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Wizards of Oz: How Oliphant and Florey helped win the war and shaped the modern world
Two Australian scientists played a vital yet largely unknown role in the Allied victory in the Second World War. Almost eight decades later, Wizards of Oz finally tells their story. In this fast-paced and compelling book, Brett Mason reveals how two childhood friends from Adelaide—physicist Mark Oliphant and medical researcher Howard Florey—initiated the three most significant scientific and industrial projects of the Second World War. Manufacturing penicillin, developing microwave radar, and building the atomic bomb gave the Allies the edge and ultimate victory over Germany and Japan. More than just a story of scientific discovery, Wizards of Oz tells a remarkable tale of secret missions, international intrigue, and triumph against all odds. Mason tells how Oliphant and Florey were also instrumental in convincing a reluctant United States to develop and deploy these three breakthrough inventions in time to change the course of the war. The two Australians not only helped win the war but shaped the peace, with their war-time contributions continuing to influence international politics and the health and wealth of nations.
424 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 29, 2023
I thought this book was remarkable. From the very start I was intrigued by Florey and Oliphant's drive and dedication. The book toggles from Florey to Oliphant, both living in Adelaide and later in Britain, and the pace never stops. Oliphant and Florey were involved in the most significant scientific and industrial projects of the Second World War: manufacturing penicillin, developing microwave radar and building the atomic bomb. The obstacles they needed to overcome were unbelievable, yet they pushed on.
The book includes photos, sources and a bibliography. Highly recommended. You will be thinking about this book for ages.
The book includes photos, sources and a bibliography. Highly recommended. You will be thinking about this book for ages.
October 19, 2022
I read a short review of this book in the weekend papers and was really looking forward to reading about these two great Australians. I was fascinated by the fact that these two scientists were not only from Adelaide but both, in their individual fields, made profound contributions to world history. But alas, I just could not get past chapter 1.
The problem with this book is that it written in what appears to be the "cinematic" style where the narrative presents the characters in a cinematic setting - and you are left wondering how much is contrived. It is a distraction, unnecessary and annoying. This style can sometimes be appropriate but in this case it just does not work.
Eventually I could not bear it anymore and turned to Leonard Bickel's book on Florey.
The problem with this book is that it written in what appears to be the "cinematic" style where the narrative presents the characters in a cinematic setting - and you are left wondering how much is contrived. It is a distraction, unnecessary and annoying. This style can sometimes be appropriate but in this case it just does not work.
Eventually I could not bear it anymore and turned to Leonard Bickel's book on Florey.
October 2, 2023
This was pretty great. I found it really fascinating to learn about two Australian scientists who are mostly unknown to the general public yet who played a major role during WW2. I quite enjoyed learning more about this war and also how competitive the scientific field actually is.
December 5, 2022
Excellent history of two great Australians told succinctly. I certainly learnt a lot
December 18, 2025
**A Scientist’s Reflection on the Australian "Gifts" that Saved the West
As I wrap up 2025, a year where the world often feels like it is fraying at the edges, I stumbled upon a book that provided the perfect antidote to my cynicism. Brett Mason’s Wizards of Oz is, quite simply, "unputdownable." It captures the electric, desperate excitement of scientific discovery occurring in the shadow of a raging war. But more than a history of WWII, it is a story of how we are shaped—and often misled—by the textbooks we read.
The "Fleming Myth" and the Scientist’s Course Correction
As a scientist working daily on infectious disease diagnostics, sepsis, and the terrifying rise of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), I thought I knew the history of my own tools. I had always accepted the standard hagiography: Alexander Fleming discovers the clearance of *S. aureus* in a messy Petri dish, and modern medicine is born.
Mason’s book was a startling "course correction." I learned, to my own professional shame, that Fleming had essentially given up on the mold, moving on to sulfa drugs. The transformation of a laboratory curiosity into a life-saving drug was not Fleming’s work—it was the result of the gargantuan efforts of the Australian Howard Florey and his team at Oxford.
Operating on shoestring budgets in the midst of a blitzed Britain, Florey’s team proved the drug worked, but found no one believed it could be manufactured at scale. It took Florey’s relentless advocacy and a "perfect storm" of geopolitical necessity to force U.S. pharma companies to mass-produce it. To think of the lives saved—exceeding the death toll of all 20th-century wars combined—we must do more than just know Howard Florey; we must celebrate him as the true architect of modern medicine.
The Radar and the Radical: Mark Oliphant
The book pairs Florey with his younger compatriot, the physics genius Mark Oliphant. Like Florey, Oliphant brought a specific "colonial grit" to the stuffy halls of Cambridge. His team contributed two tectonic shifts to the global order:
1. Microwave Radar: A small-footprint device that gave the Allies a unique advantage. By pinpointing German Luftwaffes and U-boats with precision, this single device neutralized German technical superiority and arguably turned the tide of the war in the air and at sea.
2. The Atomic Pivot: While many (including the Germans) believed a Uranium bomb was a theoretical impossibility, Oliphant’s team proved that U235 could be extracted in sufficient quantities.
The Shift of the Scientific Center of Gravity
As someone working in science today, I am used to the U.S. being the undisputed sun around which research orbits. Mason reminds us that in 1940, the heart of discovery was in Europe—Copenhagen, Oxford, Cambridge. America didn't have the capability; they had the will and the means.
The three most consequential inventions of the century—Penicillin, Radar, and Fission—were essentially gifts from two Australians via Britain to the United States. America provided the "ownership mindset" and the industrial scale to transform these prototypes into the technologies that defined the "American Century."
A Call to Action: Protecting the Miracle
Mason includes a quote that resonates deeply with any researcher: "WWII was the first war in human history to be won by weapons and technology unknown at the start of the war!"
However, as a specialist in infectious disease, this history carries a heavy warning. Howard Florey didn't just give us a drug; he gave us a lifeline. Today, that lifeline is fraying. The overuse of antibiotics and the resulting rise of AMR threaten to push us back into a "pre-Florey" era where simple infections once again become death sentences.
We owe it to Florey’s legacy not just to celebrate his discovery, but to protect it. We must invest in diagnostics, stewardship, and new discovery with the same "war-effort" urgency that Oliphant and Florey showed eighty years ago.
Final Thoughts: Optimism for 2026
As I look toward the coming year, Wizards of Oz gives me hope. It reminds me that when the world seems to be falling apart, it is often the quiet, relentless endeavor of scientists—often those we haven't yet learned about in our textbooks—who will lift us all up again.
As I wrap up 2025, a year where the world often feels like it is fraying at the edges, I stumbled upon a book that provided the perfect antidote to my cynicism. Brett Mason’s Wizards of Oz is, quite simply, "unputdownable." It captures the electric, desperate excitement of scientific discovery occurring in the shadow of a raging war. But more than a history of WWII, it is a story of how we are shaped—and often misled—by the textbooks we read.
The "Fleming Myth" and the Scientist’s Course Correction
As a scientist working daily on infectious disease diagnostics, sepsis, and the terrifying rise of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), I thought I knew the history of my own tools. I had always accepted the standard hagiography: Alexander Fleming discovers the clearance of *S. aureus* in a messy Petri dish, and modern medicine is born.
Mason’s book was a startling "course correction." I learned, to my own professional shame, that Fleming had essentially given up on the mold, moving on to sulfa drugs. The transformation of a laboratory curiosity into a life-saving drug was not Fleming’s work—it was the result of the gargantuan efforts of the Australian Howard Florey and his team at Oxford.
Operating on shoestring budgets in the midst of a blitzed Britain, Florey’s team proved the drug worked, but found no one believed it could be manufactured at scale. It took Florey’s relentless advocacy and a "perfect storm" of geopolitical necessity to force U.S. pharma companies to mass-produce it. To think of the lives saved—exceeding the death toll of all 20th-century wars combined—we must do more than just know Howard Florey; we must celebrate him as the true architect of modern medicine.
The Radar and the Radical: Mark Oliphant
The book pairs Florey with his younger compatriot, the physics genius Mark Oliphant. Like Florey, Oliphant brought a specific "colonial grit" to the stuffy halls of Cambridge. His team contributed two tectonic shifts to the global order:
1. Microwave Radar: A small-footprint device that gave the Allies a unique advantage. By pinpointing German Luftwaffes and U-boats with precision, this single device neutralized German technical superiority and arguably turned the tide of the war in the air and at sea.
2. The Atomic Pivot: While many (including the Germans) believed a Uranium bomb was a theoretical impossibility, Oliphant’s team proved that U235 could be extracted in sufficient quantities.
The Shift of the Scientific Center of Gravity
As someone working in science today, I am used to the U.S. being the undisputed sun around which research orbits. Mason reminds us that in 1940, the heart of discovery was in Europe—Copenhagen, Oxford, Cambridge. America didn't have the capability; they had the will and the means.
The three most consequential inventions of the century—Penicillin, Radar, and Fission—were essentially gifts from two Australians via Britain to the United States. America provided the "ownership mindset" and the industrial scale to transform these prototypes into the technologies that defined the "American Century."
A Call to Action: Protecting the Miracle
Mason includes a quote that resonates deeply with any researcher: "WWII was the first war in human history to be won by weapons and technology unknown at the start of the war!"
However, as a specialist in infectious disease, this history carries a heavy warning. Howard Florey didn't just give us a drug; he gave us a lifeline. Today, that lifeline is fraying. The overuse of antibiotics and the resulting rise of AMR threaten to push us back into a "pre-Florey" era where simple infections once again become death sentences.
We owe it to Florey’s legacy not just to celebrate his discovery, but to protect it. We must invest in diagnostics, stewardship, and new discovery with the same "war-effort" urgency that Oliphant and Florey showed eighty years ago.
Final Thoughts: Optimism for 2026
As I look toward the coming year, Wizards of Oz gives me hope. It reminds me that when the world seems to be falling apart, it is often the quiet, relentless endeavor of scientists—often those we haven't yet learned about in our textbooks—who will lift us all up again.
July 26, 2024
World war two intrigue and deceptions, political machinations and science come together in Wizards of Oz!
Mark Oliphant and Howard Florey both grew up in Adelaide, attended university there, and each took scholarships that would take them to the heart of the academic world in Britain in the 1920's. Each man was a brilliant researcher at a time when incredible discoveries where being made in their respective fields. Oliphant pushed the boundaries of physics at a time when our modern ideas were beginning to emerge. Florey came to medical research to take part in the explosion of knowledge that would bring us numerous vaccines and antibiotics. Both men stood out for their knowledge but also for their ability to organise people and secure funding for the research they believed to be vital - skills that would change the course of the war and the world as we know it.
As Britain realised it would be standing alone against the onslaught of the German blitzkrieg the government took control of every aspect of civilian life and that included the work of its scientists. Every part of the nation was geared toward winning the war and personal projects were put aside for any potential weapon or defensive measure that could be created. For Mark Oliphant running his own department at a British university this mean putting his team onto the vital task of creating a radar system, initially for the country and then to miniaturise it so it could be fitted into fighter planes. Essentially to do the impossible as no-one considered it feasible to create the power needed at the size requested. Along the way Oliphant realised the dangers that the potential of nuclear weapons represented and began to push the British and American governments to be the first to create one - a task eventually picked up by the Manhattan project.
Florey had an equally impossible task. To isolate and produce at quantity the antibiotic first identified by Alexander Fleming: Penicillin. Fleming had realised its qualities but halted research when he realised how temperamental and expensive commercial quantities would be to produce. Florey and his team set to work. If they could work out how to extract, purify and produce penicillin on a commercial scale the lives of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who usually died from infections in a war would be saved.
For each of the men this would mean years of dedicated work that would take them across the Atlantic to the manufacturing behemoth of the United States and back. Today the names Fleming and Oppenheimer are most associated with these discoveries but without these two Australians these discoveries might never have occurred, and without radar the war would have been lost.
My issues with this book are not about the subject matter but about the structure and stylistic choices made by the author. The narrative is chronologically linear but swaps back and forth, sometimes multiple times, between Florey and Oliphant which for the first third of the book cause no little bit of confusion.
Mark Oliphant and Howard Florey both grew up in Adelaide, attended university there, and each took scholarships that would take them to the heart of the academic world in Britain in the 1920's. Each man was a brilliant researcher at a time when incredible discoveries where being made in their respective fields. Oliphant pushed the boundaries of physics at a time when our modern ideas were beginning to emerge. Florey came to medical research to take part in the explosion of knowledge that would bring us numerous vaccines and antibiotics. Both men stood out for their knowledge but also for their ability to organise people and secure funding for the research they believed to be vital - skills that would change the course of the war and the world as we know it.
As Britain realised it would be standing alone against the onslaught of the German blitzkrieg the government took control of every aspect of civilian life and that included the work of its scientists. Every part of the nation was geared toward winning the war and personal projects were put aside for any potential weapon or defensive measure that could be created. For Mark Oliphant running his own department at a British university this mean putting his team onto the vital task of creating a radar system, initially for the country and then to miniaturise it so it could be fitted into fighter planes. Essentially to do the impossible as no-one considered it feasible to create the power needed at the size requested. Along the way Oliphant realised the dangers that the potential of nuclear weapons represented and began to push the British and American governments to be the first to create one - a task eventually picked up by the Manhattan project.
Florey had an equally impossible task. To isolate and produce at quantity the antibiotic first identified by Alexander Fleming: Penicillin. Fleming had realised its qualities but halted research when he realised how temperamental and expensive commercial quantities would be to produce. Florey and his team set to work. If they could work out how to extract, purify and produce penicillin on a commercial scale the lives of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who usually died from infections in a war would be saved.
For each of the men this would mean years of dedicated work that would take them across the Atlantic to the manufacturing behemoth of the United States and back. Today the names Fleming and Oppenheimer are most associated with these discoveries but without these two Australians these discoveries might never have occurred, and without radar the war would have been lost.
My issues with this book are not about the subject matter but about the structure and stylistic choices made by the author. The narrative is chronologically linear but swaps back and forth, sometimes multiple times, between Florey and Oliphant which for the first third of the book cause no little bit of confusion.
March 20, 2024
An in depth account of the amazing achievements of 2 Australian scientists. The story is told in parallel, alternating between Florey and his medical research, and Oliphant's physics accomplishments. The author was able to place the steps of their progress in relative time. I did find this a little confusing at times, as there were so many references to Universities, laboratories and the many scientists in their teams, and I could not remember who was where.
After their successes overseas, these two men returned to Australia and founded the Australian National University. Their drive and dedication is inspirational.
Two Australian scientists played a vital yet largely unknown role in the Allied victory in the Second World War. Almost eight decades later, Wizards of Oz finally tells their story. In this fast-paced and compelling book, Brett Mason reveals how two childhood friends from Adelaide—physicist Mark Oliphant and medical researcher Howard Florey—initiated the three most significant scientific and industrial projects of the Second World War. Manufacturing penicillin, developing microwave radar, and building the atomic bomb gave the Allies the edge and ultimate victory over Germany and Japan. More than just a story of scientific discovery, Wizards of Oz tells a remarkable tale of secret missions, international intrigue, and triumph against all odds. Mason tells how Oliphant and Florey were also instrumental in convincing a reluctant United States to develop and deploy these three breakthrough inventions in time to change the course of the war. The two Australians not only helped win the war but shaped the peace, with their war-time contributions continuing to influence international politics and the health and wealth of nations.
After their successes overseas, these two men returned to Australia and founded the Australian National University. Their drive and dedication is inspirational.
Two Australian scientists played a vital yet largely unknown role in the Allied victory in the Second World War. Almost eight decades later, Wizards of Oz finally tells their story. In this fast-paced and compelling book, Brett Mason reveals how two childhood friends from Adelaide—physicist Mark Oliphant and medical researcher Howard Florey—initiated the three most significant scientific and industrial projects of the Second World War. Manufacturing penicillin, developing microwave radar, and building the atomic bomb gave the Allies the edge and ultimate victory over Germany and Japan. More than just a story of scientific discovery, Wizards of Oz tells a remarkable tale of secret missions, international intrigue, and triumph against all odds. Mason tells how Oliphant and Florey were also instrumental in convincing a reluctant United States to develop and deploy these three breakthrough inventions in time to change the course of the war. The two Australians not only helped win the war but shaped the peace, with their war-time contributions continuing to influence international politics and the health and wealth of nations.
December 31, 2023
This was a great read about Mark Oliphant and Howard Florey; a real eye-opener about their role in developing new technologies during WW2.
There were a few points, though, that stood out for me, and I'd be grateful if anyone can provide some clarification:
Two errors and I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, or if it's just in the e-book version that I read:
- in Chapter 2, the book refers to the film "The Chariots of Fire", stating "Only five years before Florey's arrival, the fictional Ben Cross became the first person ever to complete ...". Ben Cross was the actor who played the real-life athlete Harold Abrahams.
- In Chapter 6, titled "26 May 1940", it states "King George V and Queen Mary were indeed praying". King George V died in 1936. In 1940, his son King George VI was the monarch. King George VI's wife was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
- Also, the Sources are numbered, but I can't see what the numbers refer to. It looks like it could be page number, but it doesn't match the e-book.
Some of the details around the nuclear reactions seemed incorrect to me -
Chapter 2 - "two hydrogen atoms are 'fused' to form a heavier atom - dubbed 'heavy water' ". The fusion of 2 hydrogen atoms forms helium.
Chapter 3 - bombarding nitrogen atoms "causing them to shed particles and become oxygen atoms". Oxygen has more protons and neutrons than nitrogen, so nitrogen cannot shed particles and become oxygen?
Happy to get any feedback, please!
There were a few points, though, that stood out for me, and I'd be grateful if anyone can provide some clarification:
Two errors and I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, or if it's just in the e-book version that I read:
- in Chapter 2, the book refers to the film "The Chariots of Fire", stating "Only five years before Florey's arrival, the fictional Ben Cross became the first person ever to complete ...". Ben Cross was the actor who played the real-life athlete Harold Abrahams.
- In Chapter 6, titled "26 May 1940", it states "King George V and Queen Mary were indeed praying". King George V died in 1936. In 1940, his son King George VI was the monarch. King George VI's wife was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
- Also, the Sources are numbered, but I can't see what the numbers refer to. It looks like it could be page number, but it doesn't match the e-book.
Some of the details around the nuclear reactions seemed incorrect to me -
Chapter 2 - "two hydrogen atoms are 'fused' to form a heavier atom - dubbed 'heavy water' ". The fusion of 2 hydrogen atoms forms helium.
Chapter 3 - bombarding nitrogen atoms "causing them to shed particles and become oxygen atoms". Oxygen has more protons and neutrons than nitrogen, so nitrogen cannot shed particles and become oxygen?
Happy to get any feedback, please!
February 20, 2024
This book details the work of Adelaide scientists Oliphant and Florey on microwave radar, the atomic bomb and penicillin, and the massive impact that these discoveries had during WW2.
This book moves between the progress of the war and the scientific progress in these areas. After giving a concise history of the work that preceded Florey and Oliphant and the impact that these three key areas could have, this approach built tension, and made this a surprisingly compelling read. Mason does a great job of explaining the science in a fascinating and accessible way, ensuring that it does not become a barrier to enjoyment of the narrative.
This was goooood. I picked it up after reading a negative review that for a non-fiction it was too cinematic, and while this is probably a valid criticism depending on your preferences, I knew immediately that I would enjoy it.
This book moves between the progress of the war and the scientific progress in these areas. After giving a concise history of the work that preceded Florey and Oliphant and the impact that these three key areas could have, this approach built tension, and made this a surprisingly compelling read. Mason does a great job of explaining the science in a fascinating and accessible way, ensuring that it does not become a barrier to enjoyment of the narrative.
This was goooood. I picked it up after reading a negative review that for a non-fiction it was too cinematic, and while this is probably a valid criticism depending on your preferences, I knew immediately that I would enjoy it.
January 13, 2026
Fairly interesting read. It was a little too scientific and political in parts but I did learn things about penicillin and the development of nuclear energy that I didn't know.
Well done these two Australians for making a huge impact on the planet both good and bad but never the less, life changing.
It's a shame Mark Oliphant wasn't portrayed in the 2023 Oppenheimer film when he was a key figure in the development of the technology. Why is the truth snubbed for glory and glamour?
It's also a shame that Howard Florey was overshadowed in his development of penicillin.
Glad I've ticked it off my book bucket list.
Well done these two Australians for making a huge impact on the planet both good and bad but never the less, life changing.
It's a shame Mark Oliphant wasn't portrayed in the 2023 Oppenheimer film when he was a key figure in the development of the technology. Why is the truth snubbed for glory and glamour?
It's also a shame that Howard Florey was overshadowed in his development of penicillin.
Glad I've ticked it off my book bucket list.
July 1, 2024
Not the kind of book is normally read. I found the story telling nature of the book delightful. The two men are very interesting in their own right but hearing their story in parallel was even more interesting. 100% recommend
July 30, 2024
dnf @ 50%
September 1, 2024
A really interesting read.
October 13, 2024
Excellent book. I never would have thought of buying it so a wonderful gift! Amazing history well written.
April 28, 2025
Informative and interesting but unbelievably repetitive. Same info, same comments, same dates, chucked at me again and again.
November 6, 2022
If you only buy one book to read over Christmas, this should be the one. This is a story about two Aussie heroes who played significant roles in developing new inventions that helped win the war for the allies and are still making a huge impact on the world today. Florey and Oliphant were two brilliant Adelaide schoolboys who took English academia by storm in the 20's and 30's and used their unique abilities to develop antibiotics, radar and atomic energy, which of course includes the two bombs which ended World War 2. I suspect that they are largely unknown to the current generation, except they should be recognised for the value of the inventions that they developed. Imagine a world without antibiotics to control infection or today's radar guided air travel. This would have been the situation without these two brilliant acedemics. You can probably gather from my enthusiastic review that I consider this to be one of the best books I have read this year and if you take my advice, I believe that you will think the same.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews