The Second World War saw advancements in many industries, but none more so than in weapons manufacturing. The speed at which these advancements were being made was astounding especially in the United States, which saw its plans for involvement in the war suddenly change with the surprise attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Without warning, plans for immediate involvement in the war were put into the works, which did not simply mean training their troops and sending them to war, but amassing more troops. With more troops came to the need to arm them with the best weapons possible, and so there was a massive need to not only ramp up the manufacturing of existing weapons, but to innovate improvements and new models of weaponry in order to fight a far more advanced German force.
While the sheer variety of weaponry American soldiers used during the six years of fighting is staggering, there were some models of weaponry which became mainstays. In the years since the end of World War II, the guns mentioned below have gained a certain folklore, while the most devastating weapon of all, the nuclear bomb, remains a worldwide danger to this day.
Allied
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand holds a special place not only in the tale of American warfare, but American culture. It was the first semi-automatic weapon used by the United States military, and was considered “the greatest battle implement ever devised” by American Army General George S. Patton. If one of the ways to determine the success of a weapon is the span of time during which the weapon is in use, the M1 Garand’s 21-year (1936-1957) tour of duty makes it one of the most successful weapon designs of all time.
The reason for success was a combination of reliability and the possible rate of fire. The simplicity of design allowed for drastically reduced chances of the gun jamming or otherwise malfunctioning, making it the most reliable weapon in the war. As innovation over the next two decades made fully automatic weapons, the M1 Garand remained the standard US service rifle due to this reliability. Furthermore, since the Garand replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield, the possible rate of fire made it popular among the soldiers.
M1 Carbine
The M1 Carbine was designed as a result of soldiers, while satisfied with the performance of the M1 Garand, being dissatisfied with its weight. Soldiers, especially specially trained forces who did not use a rifle as their main firearm, needed a lightweight option that was more powerful than a pistol at long range, much lighter than the Thompson M1928 submachine gun, and more compact than the M1 rifle.
Thompson M1928, M1928A1, M1, M1A1
As part of domestic culture, the Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy gun, was one of the most famous guns in use during the Prohibition era. With the outbreak of World War II, the American military adopted the guns for their purposes. While the gun was heavy and inaccurate, the high rate of fire made it a valuable weapon at close range.
Axis
Karabiner 98k
This bolt action rifle was first adopted in 1935 by the German military and remained the primary German service rifle until the end of the war a decade later. It gained its prominence due to the fact that it was marginally shorter than its predecessor, the Karabiner 98b, reliable, and accurate to an effective range of 500 meters with the iron sights. While it could keep pace with most Allied rifles at the beginning of the war, Allied forces soon began using semi-automatic weapons which greatly increased their average rate of fire.
Gewehr 43
With the widespread use of semi-automatic weapons such as the M1 Garand by the Allied powers, the German forces were desperate for their own semi-automatic rifle. While it was only in use for the last 2 years of the war, over 400,000 were in use by that point.
MP 40
The German Machinenpistole 40 or MP 40 was a submachine gun used by specialized troops during the war. This gun design was of such a high quality that MP 40s are still in service today. While it would never gain the popularity of the Karbiner 98k, the MP 40, being a small, lightweight yet powerful gun, was perfect for paratroopers and platoon leaders. It did gain popularity, however, during the Nazi invasion of Russia, gaining particular notoriety by the Russians as an effective weapon in urban combat.
The Atom Bomb
On August 6th, 1945, The United States would become the first and only country in world history to use atomic power as a weapon, killing up to 160,000 people. On August 9th, it would repeat the act on Nagasaki, this time killing up to 80,000. The US and other Allied forces had been aggressively bombing the island of Japan for six months, eventually calling for a surrender, though that call was ignored by the Japanese government. Wanting to draw the war to a quick end, President Truman made the decision to drop the bombs, killing untold amounts of civilians and affecting the health of the Japanese people for generations to come.
- Digital History – Learn about the history and causes of World War II
- Atomic Bomb Primary Sources – The papers, memos, and reports from World War II.
- Before the Bomb – The decision to use the atomic bomb was not made lightly. Here are the events leading up to the decision.
- The Garand – More information on the most popular American gun of the war.
- Infantry Weapons of World War II – A general overview of how the American soldiers were armed during the war.
- Hiroshima Archive – Primary sources of information regarding a devastated city.
- Remembering Nagasaki – An online memorial commemorating a city that will live on in through history.
- The Atomic Bomb – A general history of how the atomic bomb came to be.
- More on the Atomic Bomb - This page provides information on the bomb and the end of World War II.
- Chemical and Biological Weapons - This page provides information on the weapons used during the war as a deterrent.