The deadly fuze: The secret weapon of World War II

by Ralph Belknap Baldwin

This book is a technical history of the fuze device used by the United State military during World War II, which enabled bombs to explode when targets such as planes were near, enhancing accuracy. Developed in secret, the device was used against the Japanese and German forces, both of which were not aware of the technology. This work includes a look at its technology, the secrecy surrounding the project.

Genres: History

332 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jon Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in college in the early 1980's. As an engineering student and history buff, I found the book fascinating. I had completely forgotten about it until I was reminded of it via another book I recently read. As I recall, this book was written by one of the persons who worked on developing the proximity fuze during WW2 and it is a fairly technical account of the work. What I recall most is the account of how the durability of the proximity fuze components was tested: by firing the dummy shells straight up into the air at a test range, while the test personnel took shelter under a lean-to with a sheet metal roof. It's a miracle none of them were killed by a shell plummeting back to earth.

[Brian Miracle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discusses the development, deployment, and use of the anti aircraft and land artillery proximity fuze during World War 2. The book was written by a physicist who worked on proximity fuze development during the war. While it’s not an exciting narrative history, it does provide interesting details on development of this new innovation in artillery. The proximity fuze was judged by leading Allied commanders as being one of the keys instrumental to Allied success in the war.