Changes

The fuzes were used in land-based artillery in the South Pacific in 1944. They were incorporated into bombs dropped by the U.S. Air Force on Japan in 1945, and they were used to defend Britain against the V-1 attacks of 1944, achieving a kill ratio of about 79%. (They were ineffective against the much faster V-2 missiles.)  There was no risk of a dud falling into enemy hands. The Pentagon decided it was too dangerous to have a fuze fall into German hands because they might reverse engineer it and create a weapon that would destroy the Allied bombers, or at least find a way to jam the radio signals. Therefore they refused to allow the Allied artillery use of the fuzes in 1944. The Germans started research in 1930 but never invented a working device.  General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] protested vehemently and demanded he be allowed to use the fuzes.  He prevailed and the VT fuzes were first used in the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in December 1944, when they made the Allied artillery far more devastating, as all the shells now exploded just before hitting the ground.  

The fuzes were used in land-based artillery in the South Pacific in 1944. They were incorporated into bombs dropped by the U.S. Air Force on Japan in 1945, and they were used to defend Britain against the V-1 attacks of 1944, achieving a kill ratio of about 79%. (They were ineffective against the much faster V-2 missiles.)  There was no risk of a dud falling into enemy hands. The Pentagon decided it was too dangerous to have a fuze fall into German hands because they might reverse engineer it and create a weapon that would destroy the Allied bombers, or at least find a way to jam the radio signals. Therefore they refused to allow the Allied artillery use of the fuzes in 1944. The Germans started research in 1930 but never invented a working device.  General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] protested vehemently and demanded he be allowed to use the fuzes.  He prevailed and the VT fuzes were first used in the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in December 1944, when they made the Allied artillery far more devastating, as all the shells now exploded just before hitting the ground.  

==Production==

==Production==

By 1944 a large proportion of the American electronics industry concentrated on making the fuzes.  Procurement contracts increased from $60 million in 1942, to $200 million in 1943, to $300 million in 1944 and were topped by $450 million in 1945. As volume increased, efficiency came into play and the cost per fuze fell from $732 in 1942 dropped to $18 in 1945. This permitted the purchase of over 22 million fuzes for approximately $1,010 million. The main suppliers were Crosley, RCA, Eastman Kodak, McQuay-Norris and Sylvania.<ref> Sharpe, "The Radio Proximity Fuze" (2003)</ref>

By 1944 a large proportion of the American electronics industry concentrated on making the fuzes.  Procurement contracts increased from $60 million in 1942, to $200 million in 1943, to $300 million in 1944 and were topped by $450 million in 1945. As volume increased, efficiency came into play and the cost per fuze fell from $732 in 1942 to $18 in 1945. This permitted the purchase of over 22 million fuzes for approximately $1,010 million. The main suppliers were Crosley, RCA, Eastman Kodak, McQuay-Norris and Sylvania.<ref> Sharpe, "The Radio Proximity Fuze" (2003)</ref>

Proximity fuzes of a more modern, transistorized design are still used for U.S. Air Force bombs and Navy rockets, as well as Army mortars.  

Proximity fuzes of a more modern, transistorized design are still used for U.S. Air Force bombs and Navy rockets, as well as Army mortars.

==Bibliography==

==Bibliography==