R. V. Jones (1911–1997)

I started reading this book with no other expectations than to be a little wiser and entertained at the same time. But ended up with a feeling of having read one of the best and most vivid accounts of WWII I have ever read.

The subject – scientific intelligence – may seem a bit ‘dry’, but in this book it is not. Deductions becomes an art, compiling, filtering and picking the right intelligence a virtue and – in this case – to be a survivor in ‘bloodless tribal wars’ (Walt Rostow) among scientists a must. If I was in any doubt that the ‘tech war’ of WWII in Europe was on the edge all the time, I am not anymore.

I can only recommend this book fully as a solid foundation for anyone who read about the WWII air battles over Great Britain and Germany as well as the V1 and V2 weapons.
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Dr. R. V. Jones was a British physicist who worked in Scientific Intelligence during WW II. He was at the forefront of the battle against German radar, tracking beams for German bombers, V 1 flying bombs & V 2 rockets. He is credited with the idea of dropping "window" to confuse German radar.

Far from being a boring technical manual, Jones wrote a volume full of gossip, humour and adventure. He was a close confidant of Churchill and other leaders of the period and tells much about what went on behind the scenes. I found it a real page turner.… (more)

If your at all interested in Britain during WWII and the Royal Air Forces scientific intelligence then this is an excellent book. Written by Professor R.V. Jones who was the head of scientific intelligence within the RAF it is written from his prospective during the war years. It starts with his early life and goes onto his education and the beginnings of his scientific career and while it was written in the 1970's it ends in the early 1950's.

The battle of the beams, the fight against German radar and navigation systems and the V-weapons are all covered. What I really liked was that Professor Jones was a Patriot and it shows, like all good patriots he also admires those of other nationalities who are also Patriots. He gives credit not just to himself and his team in scientific intelligence but also to those in other areas of Britain's defence, particularly in aerial reconnaissance over nazi controlled Europe. He also is quick to give credit to those in the resistance across Europe who provided intelligence to the Allies on often very technical subjects. He also gives credit to the Germans for their abilities and successes, always remembering that his task was to defeat them.

His relationship with Winston Churchill is of interest as is the interactions he had with other leading British figures of the period. My only complaints were that the book is big, nearly 700 pages and in parts it is very technical. To be honest I sometimes couldn't follow everything and I took off 1/2 a star because it is not a light read. Having said that I do think it is an important read, so if your interested in Britain during WWII do read this book!… (more)