Weapons of Mass Destruction during World War II
Weapons of Mass Destruction during World War II
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During World War I, nearly 40% of all casualties were caused by
machine-gun fire. Some historians describe the effect of the machine gun
as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). Paul Farhi in a Washington Post
article “The Soothing Sound of Fighting Words,” cited a quote by
historian Paul Fussell on the subject: “A machine gun, properly fired,
is a weapon of mass destruction. We’re pretending that only awful and
sinister people own weapons of mass destruction. We own them, too. We
just call them something else.”
Weapons of Mass Destruction during World War II
History has proven that a weapon in the hands of a well-trained sniper
can cause numerous deaths and casualties. Fully automatic firearms or
semiautomatic firearms can indeed inflict mass destruction, but are not
classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as WMD. Numerous forms
of WMD were used throughout WWII even though no country resorted to
chemical warfare, with the exception of tear gas. Such WMD ranged from
grenades, mines, artillery, and bombs to the use of atomic bombs against
the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Weapons of Mass Destruction during World War II
Access the CSU Online Library, and locate two scholarly journal articles
on the use of WMD during World War II. Write a two-page paper
summarizing the use, implications, and repercussions (i.e., side
effects, sociological effects, or political effects) of the WMD. Ensure
your reference entries and in-text citations follow APA formatting
guidelines and are free of errors.
Weapons of Mass Destruction during World War II
Within your paper, you must address if any of the uses of WMD may be
considered acts of terrorism. Remember that terrorism is an act against
any nonmilitary target that is meant to evoke political change.
Additionally, you must address what actions could have been taken by
either side in WWII to develop counteraction strategies that would have
prevented the attack or would have minimized the impact of the attack.
In your conclusion, please provide a summary of your findings, and
include an analysis of the impact of the specific WMD introduced in your
paper along with how that WMD compares to probable future terrorist attacks.