I saw a post in WWII weapons by Southwest Pacific Vet mentioning Waco gliders and that led me to asking this question.
What if helicopter development was accelerated during the course of World War 2? Given the resources available at that time, I think it was possible to have this aircraft developed rapidly. The technological development curve during the course of World War II was very rapid.
One thing sure, if a good utility helicopter or gun ship was developed at that time, things would've been a lot different for several ground battles, especially those involving airborne operations. Of course, such a development would also include new doctrines for its use. I just can't help but think that losses in Waco glider landings would've been cut if an effective helicopter had been available at that time.
It would've been of great use in the Atlantic campaign for spotting U-boats and island hopping for both the Japanese and the US. For the Germans, I see them developing it as a transport/gunship, which would've been very useful in the Russian terrain. Of course, once this is developed, an entirely new doctrine for defeating helicopters would've followed suit.