68 World War I & World War II

Introduction

The two World Wars have had profound impacts on science, technology, industry, and the connection between them. The First World War underscored the necessity of collaboration between industry, the scientific community, and the government to fund and enhance the war effort, which drove innovation in areas such as chemical warfare, medicine, and aviation. By the Second World War, these partnerships were leveraged to create and deploy further transformative technologies, such as radar, tanks, and, perhaps most notably, the atomic bomb.

 Industrial-Scientific Connection

 World War I

World War I was the first war to strengthen the connection between science and industry to develop, produce, and distribute material to aid in the war effort. When the war began, Germany was the leading scientific country in the world with the implementation of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, an umbrella organization for institutes and research units in the country, in 1911. With the outbreak of war, German scientists displayed an eagerness to commit themselves and their work to the war cause, as illustrated by the “An die Kulterwelt” manifesto signed by 93 intellectuals of the German Empire (Lehmann, 2016).

Despite this, Germany was overtaken by the United States as the prominent scientific nation as the war progressed due to the establishment of transnational scientific endeavors, specifically within the Allied powers. Two years before the official declaration of war in 1917, the United States had begun preparations for the war effort through the “institutionalization of several bodies where research, the military, and the industry closely collaborated” (Lehmann, 2016, p. 18). The U.S. economy at the onset of war expedited the implementation of the war effort, as France, Great Britain, and Russia all placed orders for weapons and munitions in the U.S (Lehmann, 2016).

 World War II

In the Second World War, the mobilization of science and technology was deemed a necessity after the experience in the previous World War. The U.S. is a good example of this, as it established the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to execute the research effort to develop and deploy new technology that transformed the nature of war. This agency was responsible for the broader war effort in technology development, of which the famous Manhattan Project was a part. OSRD was responsible for organizing a response to wartime crises, where American scientists and engineers were mobilized to develop solutions to problems the American military faced. Within five years, OSRD successfully developed innovations in key technologies to bolster the war effort, “including radar, computing, jet propulsion, optics, chemistry, and atomic fission” (Gross, June 2012). Another important facet of R&D within OSRD was the coordination of scientists and the military to develop new medicine (such as blood transfusions, skin grafting, and antibacterial treatment) and deploy it on the battlefield (Burton, July 2020).

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.

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

Burton, K. D. (2020, July 31). The scientific and technological advances of World War II. The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/scientific-and-technological-advances-world-war-ii.

‌“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.

Gross, D. P., & Sampat, B. N. (2022, June 7). The World War II Crisis Innovation Model: What was it, and where does it apply?. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3701812

Jörg Lehmann, Francesca Morselli (2016). Science and Technology in the First World War. 10.13140/RG.2.2.12462.92488. hal-01419141

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.

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