Figure 1.--The tank emerged as one of the key weapons in World War II. The Wehrmacht developed the tactics for effectively using them leading to stunning successes in the early World War II campaigns. The Soviets produced an even better tank than the Germans had (the T-34) and in huge numbers. The Soviets did not, however, at first use it effectively. The main American tant (the M4 Sherman) proved weakly armored and under gunned, but American industry produced them in huge numbers. In addition, American air power made it impossible for the Wehrmacht to effectively use its armor.

World War I began as a war of movement, but after the Miracle on the Marne became a war of attrition as the Aliies and Germans built a parallel system of trenches from the Swiss border to the English Channel. New weapons such as the machine gun, poison gas, tanks, and airplanes appeared, but the war was largely an infantry war, decided by the suoerior resources of the Allies and the arrival of the American infantry. The horrors of trench warfare caused military planners to focus on new weapons to restore mobility and to avoid a future war resulting in mass losses of foot soldiers. It was the Allies that developed tanks and won the World War I air war. It was the Germans, however, that after the War gave the greatest attention to developing new weapns, especially the tanks and air planes that would dominate the World War II battlefield. German commanders also conceived of an inovative method of effectively employing the new weapons, a combined arms tactic which has come to be known as Blitzkrieg. Naval commanders in a tradition firmly implantd by Nelson at Trafalgur were wed to the idea of a mjor decisive fleet action. The Germans in World war I called it Der Tag--the Day. The German Navy ws no longer capable of a major fleet actin when World war II broke out. The British did not think the German U-boats were a threat. The AsDAC (SONAR) developed in World War had helped defeat the U-boat threat and British commanders were convinced that it made the submarine obsolete. The major navies had eavh planned their war winning fleet action, all based on the big-gun battleships. The Japanese termed the acton Kantai Kessen--Decsive Battle. The American plan to respond to a Japanese attack on the Philippine Islands was War Plan Orange. The Germans began World war II with the word's most modern air force. It was, however, a tactical airforce designed to support the Wehrmsacht's land offensive as part of Blitzkrieg. Germany did not have the indstrial capaity to buld a strtegic air forceand had no plans to wage an air war. America and Britain did have the industrial capacity to build a strategic air force. World War was the first real air war. Both the Bitish and Germas were preparng a strategic bombing campaign in World War I, but the War ended before it had begun. Thus air commanders when World War II had no real ide how to wage an air campaign.

Land Warfare

World War I began as a war of movement, but after the Miracle on the Marne became a war of attrition as the Aliies and Germans built a parallel system of trenches from the Swiss border to the English Channel. New weapons such as the machine gun, poison gas, tanks, and airplanes appeared, but the war was largely an infantry war, decided by the suoerior resources of the Allies and the arrival of the American infantry. The horrors of trench warfare caused military planners to focus on new weapons to restore mobility and to avoid a future war resulting in mass losses of foot soldiers. It was the Allies that developed tanks and won the World War I air war. It was the Germans, however, that after the War gave the greatest attention to developing new weapns, especially the tanks and air planes that would dominate the World War II battlefield. Other countries also worked on these weapons, but the NAZIs after seizing power (1933) launched upon a massive military spending program that left them with the world's most poweful air force. German commanders also conceived of an inovative method of effectively employing the new weapons, a combined arms tactic which has come to be known as Blitzkrieg. The NAZIs seemed to have believed that racial superiority meant that Germany would be able to create the most poweful weapons. I am not sure Hitler believed this, but his strategy was to divide potential enemies and striking before his targets were prepared for war. Unfortunately his failure to defeat Britain and the Soviet Union meant that major industrial powers had the time to develop weapms that could match the Germans and the industrial power to produce them in quanties beyond the capability of Germany, But it was not just tanks that were needed for mobilr warfare, it was other tracked vehicles and the prosaic truck. Blitzkrieg not only involved panzers to pierce the enemy front line. Tanks were vulnerable. They needed infantry soldiers to protect them as well as to exploit the gaps opened in the enemy line. And the infantry as well as the needed supplies had to move as rapidly as panzers. The Wehrmacht, however, was not fully motorized. It did not have the trucks needed to fill the logiistical demand of Blitzkrieg. This weakness was not immediately apparent in the short early campaigns conducted on relatively small areas. This chnged dramatically with the onvasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941).

Naval Warfare

Naval commanders in a tradition firmly implantd by Nelson at Trafalgur were wed to the idea of a mjor decisive fleet action. The Germans in World war I called it Der Tag--the Day. The German Navy ws no longer capable of a major fleet actin when World war II broke out. The British did not think the German U-boats were a threat. The ASDAC (SONAR) developed in World War had helped defeat the U-boat threat and British commanders were convinced that it made the submarine obsolete. The major navies had eavh planned their war winning fleet action, all based on the big-gun battleships. The Japanese termed the acton Kantai Kessen--Decsive Battle. The American plan to respond to a Japanese attack on the Philippine Islands was War Plan Orange. The Japanese plan Yogeki Sakusen was to use cruiser and submarine screns to weaken the American fleet and then finish it off with the Japanese battleships. The core of the Japanese battle ship force was Musashi nd Yamato. Each had 18 in guns which could outrange the 16 in guns f the American battleships. The importannce of crriers was not fully understood before the outbreak of the Pacific War. One innovation that reached the Pacific Fleet just as the War began was RADAR. The Japanese failure to develop effective radar technology serious impaired their naval operations.

Air Warfare

It was aeronautics that most destinguished World War II from earlier wars. The Germans began World War II with the word's most modern air force. They did not, however, have the largest industrial capacity to build aircraft. The German advantage was gained by a crass building program before the British and French began to rearm. Even so, the Luftwaffe was a tactical airforce designed to support the Wehrmacht's land offensive as part of Blitzkrieg. Germany did not have the indstrial capaity to buld a strtegic air force and had no substantial force of plans to wage a statehic bombing casmpaign. America and Britain did have the industrial capacity to build a strategic air force. World War II, as a result, was the first real air war. Both the Bitish and Germans were preparng a strategic bombing campaign in World War I, but the War ended before it had begun. Thus air commanders when World War II erupted had no real idea how to wage a strategic air campaign. Theorists had addressed the topic, but without actual experience, they remained theories when Hitler invaded Poland launcjhing the War. Nor except for the Germans did they understand how air forces could be used to efficely support land operations. This was in part due to the fact that the Luftwaffe was not created until 1935 and the Germans used officers recruited from the Heer. Britain and America on the other hand had a staff core that were focused on air warfare and an industrial base that could supply both strtegic and tactical aircraft. Radar and electronic beaming was to have a major impact on the air war. The Germans introduced jet aircraft. As Hitler delasyed the program, they did not become operational until the final year of the War, but it was to late to affect the outcome. Anerican and Britain wre also working on jets, but the Germans had a substantial lead. Allied inteligence helped to reduce the impact of the pioltless ram jets (V-1s). The German secret balistic missle weapn (V-2), while a technological marvel, had no real impact on the War.

Chemical and Biolgical Warfare

Chemical weapons were extensively used during World War I. They were introduced by the Germans on both the Eastern and Western Front. The Western Allies retaliated by using them as well. The primary ordinance was artillery shells. Most observers believed that thaey would be used again when World war II broke out and would be used against civilians in aerial attacks. This did not occur, one of the few horrors which did not materialize. There were a few isolated incidents in Europe. Even though the Germans developed nerve agents that were far more deadly than Workd War I chemical agents, Hitler decided not to use them. Historians are not entirely sure why. German sources suggest that chemical experts asured him that the Allies probably had similar weaons or could easily produce them and no real advantage could be gained. There may also have been personal reasons for Hitler's decesion. World War I beligerants also developed biological weapons. The two most important seem to be antrax and thyphus. Typhus was not weaponized, but the disease itself killed millions of people during World War I and the Russian Civil War. The development of DDT managed to contain it after the War. The Germans, however, remained very concerned about it. Typhus may have been used to a limited extent on the Eastern Front. The British did a great deal of work on anthrax. The Japanese appear to have been the World War II beligerant country that most extensively used both chemical and biological weapons, primarily in China. The Soviets launched a major biological warfare proigram after the War.

Created: 8:31 PM 1/25/2007
Last updated: 5:19 AM 3/4/2010