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History World War Ii

The Science of Bombing

Operational Research in RAF Bomber Command

by (author) Randall Thomas Wakelam

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jun 2009
Category
World War II, Aviation
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442693432
    Publish Date
    Jun 2009
    List Price
    $42.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802096296
    Publish Date
    Jun 2009
    List Price
    $52.00

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Description

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.

About the author

Randall Wakelam served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a tactical helicopter pilot and educator for more than four decades; he has taught and written about air power and leadership for the past twenty-five years and is now an associate professor emeritus of the Department of History at Royal Military College.

Randall Thomas Wakelam's profile page