Post by skorzeny on Nov 7, 2006 3:08:18 GMT -5
It was brought up in another topic that the Germans seem to have all the advanced stuff. Well, they should, because historically they did. In the arena of technology, the Germans were exceedingly advanced compared to their Allied adversaries. Where the Germans failed was in the much simpler matters of production and logistics, in the end it was simple numbers that overwhelmed them, but not superior technology.
A few examples of German technological innovation that are fairly obvious to students of the war are, of course, jet propulsion, rocketry (although the Soviets, arguably were just as advanced in this arena, simply pursuing it in a different direction), night vision equipment, the original 'drones' in the form of the Goliath radio-controlled tankette, the first modern assault rifle and even the first instance of an army attempting to chemically 'juice' combat soldiers to enhance their performance (amphetamine experiments during the Polish campaign). Helicopters, even a wildly eccentric backpack helicopter, were a German innovation and their military applications were explored. The 'Himmelsturmer' jetpack was also an invetion of Nazi Germany. Without even getting into more 'speculative' arenas of investigation, such as the German atomic program, the fuel-air bomb, and Vortex engines, the Germans were already far beyond the other great powers of the day in many areas of research and development.
Some other examples are even more interesting, however, though they are not always considered in terms of military application. The Reich's scientists invented audio tape (Hitler being the format's big enthusiast), the electron microscope, and devices that have been described as 'proto-transistors' which helped to miniaturize radios to an astounding degree compared to the bulky apparatus of the Allies. The Nazis were the first ones to televise a sporting event, the 1936 Olympics, and also explored the potentials for using television to direct rockets remotely - by the end of the war, the Germans had miniaturized the immense television equipment used at the Olympics down to a size slightly larger than a shoe box.
A few examples of German technological innovation that are fairly obvious to students of the war are, of course, jet propulsion, rocketry (although the Soviets, arguably were just as advanced in this arena, simply pursuing it in a different direction), night vision equipment, the original 'drones' in the form of the Goliath radio-controlled tankette, the first modern assault rifle and even the first instance of an army attempting to chemically 'juice' combat soldiers to enhance their performance (amphetamine experiments during the Polish campaign). Helicopters, even a wildly eccentric backpack helicopter, were a German innovation and their military applications were explored. The 'Himmelsturmer' jetpack was also an invetion of Nazi Germany. Without even getting into more 'speculative' arenas of investigation, such as the German atomic program, the fuel-air bomb, and Vortex engines, the Germans were already far beyond the other great powers of the day in many areas of research and development.
Some other examples are even more interesting, however, though they are not always considered in terms of military application. The Reich's scientists invented audio tape (Hitler being the format's big enthusiast), the electron microscope, and devices that have been described as 'proto-transistors' which helped to miniaturize radios to an astounding degree compared to the bulky apparatus of the Allies. The Nazis were the first ones to televise a sporting event, the 1936 Olympics, and also explored the potentials for using television to direct rockets remotely - by the end of the war, the Germans had miniaturized the immense television equipment used at the Olympics down to a size slightly larger than a shoe box.
