Overview
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.
Full Product Details
Author: Stephen Budiansky ,
John Lee
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Imprint: Tantor Audio
ISBN: 9798200067466
Publication Date: 25 March 2013
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
"Little-known story of the Allied scientists whose unconventional thinking helped thwart the Nazi U-boats in World War II. . . . An excellent, well-researched account.-- ""Kirkus Starred Review"" ""A fascinating portrayal of how science contributed to winning the war in Europe."" -- ""Wall Street Journal"" ""Little-known story of the Allied scientists whose unconventional thinking helped thwart the Nazi U-boats in World War II...An excellent, well-researched account...an engrossing work rich in insights and anecdotes."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"" ""The little known history of a linchpin in the Allies' victory over the Nazis: Patrick Blackett...For military history and science fans alike."" -- ""Publishers Weekly """
Author Information
Stephen Budiansky is a historian, biographer, and journalist, the author of more than a dozen books exploring intellectual and creative lives, military and intelligence history, and science and the natural world. He is the former Washington editor of the scientific journal Nature and a regular book reviewer for the Wall Street Journal. John Lee, is a stage actor, writer, and a coproducer of feature films. An AudioFile Golden Voice narrator, he is the winner of numerous Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards.
