During the war, countries invented various new artillery. The V1, a flying bomb that could target and travel longer distances, was invented by the Germans. On the Allie side, they invented a bomb that could bounce through water and explode a dam.
Secret codes were created by both sides so they could send secret messages to others on their alliance. The Axis powers developed the Enigma Machine and Triton cipher, however with the use of computers, Allie scientists eventually were able to break into their secret code. Math and engineers came together at Britain's Cypher School, Bletchy Park, where they built electronic code-breaking machines, such as the Colossus computer. By breaking into the Axis powers' secret code, this meant that because the Allies were now able to understand what their opponents were planning on doing next, this allowed the US to attack Japan, one of their opponents. For instance, at the Battle of Midway, the Americans used their code-breaking intelligence systems to diverte and intercept the Japanese general's air and naval fleets.
Although these new technologies provided both sides of the war with enhanced military power and strategic tactics for defense, they were very dangerous, both for the soldiers and civilians. For instance, the London Blitzkrieg, which was a 76-day German heavy bombing campaign, killed over 20,000 people and destroyed millions of homes.
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ReplyDeleteI have read about the breaking of the enigma code, which saved millions of lives by shortening the war by at least two years. The Imitation Game is also a fabulous movie about Alan Turing and the people involved in breaking the German "unbreakable" enigma code. The machine was the fist digital computer in the world. It was extremely helpful in the Battle of the Atlantic for determening when and where the Germans would attack next. Another interesting point that I read about (and was also in the movie) was that the British government were incredibly careful about not letting Axis powers discover that they had cracked the Enigman code. The team at Bletchy Park and the Allied generals and commanders had to make sure that not all intercepted messages were acted upon.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cs4fn.org/history/colossus.php
http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/z8bgr82
I found your blog very interesting talking about the code breaking the US used to help their war effort. I was wondering what else was invented for the purpose of the war that greatly increased the power of the US in fighting Germany. One main technology that really developed during the war was radar. In the "Radiation Laboratory" at MIT, what was barely invented before the war was quickly developed in hopes of increasing military goals. The radar allowed people to remotely view what was coming towards them, and track incoming air attacks and be able to have enough time to establish a defense. In addition to developing this technology, the US also made decisions to attempt to thwart any plans by the Germans to use the same technology. Allied bombers would drop thousands of tiny strips of tinfoil to jam the enemy radar and allow them to effectively attack.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to learn more about radar and other technologies:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-worldwar/6002