WW2 was noteworthy for many reasons.
Figures of intrigue, wonder, or horror - such as Churchill, Stalin, and Hitler, amongst others.
Man’s inhumanity to man - homo homini lupus.
Immense land and naval battles.
And for shaping the contemporary world order - from the first and second Cold Wars, to the shape of Europe, decolonisation, etc.
It also wasn’t the world order that was shaped. It was humanity’s technological path.
The roots of technologies that are common today, from computers, radar, rocketry, etc. were formed in the war.
What types of groundbreaking technologies were made in the war?
And how have they influenced progress since?
Axis
The German Wunderwaffe - or wonder weapons - were various advanced weaponry developed by the Third Reich before or during WW2.
Used as both advancements in war and for propaganda purposes, Germany invested a lot of resources in their development and production, to fight the Allies and also to show the prowess of Aryan technology. Their motivation was as much aligned to their master race ideology as it was with general war needs.
These items were largely utilised in the latter war period, when it was increasingly clear that Germany was going to lose and that the superior materiel, personnel, and resources of the Allies wore down on them.
Examples include:
Heinkel He 178
This was the first ever jet aeroplane. It was made by the aviation firm Heinkel, though it didn’t reach past prototype and testing stages.
Heinkel He 280
The He 280 was an upgrade based on findings from the He 178. Like its predecessor, it largely existed in the testing and prototype states.
Messerschmidt 262
Made by Messerschmidt, this was the first fully operational jet fighter ever made globally.
It attained some initial successes against Allied fighters, though over time the Allies made new tactics to overcome it. Moreover, a crash-landed plane in Wales was studied by British authorities, leading to greater insights in this regard.
It was, however, released way too late to make any appreciable advantage. At the time of its release, 1944, the Allies held immense air superiority. Thus, the effects it could have had were minimal.
Moreover, the British produced the Gloster Meteor, the RAF’s first jet fighter, which performed as well as the 262, though was primarily used for home defence and not over Germany or Axis-held territories.
V-1 rocket and V-2 missile
The Vengeance weapons were used against Britain and other Allied regions late in the war.
The V-1 was a guided rocket, designed to mimic a plane’s aerodynamism.
The V-2 was arguably the first missile. It had a guided system to meet a pre-defined target, together with a warhead and payload.
First used in late 1944, both weapons caused damage in Britain, leading to a loss of life. However, counter-measures were produced, including RAF fighters literally tipping them away to move them off course.
Akin to the 282 fighter, whilst they were technologically impressive, they didn’t provide enough to dissuade the Allies. It certainly didn’t stop progress in Europe, as France, Belgium, and then Germany were entered during their time of use.
Overall, the Wunderwaffe just pushed the envelope of military technology, which in turn progressed future developments. Modern missiles and jet fighters have drawn on their designs, and they stand as wonders of human engineering.
The Nazi regime was clearly evil. Let’s also not forget that many of these Wunderwaffe were made via slave labour.
However, one of the few good things it produced - despite the mode of production used - was groundbreaking technology that influenced and shaped the future.