On this episode of Our American Stories, World War II is remembered for its tanks, bombers, and revolutionary weapons, but much of the fighting still depended on railroads, trucks, and even horses. Historian Stephen Ambrose explains how America's remarkable ability to move men and supplies helped give the Allies a decisive advantage. From the rugged Jeep and the workhorse “deuce and a half” truck to the amphibious DUKW, American vehicles transformed the way armies fought and moved. Meanwhile, despite the fearsome reputation of Germany's mechanized forces, German and Soviet armies still relied heavily on horses to carry the burdens of war.
Ambrose also explores one weapon that cast a terrifying shadow over World War II but was largely absent from Europe's battlefields: poison gas. The horrors of chemical warfare in World War I were still fresh in the minds of soldiers and commanders. Although the major powers stockpiled enormous quantities of chemical weapons, the fear of retaliation helped keep them from being unleashed.
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