The Effect Of Science On The Second World War

The latest advances in science were fully exploited in the Second World War. They included radar, sonar, improved radio, methods of reducing disease, primitive computers, the new science of operational research and, finally, the atomic bomb, necessarily developed like all wartime technology in a remarkably short time. Such progress would have been impossible without the cooperation of Allied scientists with the military. The Axis powers' failure to recognise this was a major factor in their defeat.

This book seeks to explore how scientists across a number of countries managed to cope with the challenging circumstances created by World War II. No scientist remained unaffected by the outbreak of WWII. As the book shows, there were basically two opposite ways in which the war encroached on the life of a scientific researcher. In some cases, the outbreak of the war led to engagement in research in support of a war-waging country; in the other extreme, it resulted in their marginalisation. The book, starting with the most marginalised scientist and ending with those fully engaged in the war-effort, covers the whole spectrum of enormously varying scientific fates. Distinctive features of the volume include: a focus on the experiences of ‘ordinary’ scientists, rather than on figureheads like Oppenheimer or Otto Hahn contributions from a range of renowned academics including Mark Walker, an authority in the field of science in World War II a detailed study of the Netherlands during the German Occupation This richly illustrated volume will be of major interest to researchers of the history of science, World War II, and Modern History.

Are science and technology independent of one another? Is technology dependent upon science, and if so, how is it dependent? Is science dependent upon technology, and if so how is it dependent? Or, are science and technology becoming so interdependent that the line dividing them has become totally erased? This book charts the history of technoscience from the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century and shows how the military–industrial–academic complex and big science combined to create new examples of technoscience in such areas as the nuclear arms race, the space race, the digital age, and the new worlds of nanotechnology and biotechnology.

While previous writers have focused primarily on strategic, military, and intelligence factors, Walter Grunden underscores the dramatic scientific and technological disparities that left Japan vunerable and ultimately led to its defeat in World War II.

"This edited collection exhibits research that considers economic, educational, technological, and strategic planning that contributed to nations' involvement in and the lasting impact of engagement in World War II. Written by historians and social scientists from around the world, each chapter offers an insight into the experiences and implications of those involved in the war - as leaders, civilians, politicians - and the continued strains resulting from diplomatic relationships and the casualties on and off the battlefield. The Second World War devastated the world - not equally in all areas or nations, but it altered the course of human history. These works contribute to the ability to make sense of this brutal war and in doing so, offer readers an opportunity to learn about some lesser-understood implications and results of the Second World War"--

"Outstanding . . . the best short history I have read of America’s role in World War II. Stoler and Michelmore draw on a judicious selection of historical documents to provide a concise, readable history. The historiography of the war is well covered and explained. It is no small task to delineate the many, sometimes, heated debates over the conduct of the war, and in this volume the many sides of the historical debate are fairly and evenly treated. For a single-volume study, the book is remarkably comprehensive. It addresses major events and decisions; yet it also covers the political and policy-driven, strategic and operational, and social and cultural aspects of the War. The development of key technologies (such as the atomic bomb) and intelligence capabilities are explained. Finally, this book also covers topics that are often neglected in histories of the War, including racism in America, the American response to the Holocaust, and the evolving role of women in the workforce." —Adrian Lewis, The University of Kansas, author of The American Culture of War: The History of U.S. Military Forces from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom (Routledge, 2nd ed. 2012)

This is the first major history of Imperial College London. The book tells the story of a new type of institution that came into being in 1907 with the federation of three older colleges. Imperial College was founded by the state for advanced university-level training in science and technology, and for the promotion of research in support of industry throughout the British Empire. True to its name the college built a wide number of Imperial links and was an outward looking institution from the start. Today, in the post-colonial world, it retains its outward-looking stance, both in its many international research connections, and with staff and students from around the world. Connections to industry and the state remain important. The College is one of Britain's premier research and teaching institutions, including now medicine alongside science and engineering. This book is an in-depth study of Imperial College; it covers both governance and academic activity within the larger context of political, economic and socio-cultural life in twentieth-century Britain. Contents:IntroductionBefore Imperial: The Colleges that Federated in 1907The Founding of Imperial CollegeGovernance and Innovation, 1907–43Imperial College during the First World WarContinuity within the Three Old Colleges, 1907–45Imperial Science at Imperial CollegeImperial College during the Second World WarExpansion: Post-War to Robbins, 1945–67 (Part One)Expansion: Post-War to Robbins, 1945–67 (Part Two)Corporate and Social LifeThe Making of the Modern College, 1967–85: Part One-Governance in a New Political ClimateThe Making of the Modern College, 1967–85: Part Two: Academic RestructuringDiversifying the CurriculumThe Expanding College, 1985–2001…Part One: Governance and the Medical School MergersThe Expanding College, 1985–2001…Part Two: Some Academic DevelopmentsConclusion Readership: Academic libraries, alumni, staff and students of Imperial College, historians of science, technology and medicine, and historians of twentieth-century Britain. Keywords:History;Imperial College;Science;Technology;Medicine;Higher Education;ResearchReviews:“Accessibility and vast reference material justifies The History of Imperial College London's place on the bookshelf of any institutional historian of science and technology. Gay has provided a well-researched glimpse into the broader role of higher education in 20th century British history.”History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences “Overall the author has admirably succeeded in fulfilling her aims by producing an account that is both scholarly and accessible. She has also judiciously balanced detailed accounts of departments and research programmes with attention to the wider institutional, political, economic and social context that determined the resources they had available to them … it deserves a place as an important reference work for anyone interested in the history of science and technology or of higher education in Britain during the twentieth century.”AMBIX “Overall, Gay's history of Imperial College is an invaluable source of information not only on the college's history, but more broadly on the history of science, technology and medicine in the United Kingdom during the twentieth century.”The British Journal for the History of Science

After suffering devastating losses in the early stages of the Second World War, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force established an Operational Research Section within bomber command in order to drastically improve the efficiency of bombing missions targeting Germany. In The Science of Bombing, Randall Wakelam explores the work of civilian scientists who found critical solutions to the navigational and target-finding problems and crippling losses that initially afflicted the RAF. Drawing on previously unexamined files that re-assess the efficacy of strategic bombing from tactical and technical perspectives, Wakelam reveals the important role scientific research and advice played in operational planning and how there existed a remarkable intellectual flexibility at Bomber Command. A fascinating glimpse into military strategy and decision-making, The Science of Bombing will find a wide audience among those interested in air power history as well as military strategists, air force personnel, and aviation historians.