54 World War I & World War II

Introduction

Everyone knows that both World Wars, WWI and WWII, had significant impacts and influences on the world, and it is seen today. From the countries created after WWI to the evolution of military technology, nuclear weapons sprang to life after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As stated in the chapters discussing both wars, WWI and WWII greatly impacted the world as we know it today. As mentioned above, the significant impact was the advancement of the technology used, like the atomic bomb.

The technology of the Wars (Background)

One crucial advancement that happened was the evolution of the technology that was used between both wars. Guns were an essential part of the war, and so were heavily armored vehicles, like tanks, but one of the most important things that were crucial in both world wars was the communication system. Each of these types of artillery was used in different ways. Guns are primarily used for land combat. Soldiers would take cover behind hills, leftover vehicles, or anything that could give them a good shield and would take turns firing until the other side retreated, surrendered, or extracted. Guns have been used as a weapon in war for more than five centuries and are still a critical factor in wars or defense today. Tanks have been around since the beginning of the world wars. They became something that would change the look of wars forever. Tanks were used to break the stalemate problems in trench warfare (Kim). Communication was an important aspect of technology during the war, serving many different factors. A standard method is for mobilizing troops and the needed help of the countries supplying the troops. The following technology categories: guns, heavily armored vehicles, and communications, will be discussed more by comparing them and their counterparts from each war period.

WWI vs. WWII

Guns

  WWI

  WWII

            Heavy Armored Vehicles

WWI

WWII

Communications

Communication was crucial in the victories in WWI and especially in WWII for the Allied forces. Also, it comes in all shapes and forms, including the following: lamps, armored vehicles, and animals. Highlighting this technology is vital because it could help in the strategic planning strategy for both sides. Communication allows someone who is on one side of the planet to reach someone on the other side of the earth. With military communication, an officer can give a command in the United States, and it can be given to troops in Germany. This is how effective communication technology can be; it has evolved more today.

WWI

With the beginning of World War I, the technology used for communications evolved significantly. This evolution shows how intellectual humans can be, and quickly think on the fly. The communications started with lights and lamps. During World War I, lamps and lights were crucial in communication. They were used for the benefit of the soldiers because these lights and lamps helped the soldiers know if, when laying down telephone cables and wires, they were laying the wires down too fast for their safety. An example of these lamps being used can be found in this video starting at 1:00:00. The lamp is a trench signaling lamp, and the overall structure is a wooden case, and it is battery operated. According to Sandra Hutchinson, the trench signaling lamp has a bulls-eye lens to concentrate the light and a Morse key to switch the lamp on and off. There was one downside to this lamp, and it was, of course, the light itself. With this light being used in trench-to-trench communications and when laying cable lines, it could give up their location, leading to their deaths.

Another way to communicate during World War I was by using live animals. Animals are a good source for transmitting information because they allow countries that are held up somewhere to give information to their allies without losing any man. Three prominent animals used during WWI were horses, dogs, and pigeons. In 1937, the Telegraph Troops began drafting horses for communication purposes (Diffen). Horses, mules, and dogs had the same purpose during WWI as they were used to lay the cable for wireless connection. Dogs were also tasked with carrying messages through the trenches during wartime. Pigeons played a more prominent part during both world wars. Pigeons carrying messages for man have been used since the Romans. Pigeons, referred to as homing pigeons, were used as living telegraphs/telephones carrying information long distances. For example, Pigeon 2709 was set out on a flight to carry a message. The flight was a twenty-minute flight, but the bird was shot with a bullet, which broke his leg and was lodged into his side. The twenty-minute flight turned into a painful 21-hour flight. The bird completed his mission but died the next day from his wounds (Diffen). All animals were courageous animals that went through a lot during World War I, and the pigeon reappeared during the second world war 15 years later.

World War I communications focused on spreading information for the more significant cause. This is seen by the lights and lamps used to convey information to the soldiers if they were in danger when laying telephone lines. Also, the use of animals proved that ‘out of the box thinking needed to be used to give orders or relay messages to troops. Therefore, the use of live animals became a thing during the war, and both were crucial in the outcome of WWI and the advancement in communications used today during wars.

WWII

As mentioned in the paragraphs above this one, the homing pigeon made a return to the battlefield in the second world war. The pigeon had the same purpose in the first world war. The re-emergence of the pigeon’s presence was crucial as this led to 250,000 pigeons taking part in some form during World War II. Eventually, according to Sandra Hutchinson, 32 pigeons were awarded The Dickin Medal. The Dickin Medal is awarded to animals who have performed heroic deeds in war. Most notably, during World War II, the pigeon named William of Orange was given The Dickin Medal for his acts in 1944. William of Orange’s act included flying 400 km back to the UK in under four and a half hours carrying a critical message. His heroic actions came when many other forms of communication had failed.

One of the big things that dealt with communication and the evolution of technology is sending codes and hopefully not having them decoded by enemies. World War II was unlike others as you had Nazi concentration camps and eventually created the atomic bomb. Information had to be sent in code, so when sending it, it could not have been so easily transmitted. This information was crucial in wartime, so each side had different decoders. Nazi Germany had the Enigma Machine, and the British had the Typex. Both machines were very useful in sending messages in code where the other side could not easily read the information. One of the two had to fail at some point, and it did; the British code called Ultra helped win the war for the Allied powers. Ultra could crack German code and showed the Germans that the code was not broken at all. Breaking code was beneficial during the second world war, but it had to be done carefully for the opposing side to seem as if their code was not broken. Also, WWII was when parachuters began dropping from the sky with messages.

There are similarities and differences between both wars. A parallel is that the people on the battlefield relied on animal support for messages to travel hundreds to thousands of miles, and they were always ready to step up to the plate when duty was called. Differences are also noticeable as more of the focus in WWI was laying the foundation of how communication can be used, while in WWII, it was all about breaking codes to win the war. Communication and the reason for it have evolved within 30 years and been for the better.

Missing Voices

The topic of missing voices has been an issue since the beginning. This is an issue because when it comes to historical impact, someone’s idea or view of the world around them can broadly impact the views of today.

Conclusion

Sources

WW1 & WW2 communications | Royal Signals Museum. (2019). Royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk. https://www.royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk/ww1-ww2-communications/

‌“German WWI Artillery Observation with Balloon, Field Phones, Signal Lamp, 21cm Howitzer, Maxim+ +.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=arAk1IZIkpQ. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.

Kim, Brian. “Weapons in WW1 vs WW2.” Prezi.com, 21 July 2015, prezi.com/ruq3pf9qfbb9/weapons-in-ww1-vs-ww2/.

Matters, Military History. “WAR CULTURE – the Dickin Medal | Military History Matters.” Www.military-History.org, 11 Jan. 2013, www.google.com/url?q=www.military-history.org/feature/war-culture-the-dickin-medal.htm&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1668665050255682&usg=AOvVaw0bY0tk29C1_ogd4G9pmZaX. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.

“Ultra, Operation | Encyclopedia.com.” Www.encyclopedia.com, www.encyclopedia.com/politics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ultra-operation#:~:text=Operation%20Ultra%20was%20the%20codename%20for%20the%20British. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.