Technology Wins Wars

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer explains that appropriate technology used properly wins wars. The writer uses different examples to show that, whether taken battle by battle or over the course of a campaign or an entire war, winners employed appropriate technology properly, and that made the difference. The writer points out that examples from World War II and the Vietnam War clearly show that the effective use of appropriate technology does win wars, while the reverse has the opposite effect. The writer also shows over all that the strategic use of superior technology is ultimately the deciding factor in winning wars. However, in the case of Vietnam, the wrong technology was used improperly and resulted in a mess from which the U.S. still bears the scars.

From the Paper:

"World War II covered a huge geographical area, from Great Britain to the South Pacific, including Europe, Asia, parts of the Middle East, Africa and small portions of North America. Over the course of the war advances in military technology were employed as fast as they could be developed. Adolph Hitler had planned this war for a long time and, for some time, the German U-boats rules the seas and their fighters and bombers devastated their enemies from the air. This easily explains why the Germans started off a step ahead. America tried steadfastly to stay out of the conflict, having adopted an isolationist view, but were drawn in when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This devastated the U.S. Navy, nearly destroying the Seventh Fleet, but the citizens pitched in and rebuilt faster than anyone imagined could be done."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Best, Antony, Jussi M. Hanhimaki, Joseph A. Maiolo, and Kirsten E. Schulze. International History of the Twentieth Century. London: Routledge, 2004. Questia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109396005>.
• Bull, Stephen. Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. Questia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106977476>.
• Burck, Gordon M., and Charles C. Flowerree. International Handbook on Chemical Weapons Proliferation. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. Questia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9805752>.
• Byrne, Kevin B., et al. A Handbook of American Military History: From the Revolutionary War to the Present. Ed. Jerry K. Sweeney. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996. Questia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=82360494>.
• Carafano, James Jay. After D-Day: Operation Cobra and the Normandy Breakout. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2000. Questia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105848971>.

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