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The electronics industry which developed around radio was one of many industrries to play an important role in World War II. The United States quickly developed the largest electronics industry in the world. And just a many low-income Americans had cars because of mass production, most low-income Americans by the 1930s had radios. A vast new industry grew up to supply not only these radios, but the broadcasting equipment as well. And as a result, major corporations developed around the radio and telephone industry. Now broadcasts of Jack Benny, Red Skelton, the Green Hornet, the Shadow, Glen Miller, and others may seem rather trivial, but they led to a vast new indudtry. And that new industry was one which had immense military significance. The German concept of Blitzkrieg which brought the early German victories was premised on mobile warfare where commanders directed their fast moving mobilized units by radio. Notavly French tanks did not have radios and French generals were sending out orders by messengers who often found positions were already taken by the Germans before they delivered theur messages. The United Srates made the greatest use of radio in the War. Virtually any American second leiutenant in an infantry unit could call in a devestating artillery barage. No other army in the War had that capability. But this is only the beginning of the radio story. A key element in Battle of Britain was radar. And here again the vast American radio industry assisted with British technology built radar sets in vast numbers and increasing capability. These radar played key roles in the Pacific War and crutical Battle of the Atlantic. American radar was not quite capable of preventiun Pearl Harbor, but as early as the Sollomons campaign began to play a key role in the Pacific. And it was vital in the Atlantic to track down a locate U-boats. The radio industry also played an important role in the signals intelligemnce vital to Allied code breaking, Magic and Ultra. And the American electronics industry built a communication device, unlike the German Enigma machine, that could not be cracked. These efforts led to another new, related industry--computers.
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