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The Battle of the Beams: The secret science of radar that turned the tide of the Second World War
'Deeply researched and engagingly written' The Times
'Has the pace and style of a well-crafted thriller' Mail on Sunday
'Chock full of memorable characters and written with all the drama and pace of a Robert Harris thriller' Rowland White, author of Harrier 809
The radio war of 1939-45 is one of the great scientific battles in history.
This is the story of that war.
Relying on first-hand accounts as well as papers recently released by the Admiralty, The Battle of the Beams fills a huge missing piece in the canon of WW2 literature.
It combines history, science, derring do and dogged determination and will appeal as much to fans of WW2 history as to those fascinated by the science behind the beams that changed our lives.
The British believed that, through ingenuity and scientific prowess, they alone have a war-winning radar. They are wrong. The Germans have it too.
They believe that their unique maritime history means their pilots have no need of navigational aids. Flying above the clouds they, like the seafarers of old, had the stars to guide them, and that is all that is required. They are wrong. Most of the bombs the RAF will drop in the first years of the war land miles from their target.
They also believe that the Germans, without the same naval tradition, will never be able to find targets at night. They are, again, wrong. In 1939 the Germans don't just have radar to spot planes entering their airspace, they have radio beams to guide their own planes into enemy airspace.
Luckily there was one young engineer, Reginald Jones, helping the British government with their own scientific developments. In June 1940, when Jones quietly explained the beams the Germans had devised to a room full of disbelieving sceptics, Churchill later described the moment as like sitting in the parlour while Sherlock Holmes finally reveals the killer. Churchill immediately supported Jones's efforts to develop radar technology that went on to help the Allies win the war.
'Has the pace and style of a well-crafted thriller' Mail on Sunday
'Chock full of memorable characters and written with all the drama and pace of a Robert Harris thriller' Rowland White, author of Harrier 809
The radio war of 1939-45 is one of the great scientific battles in history.
This is the story of that war.
Relying on first-hand accounts as well as papers recently released by the Admiralty, The Battle of the Beams fills a huge missing piece in the canon of WW2 literature.
It combines history, science, derring do and dogged determination and will appeal as much to fans of WW2 history as to those fascinated by the science behind the beams that changed our lives.
The British believed that, through ingenuity and scientific prowess, they alone have a war-winning radar. They are wrong. The Germans have it too.
They believe that their unique maritime history means their pilots have no need of navigational aids. Flying above the clouds they, like the seafarers of old, had the stars to guide them, and that is all that is required. They are wrong. Most of the bombs the RAF will drop in the first years of the war land miles from their target.
They also believe that the Germans, without the same naval tradition, will never be able to find targets at night. They are, again, wrong. In 1939 the Germans don't just have radar to spot planes entering their airspace, they have radio beams to guide their own planes into enemy airspace.
Luckily there was one young engineer, Reginald Jones, helping the British government with their own scientific developments. In June 1940, when Jones quietly explained the beams the Germans had devised to a room full of disbelieving sceptics, Churchill later described the moment as like sitting in the parlour while Sherlock Holmes finally reveals the killer. Churchill immediately supported Jones's efforts to develop radar technology that went on to help the Allies win the war.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2023
61 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 19, 2023
I don't read a lot of war history because that has always felt like a slippery slope to the Hotler channel on cable, and I think I am pretty au fait with man's inhumanity to man thanks. But I am partial to an invention story, and one of science problem solving, and that is exactly what The Battle Of The Beams is. Broadly it is about how the Germans had a system of location finding for their bombers and how Britain (and in particular Reginald Jones) solved the problem and then used it to fight back. The science is pretty simple, and is nicely juxtaposed against the broad arrogance of the British forces who assumed we were better at bombing than the enemy based on hubris and no real evidence (and in the Blitz significant evidence for the contrary). It sits nicely within the Bletchley code breakers realm of spywork, and is full of the kind of pompous asses you'd imagine - though Whipple does take pains to occasionally throw context, and death tolls, on to this game of radio trickery.
At the heart of the book is the portrait of Jones, a clever but insubordinate, arrogant and - well Whipple finally comes outright and says it - extremely annoying man. A scientist looking for some important science to do, the war ended up being a boon for him, and as he fell into being a one-man department of scientific counter-intelligence a lot of freedom to play with ideas. But the right mix of statistical modeling, and the ability to consider that the Germans might be ahead of us in certain areas (they had RADAR which we didn't believe for a long time), meant he got far when realising how well the Germans were pinpointing targets. He wrote his own book about it, which Whipple defers to in places, but also points out that he was prone to glorify himself, make broad sweeping statements about others and broadly be annoying. There is an account of one raid to capture technology which went pretty badly, but still came off which is probably a high point of the book.
This is the kind of popular science and history book that can break down barriers between the two disciplines. Its engagingly told, though Whipple does hold a bit of reserve, I think also to avoid getting whipped up into any kind of jingoistic fervor (as ever so much of the victories on both sides rely more on mistakes and incompetence by their opponent). I maybe would have liked a little bit more on further developments in the field of range finding (all wrapped up in a GPS ball these days), and the story whilst interesting, never reaches an Operation Mincemeat level of bizarre.
At the heart of the book is the portrait of Jones, a clever but insubordinate, arrogant and - well Whipple finally comes outright and says it - extremely annoying man. A scientist looking for some important science to do, the war ended up being a boon for him, and as he fell into being a one-man department of scientific counter-intelligence a lot of freedom to play with ideas. But the right mix of statistical modeling, and the ability to consider that the Germans might be ahead of us in certain areas (they had RADAR which we didn't believe for a long time), meant he got far when realising how well the Germans were pinpointing targets. He wrote his own book about it, which Whipple defers to in places, but also points out that he was prone to glorify himself, make broad sweeping statements about others and broadly be annoying. There is an account of one raid to capture technology which went pretty badly, but still came off which is probably a high point of the book.
This is the kind of popular science and history book that can break down barriers between the two disciplines. Its engagingly told, though Whipple does hold a bit of reserve, I think also to avoid getting whipped up into any kind of jingoistic fervor (as ever so much of the victories on both sides rely more on mistakes and incompetence by their opponent). I maybe would have liked a little bit more on further developments in the field of range finding (all wrapped up in a GPS ball these days), and the story whilst interesting, never reaches an Operation Mincemeat level of bizarre.
June 22, 2024
Another book I (shouldn’t have) bought as there was twenty minutes to wait for the bus.
But this one proved to be a delight, just technical enough to feel you understand the physics, but not too deep. I found it an easy read and it got swiftly promoted to my evening and morning read.
Offered some insights into the world of spies and code breaking. The big surprise for me was the amount of “clues” on German radar advances came from Enigma decoding that early in the war. Also how difficult to ascertain whether information received from “spies” is true or merely to deceive.
The other priceless bit was the arrogance of the British in thinking that the Germans weren’t as bright as the British and couldn’t have developed radar. Thank goodness we have got rid of our sense of superiority🥴🥴.
Well worth the read.
But this one proved to be a delight, just technical enough to feel you understand the physics, but not too deep. I found it an easy read and it got swiftly promoted to my evening and morning read.
Offered some insights into the world of spies and code breaking. The big surprise for me was the amount of “clues” on German radar advances came from Enigma decoding that early in the war. Also how difficult to ascertain whether information received from “spies” is true or merely to deceive.
The other priceless bit was the arrogance of the British in thinking that the Germans weren’t as bright as the British and couldn’t have developed radar. Thank goodness we have got rid of our sense of superiority🥴🥴.
Well worth the read.
August 4, 2023
Excellently written and highly educational - like another reviewer I had always thought that Britain had the ascendency when it came to Radar, but this made it clear that we were largely responding to advances made by the Germans. Basing the story around a specific scientist, a very interesting character, made what could have been dull facts come to life.
February 13, 2025
Interesting review of a different aspect of war. Some amusing anecdotes of British arrogance at the top and British heroism on the ground. As is often the case with history it appears that R V Jones was the right man at the right time.
July 23, 2023
I just reviewed The Battle of the Beams by Tom Whipple. #TheBattleoftheBeams #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] and I really must say this was a massive surprise for me as I thought this book was going to be a bit of a technical manual; a dry old read for techno addicts.
After the first chapter I realised this book was on a parr with anything John le Carré could churn out and in parts the humour is topping Len Deighton and Mick Herron.
Anyone who has the vaguest interest in WW2 and the technology used will devour this book and then they will get a bonus better than any fictional spy story.
I cannot praise this book highly enough, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already recommended it to several of my friends and I urge you to read it at the first possible opportunity.
[NetGalley URL] and I really must say this was a massive surprise for me as I thought this book was going to be a bit of a technical manual; a dry old read for techno addicts.
After the first chapter I realised this book was on a parr with anything John le Carré could churn out and in parts the humour is topping Len Deighton and Mick Herron.
Anyone who has the vaguest interest in WW2 and the technology used will devour this book and then they will get a bonus better than any fictional spy story.
I cannot praise this book highly enough, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already recommended it to several of my friends and I urge you to read it at the first possible opportunity.
May 15, 2023
If, like me, you were under the impression that one of the main reasons for success in the Battle of Britain was the UK's superiority in Radar technology, then you need to read this book! It turns out that Germany was far more advanced in the development of radio waves used for the detection and guidance of aircraft and at the start of the war Britain was having to play catch up. Whipples's book tells the story of how this technology was used both in attack mode, guiding bombers accurately to their targets and in defense mode, identifying the incoming aircraft and shooting them down. However, the bigger arm wrestle was the continual development, on both sides, of countermeasures to interfere with the technologies being used against them.
Central to this story on the British side is one man, Reginald Jones, a young Engineer who had a theory of how the Luftwaffe were able to successfully find their targets at nightime: following ground based radio beam transmissions. He is able to convince Winston Churchill of the importance of this aspect of aerial combat and is provided the resources to further investigate and to develop counter measures. A role he contiues throughout the war.
I found the whole book fascinating and quite the page turner. It is an important story he tells and not one sided at all. The use of strategic bombing during WW2 is still a controversial subject but the degree of "effectiveness" seems to be down to who had the upper hand with the technology at the time. As Whipple writes, when everything went well for the Luftwaffe and they found their targets you had a result such as the Sheffield blitz in December 1940where over 600 people died and 40,000 were made homeless. Similarly, for the RAF in July 1943 with the incendiary attack on Hamburg where over 30,000 civilians died. Ironically, the technology used in an offensive manner raised the chances of success in finding the target and accurately dropping ordinance. The technology used in a defensive mode could deflect the enemy's attempts to find the target and could reveal their positions to night fighters or anti aircraft guns. Without these countermeasures there would have been many more cities like Sheffield and Hamburg effectively destroyed.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book.
Central to this story on the British side is one man, Reginald Jones, a young Engineer who had a theory of how the Luftwaffe were able to successfully find their targets at nightime: following ground based radio beam transmissions. He is able to convince Winston Churchill of the importance of this aspect of aerial combat and is provided the resources to further investigate and to develop counter measures. A role he contiues throughout the war.
I found the whole book fascinating and quite the page turner. It is an important story he tells and not one sided at all. The use of strategic bombing during WW2 is still a controversial subject but the degree of "effectiveness" seems to be down to who had the upper hand with the technology at the time. As Whipple writes, when everything went well for the Luftwaffe and they found their targets you had a result such as the Sheffield blitz in December 1940where over 600 people died and 40,000 were made homeless. Similarly, for the RAF in July 1943 with the incendiary attack on Hamburg where over 30,000 civilians died. Ironically, the technology used in an offensive manner raised the chances of success in finding the target and accurately dropping ordinance. The technology used in a defensive mode could deflect the enemy's attempts to find the target and could reveal their positions to night fighters or anti aircraft guns. Without these countermeasures there would have been many more cities like Sheffield and Hamburg effectively destroyed.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book.
June 30, 2024
Interesting book about one aspect of the technical arms race between the UK and Germany during WWII, namely the control of the radiomagnetic spectrum. I had always assumed that “radar” referred to one particular technology or machine, but this book made me understand that there were probably a dozen techniques that fell under that heading.
The book focuses most on the early days of the war and the efforts of R. V. Jones, a “science boffin”, to convince the military leadership that the Nazis did, in fact, possess guiding beams that helped their bombers find their targets during the Blitz. With the help of Enigma decrypts, espionage reports and the recorded conversations of German prisoners-of-war, he was able to understand the Knickebein, X-Gerät and Y-Gerät equipment and their applications. This was well explained in the book, with helpful diagrams.
It seemed like the author then decided to broaden his focus, for instance, by describing the raid on Bourneval, where 120 paratroopers captured a German radar on the French coast and carried off across the Channel, or the principle of “Window”, which consisted of dropping strips of metal foil to amplify the radar signal and thus give a smallish squadron the radar appearance of a huge air fleet. “Confusion to our enemies!” , as the motto of one of these groups said.
The author seems to be rather skeptical about how these cat-and-mouse games in the electromagnetic spectrum may have contributed to victory and points out how hard it is to gauge the effect of the measures taken.
The writing is of the journalistic type: smooth, keeps the action going, but with an occasional cringe-inducing misstep. One sentence I won’t easily forget is on Page 50 and refers to the interrogation of German prisoners of war: “When an engine failed, an anti-aircraft battery got a rare hit or a pilot got lost and ran out of fuel over Britain, whoever survived of the crew found themselves crossing the desk of AI.1.(k). So, too, did those who did not survive.”. Somehow this evoked the ghastly mental image of mangled corpses being pushed across some pencil pusher’s desk… but it was meant to convey that AI.1.(k) was tasked with extracting information from wreckage and from surviving German air crews.
All in all, a good overview of an interesting topic in technological warfare.
The book focuses most on the early days of the war and the efforts of R. V. Jones, a “science boffin”, to convince the military leadership that the Nazis did, in fact, possess guiding beams that helped their bombers find their targets during the Blitz. With the help of Enigma decrypts, espionage reports and the recorded conversations of German prisoners-of-war, he was able to understand the Knickebein, X-Gerät and Y-Gerät equipment and their applications. This was well explained in the book, with helpful diagrams.
It seemed like the author then decided to broaden his focus, for instance, by describing the raid on Bourneval, where 120 paratroopers captured a German radar on the French coast and carried off across the Channel, or the principle of “Window”, which consisted of dropping strips of metal foil to amplify the radar signal and thus give a smallish squadron the radar appearance of a huge air fleet. “Confusion to our enemies!” , as the motto of one of these groups said.
The author seems to be rather skeptical about how these cat-and-mouse games in the electromagnetic spectrum may have contributed to victory and points out how hard it is to gauge the effect of the measures taken.
The writing is of the journalistic type: smooth, keeps the action going, but with an occasional cringe-inducing misstep. One sentence I won’t easily forget is on Page 50 and refers to the interrogation of German prisoners of war: “When an engine failed, an anti-aircraft battery got a rare hit or a pilot got lost and ran out of fuel over Britain, whoever survived of the crew found themselves crossing the desk of AI.1.(k). So, too, did those who did not survive.”. Somehow this evoked the ghastly mental image of mangled corpses being pushed across some pencil pusher’s desk… but it was meant to convey that AI.1.(k) was tasked with extracting information from wreckage and from surviving German air crews.
All in all, a good overview of an interesting topic in technological warfare.
July 3, 2023
This is the story of World War Two and the battle for supremacy over the airwaves.
It is a story I knew precious little about. Reginald V. Jones was a scientist with a brilliant mind who understood radar and, more importantly, its significance as a weapon.
The Germans already had radar but Britain did not and it was Jones who persuaded Winston Churchill and others how radar technology worked.
Initially, Jones worked on his own but eventually more like-minded individuals joined him. The ability not only to develop radar but to intercept and disable the effectiveness of the enemy's systems became of paramount importance.
This involved acts of extraordinary heroism from pilots, agents and resistance fighters to gather information that Jones then used to help develop the systems that would eventually turn the tide in the Allies' favour.
Jones came across as quite a character, one who didn't suffer fools gladly and whose ability to interpret complex information was second to none. Without his knowledge and acuity, it is quite possible that World War Two's outcome may have been very different.
The science is explained clearly without going into overly technical language and gives a fascinating insight into a crucial period of 20th century history.
Some sections, such as diagrams and indexes, were missing but these would have been added prior to publication.
I received a free digital ARC of this book from Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
It is a story I knew precious little about. Reginald V. Jones was a scientist with a brilliant mind who understood radar and, more importantly, its significance as a weapon.
The Germans already had radar but Britain did not and it was Jones who persuaded Winston Churchill and others how radar technology worked.
Initially, Jones worked on his own but eventually more like-minded individuals joined him. The ability not only to develop radar but to intercept and disable the effectiveness of the enemy's systems became of paramount importance.
This involved acts of extraordinary heroism from pilots, agents and resistance fighters to gather information that Jones then used to help develop the systems that would eventually turn the tide in the Allies' favour.
Jones came across as quite a character, one who didn't suffer fools gladly and whose ability to interpret complex information was second to none. Without his knowledge and acuity, it is quite possible that World War Two's outcome may have been very different.
The science is explained clearly without going into overly technical language and gives a fascinating insight into a crucial period of 20th century history.
Some sections, such as diagrams and indexes, were missing but these would have been added prior to publication.
I received a free digital ARC of this book from Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 24, 2023
This is a meticulously researched history of measures and countermeasures the unseen secret struggle for radar superiority in World War Two.
There is a great deal of detail about how the information they used in their work was obtained, much of it with a detailed bibliography should the reader want t.o delve deeper into the subject. It becomes clear that those involved work in a tense stressful top secret environment, but still have time for some humour.
The science involved is explained in simple clear terms, without becoming condescending. The author brings The reader along the book's journey in such a way that it could almost be a conversation.
I really enjoyed this informative and true story, so much so that I wish I could give it a sixth star.
There is a great deal of detail about how the information they used in their work was obtained, much of it with a detailed bibliography should the reader want t.o delve deeper into the subject. It becomes clear that those involved work in a tense stressful top secret environment, but still have time for some humour.
The science involved is explained in simple clear terms, without becoming condescending. The author brings The reader along the book's journey in such a way that it could almost be a conversation.
I really enjoyed this informative and true story, so much so that I wish I could give it a sixth star.
May 12, 2023
Behind the fighting in World War Two a battle of science raged.
Blitz bombers following electronic beams to their UK targets had to be deceived in a war of innovation and countermeasures.
Boffin Reginald Jones, an arrogant young man with good reason, had early breakthroughs from the Cockfosters Cage where bugged German prisoners chatted vital clues.
Aircrew and resistance fighters dripped info into the jigsaw.
The result was revolutionary science for navigation, mapping, airborne radar and jamming, all using invisible light.
Told with humour, the science is easy to understand in this fascinating tribute to a secret war without weapons.
Blitz bombers following electronic beams to their UK targets had to be deceived in a war of innovation and countermeasures.
Boffin Reginald Jones, an arrogant young man with good reason, had early breakthroughs from the Cockfosters Cage where bugged German prisoners chatted vital clues.
Aircrew and resistance fighters dripped info into the jigsaw.
The result was revolutionary science for navigation, mapping, airborne radar and jamming, all using invisible light.
Told with humour, the science is easy to understand in this fascinating tribute to a secret war without weapons.
November 12, 2023
The captivating and mostly untold story of a scientific battle to develop radar which would turn to tide of world war 2. This is one of the most fluently written and enjoyable non-fiction books I have read. It’s not often a book like this is such a page turner, and the author draws on elements of British/German intelligence, espionage, governmental bureaucracy, and personal/private stories to craft an excellent read. Whipple also purposely introduces electromagnetic physics using accessible terminology and analogies without ever belittling the audience. Thoroughly recommended
February 13, 2025
An absolutely riveting tale of scientists and secret agents, of extreme measures and countermeasures and counter-countermeasures, of incredible cleverness and terrible bad luck, of incredible incompetence and miraculous good fortune, all in the radio-wave arms-race of the Second World War.
Your Dad would be well into this.
Your Dad would be well into this.
March 24, 2025
A fantastic popular history of the invisible radio war
Tom Whipple has written a brilliantly researched, compelling, popular history of the radio war between Britain and Nazi Germany during WW2. I would massively recommend this for fans of Ben MacIntyre looking to expand their knowledge of the Second World War.
Tom Whipple has written a brilliantly researched, compelling, popular history of the radio war between Britain and Nazi Germany during WW2. I would massively recommend this for fans of Ben MacIntyre looking to expand their knowledge of the Second World War.
September 15, 2025
A well-constructed book highlighting a forgotten aspect of the Second World War. Showing that not all heroes wear flying goggles although many did. It also shows us that our misconceptions about how advanced our scientists were in the field of radar and deception practices were as much propaganda as fact and we were following the Nazis in most things. A good read.
March 1, 2024
Hugely entertaining account of the battle raged between scientists of both sides to win the radar war.The Germans having the upper hand till 1942 and thereafter the Allies.
I think that this book well reflects the mischievous spirit of R.V.Jones and was a true delight to read.
I think that this book well reflects the mischievous spirit of R.V.Jones and was a true delight to read.
August 24, 2025
Full disclosure, Tom is an old pal of mine. This was a Christmas gift and I inhaled it in about 72 hours. A fascinating insight into one of the technology races of WWII, all told with Tom's typically dry humour.
November 17, 2023
Really interesting insight into a much less public but no less important aspect of World War Two.
March 6, 2025
If you like detailed history this is for you
April 1, 2025
Interesting subject matter and told well, sometimes the flow seemed quite 'bitty' but worth a read
September 10, 2025
Rather interesting and well written account of the UK’s effort’s to defensively and offensively engage in the new area of electromagnetic warfare in WW2. More
of a page turner than I was expecting.
of a page turner than I was expecting.
November 7, 2025
An Ok read, and I learnt a few things but a little boring .
March 4, 2025
Excellent book, incredibly well researched and presented. Thoroughly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews