Churchill's War Lab: Codebreakers, Scientists, and the the Mavericks Churchill Led to Victory

By Taylor Downing

The essential book on Churchill's passion for innovation and the science of war --from codes to radar to bouncing bombs.

indefatigable patriot, seasoned soldier, incomparable orator, and, with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, leader of men --Winston Churchill's greatness in the allies' triumphant victory in World War ii is undisputed. yet, of his many unique qualities, Churchill's enduring legacy is attributable at least in equal part to his unshakeable fascination for the science of war.

Churchill's War Lab reveals how Churchill's passion for military history, his inimitable leadership style, and his dedicated support of radical ideas would lead to new technologies and tactics that would enable an allied victory. no war generated more incredible theories, technical advances, and scientific leaps. from the development of radar and the decoding brilliance of Bletchley Park to the study of the D-Day beaches and the use of bouncing bombs, Churchill's War Lab is an exciting new take on Churchill as a complex, powerful, and inventive war leader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jun 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781590209936

Taylor Downing

Taylor Downing read history at Cambridge University. His most recent books include 1942: Winston Churchill and Britain's Darkest Hour; Spies in the Sky; 1983: The World at the Brink; Churchill's War Lab; Breakdown; Cold War; and Night Raid. He lives in England.

Reviews for Churchill's War Lab

[chris_el-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The main focus of the book is Churchill and his bio. There is certainly some post-modern thinking/comments from the author about Churchill and his views on India, suffrage, progressivism, warrior spirit, and the British Empire. Not the sort of thing you hear from his contemporaries.

I really enjoyed learning a little about the science and how involved Churchill was in making sure Britain was taking every advantage science could provide during the war. Sadly, while the tile would lead one to believe science is the focus of the book the focus remains firmly on the biography of Churchill and an overview of the war. An easy read but probably not the best book on Churchill or the scientists supporting Britain during WWII.

[edrandrew · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As an account of the factors affecting Churchill's personality and forming his approach to the Second World War, this works well and the account of the political pressures and the way that they skewed things was fascinating. Unfortunately that is not what the book claims to be about and thus I felt unable to rate it above ***. The human contents of the "war lab" are too small a part of it and what/how they achieved what they did is only touched on in passing and seemingly to illustrate other points. I find that a real pity as there are clearly so many pieces of work that all helped towards the end, from the apparently trivial such as changing the colour of life jackets from yellow to orange to the detailed analysis of the effects of bomb damage, and the better known ones such as the code breaking work and the "portable harbours". In three words - an opportunity missed.