ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the foundations upon which the major programme of British post-war scientific and technical exploitation was built by exploring how science and technology shaped the war in general and military intelligence. It shows that the Second World War was characterised by the growing influence of science and technology on modern warfighting. The chapter argues that the British government and military, especially the navy and air force, were uniquely structured so as to fight ‘a war of science and invention; the next war, not the last’. In January 1940, a memorandum from the Air Ministry to the Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee noted ‘that the direct application of the results of scientific research to warfare has increased and is increasing needs no demonstration. The Second World War ended and the Cold War began, many Western eyes stopped perceiving Germany as an enemy and instead focused suspicion on the Soviet Union.