Q&A ยท 44:44-45:54

World War II fought with 1960s weapons

Applying transitional 1960s weapons and tactics to 1940s mass armies would make the war dramatically more lethal.

Question

What would World War II look like with 1960s technology and tactics but no nuclear weapons until 1945?

Short answer

It would be far more lethal because 1960s capabilities would be deployed in 1940s-scale numbers.

Notes

The scenario combines capable 1960s aircraft, ships, missiles, and tactics with the vast force numbers mobilized during World War II. That combination would produce far more deaths than the historical conflict. The 1960s were themselves a period of transition, so the forces would mix powerful new systems with technologies and doctrines that had not yet fully matured. The comparison multiplies later capability by 1940s scale without assuming that every 1960s weapon was equally developed.