Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Most Secret War” as Want to Read:
Most Secret War
by
R.V. Jones
Most Secret War is R.V. Jones's account of his part in British Scientific Intelligence between 1939 and 1949. It was his responsibility to anticipate German applications of science to warfare, so that their new weapons could be countered before they were used. Much of his work had to do with radio navigation, as in the Battle of the Beams, with radar, as in the Allied Bomb
...more
Paperback, Wordsworth Military Library, 556 pages
Published
1998
by Wordsworth Editions
(first published 1978)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Most Secret War,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Most Secret War
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
This is one of the few classic memoirs of the second world war, and it is not hard to see why it is still in print: it's colourful, informative, witty, extremely well-written and a wide view of the action. But it is also intriguing: like his counterpart in SOE Leo Marks, Jones knew a lot more about the world of SIS than he let on.
Jones traces his involvement in the war from the time he realized it was inevitable and takes pains to demonstrate his patriotism and eagerness to serve his country. By ...more
Jones traces his involvement in the war from the time he realized it was inevitable and takes pains to demonstrate his patriotism and eagerness to serve his country. By ...more
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 scientis ...more
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 scientis ...more
Descripción por el principal, o uno de los principales responsables científicos ingleses designado por Churchill, de la lucha secreta que Gran Bretaña hubo de mantener contra Alemania en la 2ª guerra mundial donde el combate científico se desarrolló en una competición por descifrar comunicaciones, interceptación de señales a los bombarderos alemanes, submarinos, fabricación de armamento especial para acciones de comandos y otros asuntos de una guerra irregular, que uno tiene la impresión se hace
...more
A fascinating first hand account of the British scientific intelligence during the WWII written by Dr. R.V.Jones, who headed the British scientific intelligence efforts throughout the war. Sheds a whole new light on the events I've recently read about in W. Churchill's memoirs. Also dispels some of the myths I thought to be facts, such as that Churchill knew about the impending bombardment of Coventry, but did nothing about it in order not to reveal the fact that the British succeeded in
...more
Una historia absorbente muy bien escrita. Al principio llama la atención el estilo tan típicamente británico tanto de la narración como de los personajes, pero el sentido del humor del autor y lo interesante del contenido, bien presentado y escrito con pasión proporcionan una lectura muy estimulante.
Si se quiere leer desde el punto de vista estratégico, también es una joya. Las peleas del protagonista por conseguir que se dedique el esfuerzo científico necesario para la guerra, primero, y para q ...more
Si se quiere leer desde el punto de vista estratégico, también es una joya. Las peleas del protagonista por conseguir que se dedique el esfuerzo científico necesario para la guerra, primero, y para q ...more
This is a wonderfully readable account of the beginnings of British "Scientific Intelligence, written by scientist and practical joker, R.V. Jones who found, in the job of divining and countering German military technology, a perfect niche for his unique skills. Unlike many other books on my list, whose focus is on the development of new technologies, Jones's story is about using spies, aerial photography, RDF, Bletchley Park decrypts, reverse engineering and sheer scientific method to determine
...more
Sep 14, 2015
Bob DeGray
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
world-war-2-first-person
First person narratives are one of the most intriguing and powerful ways of gaining insight into World War 2. This is especially true of books like The Wizard War where the author was only a remove or two from the center of the war effort.
Jones is an interesting combination of humility and egotism. He narrates his own analysis of German weapons and tactics, including Knickebein, the German radars, the V weapons, the German nuclear program and others. In each case he is quick to identify aspects ...more
Jones is an interesting combination of humility and egotism. He narrates his own analysis of German weapons and tactics, including Knickebein, the German radars, the V weapons, the German nuclear program and others. In each case he is quick to identify aspects ...more
This book was a pleasure. I first saw "The Wizard War" on the shelf of books my dad liberated from Uncle Dennis's book collection; I was fascinated with crypto when I was a kid, and the chance to read about the Enigma era again was exciting.
"The Wizard War" is R.V. Jones's memoir, and the story of British scientific intelligence in World War II. You can tell reading this book that it must chafe to be an intelligence officer who's done SO much to defend your country and not be able to tell anyone ...more
"The Wizard War" is R.V. Jones's memoir, and the story of British scientific intelligence in World War II. You can tell reading this book that it must chafe to be an intelligence officer who's done SO much to defend your country and not be able to tell anyone ...more
In simple terms, this book is probably a must read for anyone interested in electronic warfare, bombing campaigns of World War II or Hitler's V-weapons. The author, as a former leader of British Airforce's technical intelligence section, provides in this book a unique insight into many of Britains crucial intelligence- and counter-intelligence operations. If seen as a source of information about electronic warfare in the air during World War II, this book is quite probably the only one of its
...more
Fascinating story of RV Jones' work in air intelligence during World War 2, covering the 'battle of the beams', the V1 and V2, and much else. Some of it is a little technical, but with my arts background I still managed to follow it all. It really is a great yarn, but one centred on ingenuity and intellectual problem solving rather than courage and derring-do.
I knew a little about Jones and his achievements already, having seen clips of him talking in the 1970s. Interestingly, I like him a lot l ...more
I knew a little about Jones and his achievements already, having seen clips of him talking in the 1970s. Interestingly, I like him a lot l ...more
Dr Michael S Goodman has chosen to discuss Most Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence, 1939-45 by R V Jones on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject - Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering, saying that:
"...The First World War was the chemists’ war and WWII was the physicists’ war. Jones was a scientist in Oxford doing his PhD and was interested in looking at infra red, which became very important for night bombing missions. This book is his memoir and is about the role played by s ...more
"...The First World War was the chemists’ war and WWII was the physicists’ war. Jones was a scientist in Oxford doing his PhD and was interested in looking at infra red, which became very important for night bombing missions. This book is his memoir and is about the role played by s ...more
Oct 01, 2015
Stephanie Hatch
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
people-of-letters-who-won-the-war
This is a super interesting book but probably not best for "popular audiences." As a memoir it is incredibly revealing both for WWII happenings but also provides beautiful insight and can be used as a testimonial to later Cold War times and peoples' preoccupations and worries with what was going on in the United Kingdom during that time period. One of this books biggest failings is that it was written for an audience that was immediately impacted by WWII and therefore didn't much detail the
...more
This is a hell of a book. It was given to me by a friend of my parents who is a bit of a math/science genius, in the original hardback version. It was the only book he ever recommended me. I started in having no idea what it was about or why someone would recommend this to me, and I was blown away by the author and his stories.
Just for a note, its EXTREMELY dry and was a bit hard for me to read at times. The only reason it gets a 4 is because of the hard time I had reading it. I am not the most ...more
Just for a note, its EXTREMELY dry and was a bit hard for me to read at times. The only reason it gets a 4 is because of the hard time I had reading it. I am not the most ...more
This is a true, first-person, account of an Oxford physicist who worked for British intelligence in WWII. The first half of the book deals with his figuring out and defeating German radio navigation systems. Doing so, the author asserts, limited the damage from German bombers over England. The story is interesting of itself, and the book gives the reader a good insight into the rabid anti-German psychology ambient in prewar England.
I gave up about half way through, though.
The author spent a page ...more
I gave up about half way through, though.
The author spent a page ...more
this is a very interesting and entertaining book. At a very young age the author RV Jones, found himself at the centre of the British scientific & intelligence communities' efforts to help the British war effort in the darkest days of World War 2. As he played a part in some of the most important events of the war, at a very high level of government, this is a very readable account of the history & personalities involved (warning; if you're not a big fan of Churchill, avoid this book,
...more
This is a fascinating book from the point of view of someone with an interest in radio and cryptography. There's not much here about the actual decoding of Enigma messages - there are other books for that - but one of the things you see here is what Enigma actually did to help win the war. The hints it gave about the bomber guidance beams, the German radars, and the V-1 and V-2 programs, clearly helped Jones and his organization figure out how they worked and how to counter them. He talks both
...more
An incredibly interesting account of Scientific Intelligence work during World War II. I was lucky enough to be taught by Professor Jones during my first year at Aberdeen University. Unfortunately, I didn't know of his background at the time which I am sure would have made the lectures far more interesting. This book describes in depth the work (and educated guesswork!) undertaken during the War to try and second guess Germany's use of radar, development of weapons, tactics, etc, and the methods
...more
Most excellent memoir of World War 2 I've yet to read (Churchill's doesn't count - that was a case of too long, couldn't finish). Jones was one of the really great scientists who went to serve in intelligence for the war, and his fingerprints are all over the Battle of Britain, the British responses to the V-2 program, etc. This is a great and inspirational memoir of how a scientist can be particularly useful to a country in wartime, something which I can admire a great deal.
A surprisingly gossipy but still largely fascinating account of how 'scientific intelligence' was developed. Dr Jones wrote the book on it (literally - he is credited with developing the play book for using and counteracting technological advances in warfare)
At its most fascinating discussing radar, code breaking and the V weapons. Also a fascinating insight into wartime bureaucracy.
N.B. Dr Jones is very much in awe of Mr Churchill. Occasionally colours his recollections.
Despite its plethora of technical detail, the language is clear and precise, the narrative personal, compelling and readable: a succession of fascinating revelations about the conflicts, the personalities, the successes and failures, the innovations and breakthroughs taking place behind-the-scenes at the British War Office during the Second World War.
This is a wonderful book. It's the memoirs of R. V. Jones, who led British Technical Intelligence during WWII. The war material is quite interesting, but I loved the first few chapters, and the portrait of graduate student life at Oxford in the 1930s. The book is informative, well written, and witty. I highly recommend it.
Very interesting book on the secret service of the British in WWII. My main problem was that the author seemed to have won the war single handed, and perhaps raised himself to a position of importance far higher than should be. Apart from that I would recommend this book.
This is difficult because of all the technical terminology, but it is truly amazing to read how R.V. Jones, a young genius, literally saved the British from being crushed by the Nazi war machine. He explains very modestly his part in outwitting the Nazis, but he is absolutely the hero!
Mar 11, 2016
Ryan
added it
Reminds me of Feynman memoirs. Lots of good tidbits about navigating administrative bureaucracy, managing people, arguing in person and in writing, causation, and analysis of possibilities under incomplete information.
Aug 09, 2011
Stephen Coleman
added it
A fascinating read. To know all the science behind the events is really interesting.
It is easy for us all to forget what personal sacrifices were made for our freedom. This is certainly a book that will be passed on to friends and family.
It is easy for us all to forget what personal sacrifices were made for our freedom. This is certainly a book that will be passed on to friends and family.
Apr 12, 2013
Russ
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
history
A fascinating first-hand account of British Scientific Intelligence during WWII written by Dr.R.V.Jones. Highly recommended.
About the development of radar in WW II. It was weird because the scientist on both sides of the war knew each other. Interesting.
Superb, fascinating account of electronic warfare in WW2, told from the viewpoint of someone at the centre of British scientific intelligence.
Sep 22, 2008
Roy
added it
Fascinating first hand account of the little known efforts of a scientist working for british intelligence in WWII
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
