The Effect of Science on the Second World War PDF
Preview The Effect of Science on the Second World War
The Effect of Science on the Second World War Also by Guy Hartcup CAMOUFLAGE: A History of Concealment and Deception in War COCKCROFT AND THE ATOM (with T. E. Allibone) CODE NAME MULBERRY: The Planning, Building and Operation of the Normandy Harbours THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE AIRSHIP: A History of the Development of Rigid, Semi-rigid and Non-rigid Airships THE CHALLENGE OF WAR: Scientific and Engineering Contributions to World War 2 THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH IN THE RAF THE SILENT REVOLUTION: Development of Conventional Weapons, 1945–85 THE WAR OF INVENTION: Scientific Developments, 1914–18 The Effect of Science on the Second World War Guy Hartcup First published in Great Britain 2000 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-4039-0643-4 ISBN 978-0-230-59617-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230596177 First published in the United States of America 2000 by ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hartcup, Guy. The effect of science on the second World War / Guy Hartcup. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. World War, 1939–1945—Science. I. Title. D810.S2 H37 2000 940.53—dc21 99–054609 ©Guy Hartcup 2000 Reprint of the original edition 2000 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P0LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 For Freddie and the rest of the family This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Plates ix Acknowledgements x Foreword xi Introduction xii 1 Organization of Science for War 1 2 Radar: Defence and Offence 18 3 Diverse Applications of Radio and Radar 39 4 Acoustic and Underwater Warfare 60 5 The Acquisition of Signals Intelligence 82 6 Birth of a New Science: Operational Research 100 7 The Transformation of Military Medicine 122 8 Unacceptable Weapons: Gas and Bacteria 138 9 Premature Weapons: the Rocket and the Jet 152 10 The Ultimate Weapon: the Atomic Bomb 169 Conclusion 185 Notes 188 Bibliography 202 Index 205 vii This page intentionally left blank List of Plates 1. Sir Henry Tizard. Architect of the British radar chain and leader of the mission to the USA in August 1940. Imperial College Archives 2. Winston Churchill and F. A. Lindemann (later Lord Cherwell), his scientific adviser throughout the war. Imperial War Museum 3. Vannevar Bush. Head of the US Office of Scientific Research and Development and adviser to the President. MIT Museum 4. P. M. S. Blackett. Member of the Tizard Committee and later Chief Adviser on Operational Research in the Admiralty. Universal Picture Press & Agency Ltd 5. Howard Florey. Chief wartime developer of penicillin. Wellcome Institute Library, London 6. British nuclear physicists. L to R: William Penney (member of LosAlamos team), Otto Frisch, Rudolf Peierls, John Cockcroft (also director of Army radar research until June 1944). UK Atomic EnergyAuthority 7. Typical Chain Home station. GEC Journal of Research, vol. 3, no. 2, 1985 8. Strapped magnetron used for naval 10cm radar. GEC Review, vol. 10, no. 1, 1995 9. Hedgehog ahead-throwing bomb projector against U-boats. Public Record Office 10. German Enigma machine with plugboard uncovered. Dr Mark Bald- win of M & M Baldwin publishers 11. V2 rocket being prepared to fire. Royal Aeronautical Society 12. Messerschmitt 262 jet-propelled fighter. Imperial War Museum ix
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