9781605986944 |
(hardback) |
1605986941 |
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Summary
Summary
World War I is often viewed as a war fought by armies of millions living and fighting in trenches, aided by brutal machinery that cost the lives of many. But behind all of this an intellectual war was also being fought between engineers, chemists, code-breakers, physicists, doctors, mathematicians, and intelligence gatherers. This hidden war was to make a positive and lasting contribution to how war was conducted on land, at sea, and in the air, and most importantly, life at home.Secret Warriors provides an invaluable and fresh history of the World War I, profiling a number of the key incidents and figures which lead to great leaps forward for the twentieth Century. Told in a lively and colorful narrative style, Secret Warriors reveals the unknown side of this tragic conflict.
Author Notes
Taylor Downing read history at Cambridge University. His most recent books published in Britain include 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 (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Downing (Spies in the Sky), a British TV producer and writer, offers an ingenious history that sets aside WWI's immense slaughter in order to concentrate on those who labored behind the scenes (primarily in Britain). Though he fails to provide a unifying theme (an introductory chapter attempts to do so by describing the world-changing 19th-century advancements that defined the pre-WWI era), few readers will complain as they proceed through five unrelated but completely engrossing sections on aviation, intelligence, weapons, medicine, and communication. Even readers familiar with Bletchley Park's dazzling feats in WWII will marvel at how Britain was able to decipher Germany's military and diplomatic codes nearly from the start of WWI. Downing's fine history of the war's most notable weapons-machine guns, tanks, poison gas-precedes chapters giving even finer histories of vast advances in surgery (90% of wounded soldiers in WWI survived, versus 60% during the American Civil War) and sanitation (10% of deaths stemmed from disease in WWI, versus 70% in the Civil War). He also outlines how Hitler and Goebbels admired and emulated Britain's surprisingly effective journalism and propaganda operations during WWI, which have been adopted by countries at war ever since. For better or worse, these military developments remain with us, and Downing delivers a riveting account of how they happened. B&w photos. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Choice Review
Downing's book is a well-written introduction to a side of war that enthusiasts have often overlooked. The work done by Britain's scientists, code breakers, and diplomats was every bit as consequential to WW I as the efforts of battlefield warriors, though the behind-the-scenes nature of their endeavors meant that many readers will never have heard of Captain Reginald "Blinker" Hall, the director of Naval Intelligence who ran Room 40, the secret code-breaking operation responsible for deciphering German communications; Charles Masterman, the Liberal politician who recruited well-known authors, artists, and others to create the propaganda machine run from Wellington House in London; or Lawrence Bragg, whose groundbreaking work included X-ray spectroscopy and the sound-ranging that enabled the British to locate enemy artillery. Downing describes the first reconnaissance air missions, which began inside a week of the British Expeditionary Force's arrival in France, the evolution of medical systems to care for battlefield casualties, the delicacy required in monitoring public opinion in neutral countries, and the efforts of neurologists and others to understand "shell shock." Though Downing's wide-ranging thesis prevents his work from reaching much depth, his work is readable and informative. Summing Up: Recommended. Most levels/libraries. --Ellen J. Jenkins, Arkansas Tech University
Library Journal Review
Downing (Churchill's War Lab; Spies in the Sky) discusses the role of scientific advancement in the unfolding of World War I and divides his narrative into five sections: aviators such as John Moore-Brabazon, code breakers such as Alexander Denniston; engineers and chemists such as Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel; doctors and surgeons such as Harold Gillies, who later pioneered sexual reassignment surgery; and propagandists such as newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook, a member of Winston Churchill's cabinet. A helpful appendix, "Who's Who of Secret Warriors," contains brief biographical sketches of the more than 20 major players, many of whom were affiliated with Churchill in some aspect. In general, the content is engaging, providing an in-depth look at a subject that doesn't get its fair share of discussion within the military history genre. While history buffs will feel right at home, general readers of nonfiction may be put off by the frequent topic changes and nonlinear story thread, which at times makes this account read a bit like an exciting textbook. However, this is a very successful work. Downing's voice is clear and highly readable. VERDICT This volume should be of interest to most readers, especially those interested in military history.-John Helling, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene Cty. P.L., IN (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
Prologue | p. 1 |
1 New Century, New World | p. 13 |
Part 1 Aviators | |
2 The Pioneers | p. 41 |
3 The New Science | p. 62 |
4 Observing the War | p. 75 |
Part 2 Code Breakers | |
5 Room 40 | p. 101 |
6 The Great Game | p. 124 |
Part 3 Engineers and Chemists | |
7 The Gunners' War | p. 149 |
8 The Yellow-Green Cloud | p. 173 |
9 Breaking the Stalemate | p. 191 |
Part 4 Doctors and Surgeons | |
10 The Body | p. 213 |
11 The Mind | p. 241 |
Part 5 Propagandists | |
12 The War of Words | p. 269 |
13 The War in Pictures | p. 290 |
14 Masters of Information | p. 315 |
Epilogue - The First Boffins | p. 335 |
Who's Who of Secret Warriors | p. 359 |
Acknowledgements | p. 383 |
Endnotes | p. 385 |
Bibliography | p. 405 |
Index | p. 413 |
About the Author | p. 439 |