Student Question
What new aspects of warfare were introduced during World War II?
Quick answer:
World War II introduced significant innovations in warfare, including the use of paratroopers, strategic bombing, and blitzkrieg tactics. Paratroopers were first used by Germany and later by the Allies, enhancing rapid deployment. Blitzkrieg emphasized rapid mobility and coordination between different military units, revolutionizing warfare. Strategic bombing targeted industrial and transportation hubs, extending warfare to civilian areas. Technological advances included sonar, radar, jet engines, rockets, and the atomic bomb, highlighting the increased role of air power and new weaponry.
I believe that paratroopers should be mentioned as a new aspect of war that was widely used in World War II. The Germans used paratroopers first. The Americans used paratroopers heavily in the invasion of Europe, although there was not much use of paratroopers in the Pacific theater. Through newsreels and documentary films, people have become accustomed to the sight of hundreds or thousands of men dropping out of planes with their parachutes blossoming like so many opening flowers or blowing dandelion seeds, but it was a new sight in World War II and foreshadowed the growing importance of air power in warfare.
World War II was a total war. It involved the complete mobilization of the populations and the economic infrastructure of almost every nation involved. Civilians were required to make major material sacrifices, and often found themselves the subjects of attack. While civilian populations had always suffered during...
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wartime, the Second World War saw noncombatants brought into the conflict as never before. In addition to the unprecedented brutality of Nazi Germany toward Jews, millions of Soviet, German, Japanese, Chinese, and other civilians perished during the course of the war, due to intentional targeting and massive aerial bombardments like that of England and Poland by the Germans and of Germany and Japan by the Allies.
The war also saw the use of new machinery which revolutionized the way it was fought. The importance of airplanes has already been mentioned, and indeed the German strategy of blitzkrieg marked their successful integration with mechanized armor with rapid, deadly effect. The war also saw the first use of sonar and radar to target weapons more effectively, and while the use of poison gas, a hallmark of the First World War, was banned, both sides used far more powerful explosives and other frightful devices like flamethrowers. Both jet engines and rockets were deployed for the first time in the later years of the war, and of course the war ended with the most horrific innovation of all, the atomic bomb.
What new warfare concepts emerged during World War II?
The two most important new concepts in warfare in this war were blitzkrieg and strategic bombing.
The concept of blitzkrieg was of war based on rapid mobility and close coordination between various parts of the armed forces (armor, infantry, air support, artillery). This doctrine was used to great effect by the Germans early in the war and was emulated by the Allies later on.
Strategic bombing was the idea of using masses of bombers to hit industrial and transportation targets as opposed to military targets. The idea had been around since WWI, but the technology had not yet enabled air forces to do this until WWII. Strategic bombing was critical to the Allied defeat of the Axis.
What new aspects of warfare emerged in World War II?
The two most important new aspects of warfare seen in this war were blitzkrieg and strategic bombing.
Blitzkrieg was an idea pioneered by the Germans early in the war. It was based on being able to move troops rapidly from place to place (by motor vehicle or even by airplane in the case of paratroopers) and on very good coordination between tanks, infantry, air support, artillery. The Allies used this type of warfare later in the war as well.
Strategic bombing was done by using large waves of bombers to hit targets like factories and railroad yards rather than just bombing troops and other military targets. The Americans and British used this against Germany very effectively. The Americans used captured islands as bases from which to launch strategic bombers against Japan. This type of bombing hurt the German and Japanese efforts to keep their war machines supplied.