1) Mass use of radios. In WW1 comms were limited to telephones, heliographs and some very rare radios. In WW2 they were practically ubiquitous, making command and control of deployed forces massively easier. Without them, even with all the other advances such as tanks the battles would never have progressed much beyond the western front in the first world war.
2) The internal combustion engine. While a few of these existed in WW1, by WW2 they were all over the shop with some armies like the BEF dispensing with horses altogether. While the radios allowed command and control to happen, the internal combustion engine allowed supplies to be moved vast distances quickly and flexibly. Combined, the two made the kind of Blitzkrieg/deep battle that characterised WW2 possible.
Not individual weapons, but they had a far greater impact on how it was fought than anything else.
2) The internal combustion engine. While a few of these existed in WW1, by WW2 they were all over the shop with some armies like the BEF dispensing with horses altogether. While the radios allowed command and control to happen, the internal combustion engine allowed supplies to be moved vast distances quickly and flexibly. Combined, the two made the kind of Blitzkrieg/deep battle that characterised WW2 possible.
Not individual weapons, but they had a far greater impact on how it was fought than anything else.
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