equipped with oxygen masks, which restricted movement and were prone to failure. • With the B-29 Super fortress, introduced in 1944, the Americans created the first cabin pressure system, with the nose and cockpit all pressurized. However, the bomb bays remained unpressurised. Even so, this advancement meant the crew could move around in comparative comfort.

13. Pressurized Airplane Cabins: Postwar uses • The development of pressurized cabins allowed for the explosive growth of commercial air travel in the 1950’s. Many of the Aeronautics companies that had constructed military equipment during the war, transformed their business to create passenger airplanes. The best known of these include the Boeing and Douglass (Later McDonnell Douglas) Corporation

14. Nuclear Energy • The secretive, multi-million dollar Manhattan Project put the world’s top scientific minds to the task of harnessing the incredible amount of energy to be obtained by splitting the nucleus of an atom. • At the end of the war, the United States developed two destructive weapons using this energy. The atomic bombs were used with deadly effect on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

15. Nuclear Energy: Postwar Uses • The nuclear power plants we utilize today to create electricity from harnessing the power of splitting the atomic nucleolus. • Another use of nuclear technology is in the treatment of cancer, i.e., through the use of radiotherapy. Also, small amounts of radioisotope tracers are used for diagnostic and research purposes. It is also used to sterilize some medical equipment. • The most interesting use of the nuclear energy is that it can be used by the archaeologists, geologists and anthropologists in determining the age of anything containing carbon. San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station