I think the subject of military surplus becoming ham gear and
influencing ham gear is worth its own thread, so here goes.
(I've reused enough surplus stuff in my time...)

Some examples of the influences:

Look at the quartz crystals used in post-WW2 ham gear, and you'll see
"FT-243" and "HC-6/U" units being used extensively, while the large
round prewar types disappeared quickly. Although they seem huge today,
the FT-243 and HC-6/U holders, and many others, were miniature types
developed for military use during the war to both save space and get
more out of the limited supply of radio-grade quartz available during
the war. There were so many FT-243 units made that well into the 1990s
the surplus supply was still being used up.

The move to flexible coax-cable feedlines in amateur radio and
elsewhere was a direct result of WW2 developments in the manufacture
of such cables. "RG-8/U" was originally a military designation

Semiconductor type numbers such as 1N5408 and 2N2222 are the result of
a parts numbering system developed during WW2. Ironically, the system
was developed for tubes - think of the 2E26, 2C39, 3E29, 6C21, etc.
It was short-lived as a way to name new tube types, but lives on today
for semiconductors.

There are many other examples. And it wasn't just hams who benefited.

Of course a lot of these developments were done by private industry,
not by military personnel. But the developments were a direct result
of military needs and funding.

73 de Jim, N2EY