Top 10 Inventions Of WWII

[Herroberst]

What were the best inventions of WWII

Come on Oberst! Where do you start? For me it's anything by Barnes Wallis. Just take your pick.

[Gnomey]

There are lots. As Mossie said anything by Barnes Wallis, also Werner Von Braun and the V1 and V2. Although developed before the war it was not perfected until the end of the war; the jet engine. There are others almost too numerous to list, of course the is the atomic bomb but I don't think that it is the best invention of the war.

[Max (UK)]

(Herr Oberst @ Feb 9 2006, 06:12 AM) [post=45453]What were the best inventions of WWII
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Hollywood films.

[spidge]

(mosquito617 @ Feb 9 2006, 08:31 PM) [post=45460]Come on Oberst! Where do you start? For me it's anything by Barnes Wallis. Just take your pick.

[/b]

Invention from necessity. Everyone pulling in the same direction for a change.

Many things were on the horizon and quickly brought to completion from necessity.

Radar: Working effectively

Sonar:

Penicillin invented by Howard Florey & Ernst Chain as a "practical" antibiotic. (My tip for number one as it saved lives not only during the war but continued to give life to all peoples of the world)

Ballistic Missiles, Atomic Weapons, Jet Aircraft,

Norden bomb sight, Bazooka and Panzerschreck Rocket propelled grenade, PIAT Anti-tank weapon.

Tank destroyer, Flail tanks, Flame tank, Submersible Tank.

Glide bomb, V-1 flying bomb, V-2 rocket, Katyusha rocket

HEAT and HESH Anti Armour warheads.

Synthetic Rubber

Owen sub machine gun

Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 (FG 42) - Sturmgewehr 44

Proximity fuze for shells, bombs and rockets.

[Kiwiwriter]

I would go with penicillin and anti-biotics, because they (along with radar, electronics, computers, modularized construction, 100 octane fuel, jeeps, landing craft, and combined operations) were one of the few World War II innovations that had a positive effect on humanity.

Penicillin and anti-biotics saved millions of lives, and turned once-fatal epidemic diseases into minor nuisances.

(Kiwiwriter @ Feb 9 2006, 09:13 AM) [post=45480]I would go with penicillin and anti-biotics, because they (along with radar, electronics, computers, modularized construction, 100 octane fuel, jeeps, landing craft, and combined operations) were one of the few World War II innovations that had a positive effect on humanity.

Penicillin and anti-biotics saved millions of lives, and turned once-fatal epidemic diseases into minor nuisances.
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I agree with Kiwi and spidge. The count of how many lives it saved has to considered with the compounded perspective of how many German's died from minor battlefield injuries due to infection, Germans that might have returned to the battlefield to kill more. Otto Carius laments that Germany didn't have penicillin like the allies and how they lost so many due to things that anti-biotics could have cured. Without the boys from "down under" there is a good chance if not a probability that sapper would have died from his wounds from infection alone.

It is very ironic that in the mind boggling plethora of innovations, that range from the obvious to the sublime, that were invented by American, British and German ingenuity that the biggest contribution to WWII came from one of the least populous and therefore least likely members of the Grand Alliance. Seems like the History Channel could give it it’s “props”.

BTW Kiwi, 100 octane fuel or AvGas came from the late 1920s. Jimbo Doolittle working for Shell Oil pushed them to develop it that as well as create its markets during his racing days. It opened the door for the new generation of high performance aircraft developed in the mid to late 1930s.


Folks, I am a little disappointed that no one mentioned "Spam"! (though actually invented two years before the war). According to Krushchev, "Without SPAM, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army". Not to mention is post war contribution to Monty Python's success!!!

[Herroberst]

Well see when I posted very specific posts, no one replied so I posted a broad topic which people could discuss so let me refine the question.

What were the top ten inventions of WWII?

[spidge]

Hi Herr Oberst,

My number one still applies.

Do you want us to name 10 each or are you going to put them all together and have a vote?


1. Penicillin invented & developed by Howard Florey & Ernst Chain as a "practical" antibiotic.


Go for it members as it would be an interesting result.

[Herroberst]

Hi Geoff, I am partial to penicillin being one of the most important developments. Would you call it an invention or a discovery? I don't know alot about medicines.

Let's try everyone respond with their top ten list of WWII inventions.

Should prove interesting.