Whether or not you agree with the claim that emerged from the MIT Radiation Laboratory in the wake of the Second World War – that the atom bomb ended the conflict, but radar won it – the critical aspect of the statement is that the war was fought as much in the R&D space as it was in the theatres of battle.
While warfare technology is hardly an overlooked field, within ‘Churchill's American Arsenal’ (Oxford University Press, £22.99, ISBN 9780197554012) there lies a seldom investigated tale of innovation that may raise a few surprised eyebrows.
Unlike many documentaries of the conflict, rather than examine leadership and strategy, Pulitzer-shortlisted author Larrie D Ferreiro’s account looks at the engineering. In particular, he weaves the complex tale of the Anglo-American technology alliance that saved the day. There were many jointly developed technologies that played their part: the P-51 Mustang Fighter, the Liberty ship, the proximity fuse...