In terms of modern shells being more complex in general: yes and no. modern shells pretty much always use some kind of electronic fusing, sometimes multiple kinds of electronic fuses. back then they had bombs, mines and grenades with literal clockwork inside and electronics was still very rare. also fuses and primary charges were not easy to produce reliably.
In terms of modern shells being more complex in general: yes and no. modern shells pretty much always use some kind of electronic fusing, sometimes multiple kinds of electronic fuses. back then they had bombs, mines and grenades with literal clockwork inside and electronics was still very rare. also fuses and primary charges were not easy to produce reliably.