I say it was the jeep. This novel vehicle was most desired by all nations of the war and it's contribution to the advancing forces cannot be disputed. That's my choice.

------------------
"They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war there is nothing sweet or fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason."

i guess the most obvious would be the a-bomb...but not counting that i'd say RADAR.

the V2 rocket. This was the building block for all future spaceflights and has brought us much of the technology we have today

the jeep was good, but I reckon the German Kuebelwagen was just as good, if not slightly better. The jeep just won the popularity contest because it was being build by one of the victors of ww2

------------------
*** We shall not retreat, nor shall we surrender. If we cannot stay here alive, we shall stay here dead***

Ok, this one is a little controvertial, but what about all the genetic advancements made by people like Dr. Mengele? While their methods were horrific, they advanced knowlegde of genes by leaps and bounds. Some scientists say that without their work, mankind would still not be able to clone mammals for another 100 years.

I will have to agree that Radar probably was the greatest invention of the war and then the Germans large cannons Thor and the large Mortar Karl. Give me time, I will think of another good invention.

the atomic bomb was the best invention in WWII

I would also have to say the U.S.O. and Willy and Joe--for more of the best inventions--for morale...

I dont't think the A-bomb was the best weapon. All it did was create a hundred times more killing and death than from before. Radar would be first on my list, because at least it didn't directly affect the death of millions of people. The A-bomb led to nuclear weapons, which are now the most threatening way to negotiate in some cases. The Cold War was brought about by these massive killing machines. Radar would probably be the most effective and best weapon produced in this war.

well i put RADAR because the A-bomb was the most effective weapon technology created during the war...it ended it AND i believe ended up saving lives...i couldn't imagine how many US and Japanese people would have died if an invasion occured by not having the bomb...and then even though the bomb was a double edged sword creating the cold war and the ability of mass destruction...all it REALLY has accomplished was...the ending of the most destructive war in history...and by ending it spared thousands of lives...and then was never used in anger again!
I put the a-bomb almost in a category of it's own

How about penicillin? That was a great thing that is helping people even today.

__________________

WWII Forums Rogues Gallery - send in your photo!
Comments, questions or feedback? Contact me at

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Never thought about that, something so small compared to an A-bomb and radar has helped millions of people in the last 60 years.

How about synthetic oil!

Hm...i would have to say RADAR and advanced technology (as opposed to WWI technology) in the Use/Manufactor of both Tanks, AirPlanes (fighters, bombers, spy planes, etc) Naval Ships (submarines, Destroyers, use of Radar, U-Boats, etc) as without them, the modern military wouldnt be where it is right now. Take a look at the recent China/US incident...that spyplane wouldnt have been 'invented' without the advances made suring WWII. (i didnt lose you in there, did i?)

__________________

This is a very sticky subject. Obviously the harnassing of nuclear fission as a weapon was a big one. The use of radient energy to locate objects is also a biggie. The jeep was a great idea as well. The ENIGMA encoding device that the Germans created was virtually unbreakable. An increadable construct (recall the ENIGMA code was not broken... a copy was captured by the British).
How about Penicellin? That was probably the greatest invention. The lives it saved is incalcuable.

__________________
Carthage must be destroyed!

Yes but think of the lives RADAR saved. It may not have affected them directly, but it did help save millions of lives from suprise attacks.

There is another side to that coin Andrew, radar also made attacks more accurate and made it more difficult to hide from attack. Ask a Japanese carrier pilot or a german U-boat crewman if radar helped make his life more safe. I doubt they appreciated it's "safe" use by the enemy.

And penicillin could also be considered a weapon because it allowed soldiers to recover more quickly and thus return to battle more quickly. As well it allowed many men to who otherwise might have died to fight another day. The war was prolonged by it's use, and more lives were lost because of it, (especially civilian lives), even though in the short term it helped save lives.

It just goes to show, in war every technology is a weapon and takes lives, be it an A-bomb or penicillin.

[ 16 April 2001: Message edited by: Otto ]

__________________

WWII Forums Rogues Gallery - send in your photo!
Comments, questions or feedback? Contact me at

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

How about SPAM? I absolutely love that stuff. Now that is an invention. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

__________________

American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

How about "Sh** on a shingle" (Chipped Beef on Toast) thats an alltime favorite.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

That's right. I have not had that since I was in the U.K. It is pretty good. Maybe I'm just different. This could be a topic on it's own!

__________________

American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mart:
the jeep was good, but I reckon the German Kuebelwagen was just as good, if not slightly better. The jeep just won the popularity contest because it was being build by one of the victors of ww2

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Actually, the jeep was fundmentally better than the kubelwagen for the single reason that it had 4-wheel drive, while the kubel' had 2-wheel. There was that amphibious version of the kubel', but I hardly think that puts it above the jeep...
As for this topic in general, I'd have to agree with the proponents of radar.
The a-bomb might be considered a close second, but more due to the other uses for fission-derived energy than bombs.

__________________
Novus Ordo Seclorum

I would also have to say: The USO.

It is neat imagining seeing Bob Hope and Jerry Colona, at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal-doing some crazy skit. While this is happening, driving the G.I's nuts waiting for Dorothy Lamour or Clair Trevor, to make an apperance on stage wearing revealing clothes. [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I mention this because I met a vet at the gunshow yesterday, that did see such a USO show there on the 'Canal'. I saw his pictures and hope he will eventually let me pay for copies and post here.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

I'd say the V2, as we ow a lot of todays space exploring to this ingenious machine and the research used to built this (horrible) weapen. It also was the base of the cold war when they built as many missles they could to arm with nucs

mOST SURELY, THE Me262 or the type xxi u-boat and beyond that the Stgw 43...

I would like to say the Me 262, but i am thinking and thinking about this interesting question... and the best thing of the WWII, THE THING that everay side (allied or axis) needed to win the war were...Intelligence services...but probably is not the "best" invention

1. Penicillin? (American)
2. Infra-red night fighting devices (German)
3. Aassault rifle (German)
4. Cruise Missile (German)
5. Wire-guided missile (German)
6. Camara-guided missile (German)
7. Swept wing (German)
8. Plastic surgery (British?)
9. Helicopter? (German?)
10. A-bomb (British/ American)
11. RADAR (British?)
12. Synthetic fuel (German)

I am sorry, the Jeep should not count because it did not have a perfound affect and it wasn't all that 'special'. You know what I mean, other vehicles could have done the same job as the Jeep and it wasn't an invention.

Question
What makes 'the best invention of the War'? An invention that made the most impact on the war? or an invention that made the most impact in the world since its conception?

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"
Homer Simpson