German military technology during World War II increased greatly in terms of sophistication. Nazi Germany put much effort into developing weapons, particularly aircraft, rockets, submarines and tanks during the war. Under Hitler's heavy hand, the German military developed some of the world's most destructive weapons. Most of these successful Nazi experiments are today the predecessors of many advanced weapons. The Nazi military strategy and technology was revolutionary because they created, experimented, and manufactured weapons that were the first of their kind. In a colossal effort, they showed this by creating the very well known u-boats, the StG44, the Blitzkrieg strategy, and the Vergeltungswaffe 1 and 2. The StG 44, was a German assault rifle developed during World War II that was the first of its kind to see major development. This was the first modern assault rifle. This weapon was a unique blend of a carbine, submachine gun, and an automatic rifle. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, it arrived too late in the war to make much of an impact on the battlefields of war-torn Europe."It was so successful that modern assault rifles, such as the AK-47 and M16 designs, in the video game “infamous,” are derived from it." (Swift). The StG 44, was the first successful weapon of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development. As if it wasn't enough already, this stunning weapon possessed infrared vision sight, code named “Vampir,” which aided infantry and snipers to shoot accurately at night. It was first used in combat during the last months of the war and weighed about five pounds, but it also had to be connected to a thirty pound battery pack, strapped to the soldier’s back. By all accounts, the StG 44 fulfilled its role admirably, particularly on the Eastern Front, offering a greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles and greater range than submachine guns. The Blitzkrieg was an astonishing military tactic, designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Successful execution, results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expense of artillery. Blitzkrieg relied heavily on communication, and exploded the radio fully. The Nazi's were the first who used the radio in a military strategy. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939, before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940. The blitzkrieg was also used by German commanders during the North African campaign of World War II, and adopted by U.S. Generals for their army’s European operations. This intimidating tactic, consists on attacking force, spearheaded by a dense concentration of armored and motorized formations, or armored fighting vehicles designed to transport infantry to the battlefield, and heavily backed up by close air support. It forces a breakthrough into the enemy's line of defense through a series of short, fast, powerful attacks, and once in the enemy's territory, proceeds to dislocate them, using speed and surprise, and then encircle them. Through the employment of combined arms in maneuver warfare, the blitzkrieg attempts to unbalance the enemy by making it difficult for them to respond effectively to the continuously changing front, and defeat them. Blitzkrieg is adapted and used today against the enemies of industrialized nations.
The breathtaking U-boats were military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Unlike nuclear submarines, the u-boat can operate submerged only for brief periods at a time. Because of the force of the U-boat, it was considered as a torpedo boat, with the special capability to submerge for attack or as a defensive measure. A U-boat is a highly sophisticated vessel of war, with hundreds of precision controls and a 45-man crew to operate. The crew and vital machinery are housed within a strong watertight steel cylinder, known as the pressure hull. Outside the pressure hull is an external outer hull, a much thinner hull which streamlines the U-boat for underwater movement. On the surface, a U-boat operates much like any other vessel. Germany was the first country to employ submarines in war as substitutes for surface commerce raiders. German U-boats, though numbering only few, achieved notable successes against British warships. During World War II its U-boats dominated the Battle of the Atlantic until the Allies developed new antisubmarine tactics. The principal German U-boat was the type VII; the VIIC variant was 220.25 ft long, displaced 769 tons on the surface, carried one 90-mm deck gun and five torpedo tubes, and was manned by a crew of 44. "Britain, America, Japan etc all took their share of the U-boats and used them as templates for their own versions."(Heck) Modern German U-boats are built for the German navy, and navies of allied countries; their sophisticated structures, electronics, and propulsion systems allow them to be used for intelligence gathering and special operations in addition to defending sea lanes and threatening enemy forces. The Vergeltungswaffe 1 and 2, or the V-1 and V-2, were a particular set of long-range artillery weapons designed for strategic bombing during World War II, particularly terror bombing and/or aerial bombing of cities. "These weapons spread considerable fear in London. Their psychological impact was probably greater than the actual damage they did. With the V2’s no one knew in London whether they would be the next victim."(Heussner) The V-1, has the distinction of being the first cruise missile ever produced, and was later used in WWII. This missile has had a lot of influence in today's weapon machinery, and "The flying bomb concept can be seen today in the modern cruise missile."( Heck ) The V-1 flew relatively slowly and at low altitude. It resembled a small, pilotless aircraft. The product was 26 feet long and was powered by a pulse jet engine which used gasoline and compressed air as fuel. It was launched from a long ramp and carried a 1,900 pound warhead at about 350 miles per hour at an altitude of about 3000 feet. This machine was not controlled from the ground after launch, but instead was directed to its target by a simple guidance system, a gyroscope system driven by compressed air to keep the missile stable, a magnetic compass to control bearing, and barometric altimeter to control altitude. When the guidance system determined that the rocket was at the target point, it popped out spoilers under the horizontal tailplane to put the bomb into a steep dive to its target, stalling out the engine in the process. The USA, after studying some captured V-1 components, began building its own version of the V-1, which was called the JB-2 (Jet Bomb-2). This was almost identical to the V-1, but with an improved guidance system. The impressive V-1, shortly developed into the shocking V-2, this weapon was the world's first ballistic missile. It was propelled by a liquid-fuel engine. The engine burned for a few seconds, lifting the rocket into the air. The engine would then shut off and the missile would fall to its target on a ballistic path determined by the pull of gravity. Unlike the V-1, the V-2 slammed into the ground at 4,000 miles per hour without warning, except for a double sonic boom shortly before impact. Since the V-2 had to fly a long distance with some degree of accuracy, it required a guidance system for pointing it in the right direction and shutting off the engine at the proper time. This was achieved through an inertial guidance system, a system in which a stabilized platform remains fixed in space regardless of how the vehicle moves around it. This stabilized platform allows for measuring the position or acceleration of the vehicle. The real, greatest value of the V-2 was actually realized after the war, when captured V-2s were used by the United States and the former Soviet Union to begin their own missile and space programs. In conclusion, the Nazi military strategies and technology were revolutionary in the field of experimenting, testing, and developing weapons and military strategies. These same weapons are the predecessors of many advanced military technology nowadays. What they have done with creating and experimenting, and what they have manufactured, has helped us during battles, wars, taking over entire countries, and even in world wars. Even though they used this weapons and creativity in a cruel, evil way, I think their work and advancements in the military are impacting, and should be admired by millions of people. They should not ignore, but look behind the cruel actions of the Nazi's, and into so much more interesting and breathtaking aspects of the advancements the Germans achieved.