The Science of War: Canadian Scientists and Allied Military Technology during the Second World War

by Donald H. Avery

The Second World War, with its emphasis on innovative weapons and defence technology, brought about massive changes in the role of scientists in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. Canadian scientists, working through the auspices of the National Research Council and the Department of National Defence, made important contributions to the development of alliance warfare. Before 1939, Canada had only a minute military establishment and a limited industrial and academic capacity for research and development. With the outbreak of war, all this changed dramatically. This book explains how and why Canada was able to play in the big leagues of military technology, including the development of radar, RDX explosives, proximity fuses, chemical and biological warfare, and the atomic bomb. It also investigates the evolution of the Canadian national security state, which attempted to protect defence secrets both from the Axis powers and from Canada's wartime ally, the Soviet Union. The Science of War provides both a cross-disciplinary overview of the scientific and military activity of this period in several countries and a fascinating analysis of what the author calls 'Big Science' in Canada.

Genres: Canada

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Peter Traplin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is available excellent summary of the Canadian contribution to science abs technology during the second world War. It covers everything from the major players, the projects (biological and chemical weapons, radar, proximity fuses, the atomic bomb etc) and the key locations in Canada. It also covers the attitude Canada had regarding using science for Warfare and how it should be shared with our allies. If you have an interest in history, science, Warfare, chemical and biological weapons or anything like that I highly recommend this book.