The Technologies That Won World War II
This timeline shows how six key technologies—penicillin, radar, cryptography, the atomic bomb, the proximity fuze, and Nazi scientists—developed in parallel and ultimately determined the war’s outcome.
Pre-War Foundations (1928–1938)
Penicillin Discovered by Fleming
A contaminated petri dish reveals antibiotics—then gets ignored for 13 years while millions die of infections.
MedicineBritish Radar Development Begins
Chain Home network planned. Watson-Watt demonstrates that radio waves can detect aircraft.
RadarTuring's Theoretical Computer
Alan Turing publishes "On Computable Numbers"—the theoretical foundation for code-breaking machines.
CryptographyThe Crisis Years (1939–1940)
German Uranverein Begins
Germany starts nuclear research two years before America. They have fission's discoverers and a head start.
NuclearCavity Magnetron Invented
Randall and Boot create a device 1,000× more powerful than American microwave technology. The war's most valuable invention.
RadarBattle of Britain
Chain Home radar gives RAF early warning. Without it, Germany wins air superiority and likely invades.
RadarThe Tizard Mission
Britain gives America ALL its secrets—magnetron, jet engines, nuclear research—in history's greatest technology transfer.
RadarThe Turning Point (1941–1942)
First Penicillin Human Trial
Albert Alexander receives penicillin. It works—but supply runs out. He dies. Britain can't produce enough.
MedicineFlorey Brings Penicillin to USA
American industry scales up. A moldy cantaloupe from Illinois provides the super-strain that saves millions.
MedicineHeisenberg's "Miscalculation"
Germany's top physicist overestimates critical mass by 10×. Sabotage or incompetence? The bomb program effectively ends.
NuclearManhattan Project Begins
America starts its atomic program—two years after Germany. But Germany has already given up.
NuclearTechnology Decides the War (1943–1944)
Proximity Fuze Combat Debut
Anti-aircraft hit rates improve 10×. Shells that "think" change naval warfare forever.
Proximity FuzeU-Boat Threat Defeated
Microwave radar closes the Atlantic gap. Allied shipping losses drop 75%. Britain will not starve.
RadarMIT Radiation Lab Peaks
$2.5 billion spent on radar research—as much as the entire British war budget. American industry at full power.
RadarPenicillin at D-Day
Every Allied soldier who needs it gets it. Infection death rates drop from 18% (WWI) to under 1%.
MedicineProximity Fuze in Ground Combat
Battle of the Bulge. Airbursting artillery devastates German infantry. The secret weapon is finally unleashed on land.
Proximity FuzeVictory and Aftermath (1945)
Operation Paperclip Begins
1,600+ German scientists recruited. Their records are scrubbed. Von Braun trades SS uniform for NASA badge.
PaperclipHiroshima and Nagasaki
The atomic bomb ends the war—but radar had already won it. Two bombs used. Everyone remembers. Radar is forgotten.
NuclearFarm Hall Recordings
German scientists secretly recorded. Their shock at Hiroshima seems genuine—or is it performance?
NuclearKey Insights
The 13-Year Gap
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 but didn’t save patients until 1941. This gap—caused by institutional inertia and lack of funding—represents one of history’s great missed opportunities.
The Turning Point: September 1940
The Tizard Mission represents the moment when Britain, facing invasion, bet everything on American partnership. The cavity magnetron alone was worth more than all other technology transfers in history combined.
Germany’s Self-Sabotage
Germany started the nuclear race in 1939 but effectively abandoned it by 1942. Whether due to Heisenberg’s deliberate sabotage or genuine miscalculation remains history’s greatest scientific mystery.
Radar Won the War
The atomic bomb ended the war in August 1945—but by then, victory was already assured. Radar won the Battle of Britain (1940), the Battle of the Atlantic (1943), and enabled D-Day (1944).
The Full Series
Explore each of these stories in depth:
- The Scientists Who Refused — Did Heisenberg sabotage the Nazi bomb?
- Penicillin’s Paradox — How bureaucracy almost killed the miracle drug
- Operation Paperclip — The moral cost of hiring Nazi scientists
- Radar vs. the Atomic Bomb — The weapon that actually won
- The Proximity Fuze — The invisible killer
- The Tizard Mission — Britain’s desperate suitcase gamble
- The Misfits of Bletchley Park — How eccentrics broke unbreakable codes
This timeline is part of the WWII Science series, exploring how wartime pressures transformed technology and ethics forever.