Pol Essay Research Paper Politics of War

Pol Essay, Research Paper

Politics of War Final Paper

Political Advantages of Weapons in World War II

International politics can get very complicated. When the use of force is threatened each nation must think of the defense of their borders as well as the safety of their civilians. With this in mind the ability to possess the best and most modern weapons because it.s a key factor. Hands down the nation that possesses these weapons have a distinct advantage. This advantage not only comes on the battlefield but at the negotiation table as well. This is why weaponry plays such an important role in politics as well. With this the earliest modern weapons playing a primary role is in World War II.

Many new innovations and modernizations of weapons were introduced in WWII. Weapons from the Atomic bomb to the then new 50-caliber machine gun and everything in the middle including the new threat from the air. Along with this threat from the air comes the new invention of radar. All of these inventions made a direct impact on the war and the world to come. Probably the three weapons that made the most difference in the war and politically were the long-range bombers, aircraft carriers, and the atomic bomb. When speaking of weapons of WW II there are two categories due to their locations in the world. These are the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific Ocean. Because of the two different settings there was two different ways of fighting. This carries different weapons and different ways of fighting in each of the surroundings. Also there was two different enemies so this put more pressure on the U.S. to have a very complete build up of armed forces in every aspect of war. This includes land, air and sea ability.

The first part of WW II is the war in Europe. One major deciding factor in Europe was the new role of air power compared to it.s previous use in WW I. .The U.S. Army was the first armed service to acquire an airplane..(Grolier) But it was Italy who first used an airplane in war on October 23, 1911. This airplane just like the ones used in WW II primarily were used just for reconnaissance. At this time few small explosive bombs were actually dropped manually from these planes. At the beginning of WW II Germany possessed air superiority over Europe. Their infamous air force was called the Luftwaffa. Politically Germany had a different view of how to use their air force compared to the United States and Great Britain. .Germany … had built air forces designed expressly to support army operations..(Grolier) For this purpose the Germans used the four engine Heinkel 177 for bombing raids. On the other hand, .… the Unites States, Great Britain…had concentrated particularly on developing the long range strategic bombers..(Grolier) .The most advanced bombers of the war, the American B-29 and the British .Mosquito….(Weinberg) Great Britain and the United States did argue over how to use their bombers. Great Britain wanted to bomb at night which would be safer for the bombers but where a lot less accurate than the United States idea of bombing. The U.S. would bomb during the day; this was a lot more accurate than bombing at night. The cost of this accuracy was heavy losses in aircraft and in life. Each country put their own theory in effect. At the end of the war German Generals and officers were asked what was more effective; the night bombing of Britain or the day bombing of the U.S.. They said the more accurate day bombing of the U.S. hurt them the most, not only in the war aspect but also their economy.

A new kind of airplane called the fighter also played an important part in the air. This new development of aircraft was much faster than previous planes. The fighter was specifically used for the new idea of air to air fighting or .dog fighting.. This included bomber escorting and for intercepting bombers. At this time trucks and trains were the main way to get supplies to the front lines and for general transportation. At first fighters used regular rifle ammunition (.30 cal.). But heavier ammunition is needed to take out these trucks and trains. So soon after the beginning of the war the Germans, British and Americans supplied their own fighters with the caliber that they say fit. .The Germans found the 20-mm Becker effective, and the British adopted the 20-mm Oerlikon gun for their aircraft and ships. U.S. planes used .50 caliber Browning-like guns; some carried a 37-mm cannon..(Weinberg) The bigger ammunition of the American planes gave them two distinct advantages in being more effective on ground targets. For one, the bigger ammunition brought more penetration and one hit caused more damage. The other advantage was that the recoil of a bigger gun slowed the plane down slightly which gave them more firing time. This carried the same weight on the ground as well. The gun that made a huge difference was the Browning 50 caliber machine gun. This heavy gun laid down the firepower needed to support advancing troops. This gun was also used to take out engine blocks and generators as well. On the German side the new sub machine gun was a big hit. This was a small full automatic gun that shot a 9mm round. Pistols as well the U.S. used a larger caliber. Germany issued the Ruger 9mm and the U.S. used the Colt .45.

Probably the heaviest political advantage on the battlefield had to go to the Germans for their very effective heavy tanks. Th