On the 65th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, a look at the then-cutting-edge military gear of D-Day, as covered in our pages
Posted 06.06.2009 at 8:00 am
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What is the Truth About America’s War Gliders?
While parachute units like the 101st Airborne division are the first thing to come to mind when considering the aerial invasion on D-Day, a significant number of troops also arrived in gliders. Importantly, the gliders were able to bring heavier equipment like jeeps and artillery to troops behind the front lines. We devoted our February 1944 cover to wonderous new world of military gilders: “What is the Truth About America’s War Gliders?” (be sure to scroll up for the play-along-at-home fun of “Can You Recognize The Flags of Our Allies”).
Ever since the four-wheeled Sumerian donkey chariot was replaced by the two-wheeled horse-drawn variety, war and technological innovation have gone hand and hand. In no conflict was this more apparent than World War II--arguably the first modern war. As soldiers fought from one end of the globe to the other, scientists developed many of the technologies that underlie not only today's wars, but our daily lives: nuclear power, radar, jet propulsion and the personal computer.
And for the entire course of the war, Popular Science Magazine documented the enormous scientific advances spurned on by that most awful conflict. So, in honor of the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, take a look back at our coverage of D-Day tech from the 1940s when, as always, PopSci envisioned a bold and thrilling future driven by amazing technology. Enjoy.
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The Germans were working on a remote-controlled anti-tank weapon, called "Goliath". It was a small treaded vehicle about the size of a power lawnmower. Essentially a "land torpedo", it was packed with explosives. It was the forerunner of modern-day equivalents such as the "Big Dog" robot.
Nothing is ever new - there are only improvements.
Search YouTube for "big dog robot" and "goliath tracked mine".
This looks like it might be a tremendously interesting article. Too bad that all the clicks on the links come back with this:
We're sorry, but the page you were looking for cannot be found or was moved. Here's what you can do next:
Actually, what I can do next is go to another site where the links work.
I believe saying WWII is arguably the first modern war is incorrect. First, any protracted war tends to give birth to a myriad of new weapons. Secondly, the American Civil War is generally considered the first modern war, as it features the first all-metal warships, submarines, extensive use of repeating arms, extensive use of railroads for troop and supply movement and an early instance of the implementation of total war, Sherman's March To The Sea.
WWII was the first computer aided war and what's not modern about computers. Iron clad warships were just that clad in iron not completely made out of it. There was a war sub used in the revolutionary war too it had about the same success. I suppose its kida silly to try and draw a line, each war sense the second hundred years war has seen a perpetual advancement of tactics and armaments and logistics.