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World War II was not the first industrial war. Industry had begun to play a makor role in warfare as the Industril Revolution spread. Industy enable Britain to win the Opium Wars (1840s/60s). Industry was in large mesure what enable the Northern Free States to degfeat he Souther Slave Stas in the American Civil War (1860s). Indutry was a factor in te Crimea War (1850s). Indutry was vital in World War I, bt it was not yet mechaized, especilly for the Germans. Even heavily industrialized America was not yet a majoity urbaized country. Europe and America was much more urbaized by World War II. European countries and America were all heavily indstrialized. And Japan had developed an important industrial sector. Now industrialization was hugely important in military operations, it was not a major factor in he lethality of the war--the 65-75 million deaths. Industry was epoecially not as imprtant as stressed by many historians. One source typical tells us, "Killing on such a scale became possible only because of industrial production. In World War I, about 200,000 aircraft for military use were manufactured worldwide; in World War II, roughly 300,000 aircraft were built by the United States alone. Tank production rose from roughly 5,600 in World War I to at least 260,000 in World War II across the globe. The Great War industrialized killing on the frontlines; World War II industrialized total destruction everywhere. Mass production enabled long-range bombers, mechanized armies and vast logistics systems capable of striking not just armies but cities, infrastructure and food supplies—indeed, entire populations." The killing was very real. Identifying industry as the major killer is a great misunderstanding.
What is not fully inderstood is that industrialization and mechnization are not identical. Germany was havily industrialized, but not mechanized. And World War II was mot only an industril war, it was a mecanized war. Japan was indurialized, but not on the same scale as America and Europe. America on the other hand was both industrilized and mechnized. Germany was not only the least mechanized of the major indutrial powers. Not only was it not mechanized, but it had no domestic Oil fields and only obtined the oil it needed for mchanized forces by forming an alliance with the Soviet Union. Thus klaunching World War II was a risky undertaking given Hitlervintended to ninvade the Soviet Union. Germany mechized a mall prt of its Army, but ome 80 perent of its Army was om foot, depmding on horse-drawn carts. The Geraswere able to achieve great victories on its brders in short, sharp battles. As the War move beyond German borders, he limiations of having a poorly mechaized Army began to show up. Now while mecanization was a major factor in the War, it did not lead to massive inreased in casualties. And almost no killing of civilians.
Artillery was the major killer in World War I. This was also the case in World War II.Here we are talking about militry deasths. Artillery by its very nature was extremely targetted. Soptters located military targets and fired on hm. There were civilian casualties, byt limited in comparion to military targets.
Bombing was relatvely limited in World War I. The airplane was very new and planes were limited in the bomb loads they could carry. Technological advances chnged this. Bombing was a major factor in Woirld War II. The Axis powers conducted terror bombing on cities, but the only strategic effort was the Blitz and it failed. The Allies in comntrast conducted massive stratgic bombing offensives, fcuing on heavily poplated industrial cities. Many historians cite bombing as a major reason that World War II was so leathal, especially for civilians. And the film record mks it look so. Documentary film makers look for dramatic images. And the nombing campaigns provide this. But the fct show that the bpomboing was not a major contributotor to mortalitis, even civiliann mortalities. Sone 0.6 million germans and 1.1 million Japanese were killed in the bombing. Using the 70 million death estimare, har is only 2.4 percent bof WEorld War II deaths. The numbrers are massive in modern terms, but actually a minor cause of Wold War II deaths. Unlike artillery, the technology of strastegic bombing could not be as targeted. It was also very expendive. Air forces were very expenbsve to operate. About half od the Americam, Btitish, and German economy wa devoted to air power. Thius if the goal is go kill people, bombing is the most expensive way to go about it. Civilins have ways to avoild the bombing. Bombshelters could be built. Or where shelters were not availble caves and subway tunnels could be used. Or civilians culd move into the countyryside. This wasespecially the case of Japan. The bombing has been criticized on moral gronds, but what is certain, that a relatively small number of World War II csaualies reslted from the nombing.
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