Operations staff of the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, Rottingdean, England 1942-1943.

The Second World War was fought over vast distances, with airpower and technology playing crucial parts. Both sides tried to avoid the stalemates of the First World War, and usually succeeded. Yet in blitzkrieg or urban street fighting, or in intense air or naval battles, casualties could be every bit as heavy as they had been in the earlier war. Scientists attempted to provide admirals and generals with war-winning inventions, and in long campaigns such as the Battle of the Atlantic and the Allied strategic bombing offensive, the advantage swung from one side to the other as new technology was introduced. In the Normandy landings, in the Mediterranean and in the American island-hopping operations in the South Pacific, the co-operation of naval, military and air forces contributed vitally to success.