Topic: Glass in Warfare

[Sue C]

I came across this article , where Chance glass is also mentioned  http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/ebglass/eb22glass.htm

[Frank]

It would be useful if respondents indicated which war is being referred to as the attitude towards glass production during warfare clear differed between WW1 and WW2. The loss of glassmakers in WW1 caused difficulties and this is less of a case regarding WW2 when glass was more clearly seen as vital to the war effort and industrial realignment post war.

However there is at least one case I know of where health issues caused by warfare stopped at least one glassmaker from continuing in the trade. I think it quite likely this occurred a lot but I doubt statistics would be readily available. Analysis of pre-war and post-war trades of those drafted to the wars would be invaluable in assessing the impact. In Germany production and facilities were shifted to Czechoslovakia except for window glass, fibreglass and glass research.

[Paul ADK]

Once spring arrives and we can again get into our barn, I will try to post a photograph of our WWII U.S. Navy Swivodex.  The Swivodex, invented by Arnold Neustadter, (the same fellow who invented the Rolodex) was an ingenious non-spilling inkwell that was particularly well suited for used aboard ships.  The ink is contained in a ball that theoretically at least, would remain upright in its holder as the ship rolled.  Although I have seen examples in milk glass, the one we have is made of black glass and the black glass stand or holder is marked "Property of the U.S. Navy."   Off the top of my head, I do not remember if it is marked with the name of the manufacturer or not.  I do know that Neustadter's company was named Zephyr American.  My guess is they contracted out the actual manufacturing process.

[Madbrit]

Hi Marcus in this attachment is a section on ballistic glass

www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/2005_hr/050621-nyland-catto.pdf -

[Madbrit]

I believe early hand grenades also contained glass balls, attached is data on glass used in mine detection and mines in WWII

http://pigtrail.uark.edu/people/rcordell/Defense/minewar.html

[Frank]

Laboratory glass is an essential in developing biological and chemical weapons of course. Gunsights and eye protection are other uses.

[Ivo]

In my understanding the main war use of glass was for strategic food storage. When WMF stopped producing glass in 1939 and switched to full war production (metal), glass containers had to be produced elsewhere and the glass factory in Leerdam switched to food jars. Something similar happened in Hadeland, and any other free capacity elsewhere was used for preserving army fodder.
I also understand that Leerdam (under German management!) managed to supply glass workers from the Nieuw Buinen plant for forced labour at Siemens in Germany.

[Adam]

As well as the more evocative CRTs for radar screens, what about the hundreds of thousands of valves (aka tubes in US) used in radar and all radios of the time?  Even the so-called "walkie-talkies" contained several valves.  They all contained at least two different glass compositions.

You youngsters (sorry) won't remember at first hand the cornucopia of war surplus equipment after WW2 - everything from trucks and aircraft to valves, all at giveaway prices.  I personally used dozens of surplus valves for home TV building projects (as well as one radar screen!) and I remember crunching through hundreds of valves in the mud of the scrap yard next door to Sowerbys which had been ripped out of equipment being scrapped.

Adam D.

[Paul ADK]

Re. Ivo's comment about food storage, the American firm Hazel-Atlas had a large English order during WWI (1915/16) for amber bottles.  Apparently they were required to package Bovril Beef Extract and snuff.

I can understand beef extract being destined for the trenches, but snuff?  Except in the American south, I thought snuff went out of style right along with embroidered waistcoats and lace handkerchiefs.

[Frank]

In the first war the Brit army was still firmly under control of the upper classes and they were still living in a different world to everyone else.