Homepage Introduction

Welcome to the JMG History website, which is predominantly, but not exclusively, dedicated to the history involving the inter-relationships between state, science and warfare. This has been a particular fascination for the author of this website for many years, which has led to extensive research into this intriguing aspect of contemporary modern history. This website provides glimpses into matters pertaining to the following investigations:

 

• How modern warfare was waged technologically – on land, sea, and in the air.
• How nation states sought to mobilise science and engineering to advance their chances of gaining initiative in modern wars.
• The desperate need to understand the scientific and technological capabilities of respective enemy nation states.
• How industrialisation inevitably led to Total War.
• How secret intelligence services emerged as central components to the waging of modern industrial warfare, and became highly technological in the process.
• The importance of innovation in warfare.

 

There are sections for each of the last three centuries. There are sub-sections to cover all of the major wars; one dedicated to science and technology (S&T) in each century; one discussing political matters pertaining to S&T under the label of ‘Technocracy’; and one covering brief biographies of some of the key players involved in the progression of state-motivated S&T developments as a consequence of war.

There is a separate section for Scientific Intelligence, which is the authors specialist subject. This also includes discussion on the lesser-known Technical Intelligence, and covers all aspects of scientific and technological intelligence-gathering and all varying methods of intelligence collection and collation – including Signals Intelligence, photographic reconnaissance and interpretation, interrogations of POWs and émigrés, and secret agent reports.