The Science of Bombing : : Operational Research in RAF Bomber Command / / Randall Thomas Wakelam.

• VerfasserIn: Wakelam, Randall Thomas,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2019]; ©2009
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (384 p.)

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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction: Commanders, Headquarters, and Decision Making -- 1. Strategic Bombing: When Theory and Practice Do Not Match -- 2. Operational Research: Finding a Solution through Science -- 3. Boffins at Bomber Command: September 1941 -- 4. Sorting Out Process and Producing Results: September 1941-February 1942 -- 5. Arthur Harris and a New Beginning: February-December 1942 -- 6. Concentration and Other Curatives: February-December 1942 -- 7. Putting Concepts to the Test: January-February 1943 -- 8. New Concepts, Old Targets - The Ruhr: March-June 1943 -- 9. Hamburg and New Science: July-October 1943 -- 10. Science versus Attrition - Berlin: November 1943-March 1944 -- 11. Debates Both Political and Technical: April 1944-May 1945 -- 12. Round-the-Clock Bombing: April 1944-May 1945 -- 13. Conclusions -- Appendices -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index