Posts Tagged ‘Military’

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“[E]ngaging . . . the more closely one looks at Patrick Blackett, the more impressive he appears . . . Far more than a scientific or military biography, Blackett’s War is also a finely wrought and well-sourced social history of elite science’s wartime mobilization.”—Michael Schrage, Fortune

“A fascinating portrayal of how science contributed to winning the war in Europe. Perhaps even more important for business readers, Mr. Budiansky helps us understand the creation of operations research as a scientific enterprise.” – Marc Levinson, Wall Street Journal

A Scientific American “Recommended Reading” pick.

The exciting history of a small group of British and American scientists who, during World War II, developed the new field of operational research to turn back the tide of German submarines—revolutionizing the way wars are waged and won.

In March 1941, after a year of unbroken and devastating U-boat onslaughts, the British War Cabinet decided to try a new strategy in the foundering naval campaign. To do so, they hired an intensely private, bohemian physicist who was also an ardent socialist. Patrick Blackett was a former navy officer and future winner of the Nobel Prize; he is little remembered today, but he and his fellow scientists did as much to win the war against Nazi Germany as almost anyone else. As director of the World War II antisubmarine effort, Blackett used little more than simple mathematics and probability theory—and a steadfast belief in the utility of science—to save the campaign against the U-boat. Employing these insights in unconventional ways, from the washing of mess hall dishes to the color of bomber wings, the Allies went on to win essential victories against Hitler’s Germany.

Here is the story of these civilian intellectuals who helped to change the nature of twentieth-century warfare. Throughout, Stephen Budiansky describes how scientists became intimately involved with what had once been the distinct province of military commanders—convincing disbelieving military brass to trust the solutions suggested by their analysis. Budiansky shows that these men above all retained the belief that operational research, and a scientific mentality, could change the world. It’s a belief that has come to fruition with the spread of their tenets to the business and military worlds, and it started in the Battle of the Atlantic, in an attempt to outfight the Germans, but most of all to outwit them.

“A fascinating and skilful blend of naval warfare, science, and British social history with a richly diverse cast of characters.”—Alex Kershaw, World War II Magazine

“Little-known story of the Allied scientists whose unconventional thinking helped thwart the Nazi U-boats in World War II . . . [A]n excellent, well-researched account . . . An engrossing work rich in insights and anecdotes.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Stephen Budiansky is a journalist and military historian. His previous books include Air Power, Battle of Wits, The Bloody Shirt, Her Majesty’s Spymaster, and Perilous Fight.