World War II And The Civil War - 1651 Words

Despite its tragic circumstances and appalling costs, wars have pushed forward the development of tools and knowledge. Genghis Khan and the Mongols introduced hamburger; the Civil War gave rise to standardized clothing sizes and canned food; World War I produced air traffic control and hydrophones (Carnivores; Top 10 Civil War 3, 5; Scully). As it was during the earlier wars, motivation to innovate and invent was strong during World War II. Shortages, rationing and doing without at home meant military personnel had a little more support and protection, and supplying materials and money for war production meant civilian resources were scarce. World War II met the challenge with many improvements and inventions that transitioned into†¦show more content†¦Plastic’s contribution was the substrate of the circuit board that triggered the detonation of the shell as it came within a specified proximity of its target (Eisler). The proximity fuse was so successful that testin g ended early when fewer than expected shells were needed to destroy all the test targets (Jennings). The vulnerability of surface ships to air attacks was reduced, and when the proximity fuse was introduced in Europe, airbursts kept German soldiers in their barracks and out of the field (Baldwin 279; Bush 27). Along with the atomic bomb and D-Day, the proximity fuse was a secret guarded with great care. These three developments were pivotal elements of the Allied victory (Jennings). Commander General of the Third Army, George S. Patton, a hard man to please, said, â€Å"The funny fuze won the Battle of the Bulge for us. I think that when all armies get this shell we will have to devise some new method of warfare.† (qtd. in Jennings). Soldiers received additional critical protection from the bubble canopies and nose cones of combat aircraft made with the new molded acrylic. Glazed acrylic, which replaced the glass in the windshields and nose cones of the bombers and fighters, was much more resistant to bullets and shrapnel, and it was permanently crystal clear (Rabin 1). Plastic canopies, along with â€Å"the greatest fighter of the war†, helped 281 pilots of North American P51-D Mustang fighters stay alive to earn