Review of Blackett's War by Stephen Budiansky

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Notes

¹“The term ‘operational research’ [was coined in 1937] by A. P. Rowe to describe the work of the scientific section of the RAF's Bawdsey Research Station studying the integration of radar into the British fighter defense system” (p. xviii). OR came to the U.S. military in 1940 with the Tizard Mission (The British Technical and Scientific Mission) that arranged cooperation between the United States and Britain regarding scientific and technical advancements that could be applied to the war effort. (See p. 226f and [2].)

²In 1948, Blackett received the Nobel Prize in physics for his research in cosmic radiation and nuclear physics.

³Although this book is not about cryptologic history, Stephen Budiansky has written two books that do focus on cryptology: Battle of Wits (a general history of World War II codebreaking) and Her Majesty's Spymaster (about Sir Francis Walsingham).

⁴Application of OR in World War II are also described in [3, 4].

⁵In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Force Eighth Air Force began operations in Europe, and their bombing strategy came into question. (See p. 226 f and [4]).

⁶Evan James Williams (1903–1945) was a Welsh physicist who served in “Blackett's Circus” at Coastal Command.

⁷See Harry Hinsley, “BP, Admiralty, and Naval Enigma,” [1, pp. 77–78].

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Notes on contributors

Chris Christensen

Chris Christensen teaches mathematics and cryptology at Northern Kentucky University. His father was the executive officer on an escort vessel that protected convoys along the east coast of the United States to Guantanamo and across the Atlantic.