Most Secret War

Dr. Jones was an Oxford physicist from a military family who found himself in charge of English scientific intelligence during the Second World War. In this capacity, he led the effort to identify new German technologies and tactics, and then devise countermeasures. Among his accomplishments were sending a raiding party across the Channel to dismantle and bring back a complete German radar station, anticipating and foiling the navigation systems the Germans devised for their bombers, anticipating and devising limited countermeasures to the V1s and V2s, exfiltrating Niels Bohr from Copenhagen and analyzing German effort to develop atomic bombs. Dr. Jones certainly lived in interesting times, but unlike the much quoted Chinese curse, which continues with may one have powerful enemies, the powerful men in his life, most notably Churchill, had complete faith in him, and with good reason. This is an incredible book, which I heartily recommend to anyone with an interest in military history or science.

Dr. Jones was an Oxford physicist from a military family who found himself in charge of English scientific intelligence during the Second World War. In this capacity, he led the effort to identify new German technologies and tactics, and then devise countermeasures. Among his accomplishments were sending a raiding party across the Channel to dismantle and bring back a complete German radar station, anticipating and foiling the navigation systems the Germans devised for their bombers, anticipating and devising limited countermeasures to the V1s and V2s, exfiltrating Niels Bohr from Copenhagen and analyzing German effort to develop atomic bombs. Dr. Jones certainly lived in interesting times, but unlike the much quoted Chinese curse, which continues that one may have powerful enemies, the powerful men in his life, most notably Churchill, had complete faith in him, and with good reason. This is an incredible book, which I heartily recommend to anyone with an interest in military history or science.

Dr. Jones is wonderful storyteller and surprised me with how humble he is, given his amazing achievements during the war. Not once did he fail to credit all those that helped him and constantly reminds the reader that the "true heroes" were those who risked and lost their lives, both on the front and acting as support for his efforts (e.g. photographic reconnaissance). The story itself gives one an insider's view of how desperate the British situation was in 1940 and how a nation pulled together, despite petty rivalry and bureaucratic obstacles, to fight The Blitz and turn the tide in the air war. Being an electrical engineer, I was also intrigued by the history of RADAR (RDF to the British) and remote targeting, and how it was employed differently by the British and Germans. However, I cannot say how a non-technical reader will like this.

I originally purchased this book in 1979, a year after it was first published. I have had to buy it again because my original paperback simply fell apart. Thoughtful, thorough, witty and absolutely fascinating, R.V. Jones is one of the people I would most have liked to meet during my lifetime (he passed away in 1997). I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book is also known as the Wizard War.The author as a relatively young man was the technical intelligence director for the British Royal Air Force in WW II. As such he was involved in the development of active, passive, and counter measures to thwart the German Luftwaffe. Developments included radars, anti ship missiles,jet engines, defense against buzz bombs, and the jamming of radio navigation systems used by the Germans. After the war the author returned to Scotland to become a university professor. He returned to service during the Korean War period. His other book Reflections on Intelligence reveals him to be a man of erudition and covers and fills in some of the gaps in the story told herein which could not be revealed at the time this book was written.Another one for the complete shelf of intelligence classics.