The Secret History Of RDX - The Super-Explosive That Helped Win World War II

Baxter Colin F. The Secret History Of RDX - The Super-Explosive That Helped Win World War II 2018 [pdf 215sc 204c. 9.52mb]During the early years of World War II, American ships crossing the Atlantic with oil and supplies were virtually defenseless against German U-boats. Bombs and torpedoes fitted with TNT barely made a dent in the tough steel plating that covered the hulls of Axis submarines and ships. Then, seemingly overnight, a top-secret, $100 million plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, manufacturing a sugar-white substance called Research Department Explosive (code name RDX). Behind thirty-eight miles of fencing, thousands of men and women synthesized 23,000 tons of RDX each month. Twice as deadly as TNT and overshadowed only by the atomic bomb, this ordnance proved to be pivotal in the Battle of the Atlantic and directly contributed to the Allied victory in WWII. In The Secret History of RDX, Colin F. Baxter documents the journey of the super-explosive from conceptualization at Woolwich Arsenal in England to mass production at Holston Ordnance Works in east Tennessee. He examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents and explores the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, in the naval war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. Drawing on archival records and interviews with individuals who worked at the Kingsport 'powder plant' from 1942 to 1945, Baxter illuminates both the explosive's military significance and its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Much more than a technical account, this study assesses the social and economic impact of the military-industrial complex on small communities on the home front. During the early years of World War II, American ships crossing the Atlantic with oil and supplies were virtually defenseless against German U-boats. Bombs and torpedoes fitted with TNT barely made a dent in the tough steel plating that covered the hulls of Axis submarines and ships. Then, seemingly overnight, a top-secret, $100 million plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, manufacturing a sugar-white substance called Research Department Explosive (code name RDX). Behind thirty-eight miles of fencing, thousands of men and women synthesized 23,000 tons of RDX each month. Twice as deadly as TNT and overshadowed only by the atomic bomb, this ordnance proved to be pivotal in the Battle of the Atlantic and directly contributed to the Allied victory in WWII. 0In 'The Secret History of RDX', Colin F. Baxter documents the journey of the super-explosive from conceptualization at Woolwich Arsenal in England to mass production at Holston Ordnance Works in east Tennessee. He examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents and explores the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, in the naval war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. 0Drawing on archival records and interviews with individuals who worked at the Kingsport "powder plant" from 1942 to 1945, Baxter illuminates both the explosive's military significance and its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Much more than a technical account, this study assesses the social and economic impact of the military-industrial complex on small communities on the home front The noted historian offers “a compelling sociohistorical account of an often overlooked yet critical” WWII explosive twice as powerful as TNT ( Choice ). During the early years of World War II, American ships crossing the Atlantic were virtually defenseless against German U-boats. Bombs and torpedoes fitted with TNT barely dented the hulls of Axis naval vessels. Then, seemingly overnight, a top-secret manufacturing plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, producing a sugar-white substance called Research Department Explosive, code name RDX. Twice as deadly as TNT and overshadowed only by the atomic bomb, RDX proved to be pivotal in the Battle of the Atlantic and directly contributed to the Allied victory in WWII. In The Secret History of RDX, Colin F. Baxter documents the journey of the super-explosive from conceptualization at Woolwich Arsenal in England to mass production at Holston Ordnance Works in east Tennessee. Baxter examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents and explores the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, in the naval war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. Drawing on archival records and interviews with individuals who worked at the Kingsport “powder plant,” Baxter illuminates both the explosive’s military significance and its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Much more than a technical account, this study assesses the social and economic impact of the military-industrial complex on small communities on the home front. During the early years of World War II, American ships crossing the Atlantic with oil and supplies were virtually defenseless against German U-boats. Bombs and torpedoes fitted with TNT barely made a dent in the tough steel plating that covered the hulls of Axis submarines and ships. Then, seemingly overnight, a top-secret, $100 million plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, night, a top-secret, $100 million plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, manufacturing a sugar-whit substance called Research Department Explosive (code name RDX). Behind thirty-eight miles of fencing, thousands of men and women synthesized nearly 20,000 tons of RDX each month. Twice as deadly as TNT and overshadowed only by the atomic bomb, this ordnance proved to be pivotal in the Battle of the Atlantic and directly contributed to the Allied victory in the Second World War. In The Secret History of RDX, Colin F. Boxter documents the journey of the super-explosive from conceptualization at Woolwich Arsenal in England to mass production at Holston Ordance Works in east Tennessee. He examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents and explores the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, in the navel war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. Drawing on archival records and interviews with individuals who worked at the Kingsport "powder plant" from 1942 to 1945, he illuminates both the explosive's military significance and its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Book jacket During the 1930s, British scientists perfected a sugar-white explosive called RDX. Twice as deadly as TNT, RDX was also ten times more expensive. In __The Secret History of RDX,__ historian Colin F. Baxter tells the story of the people who developed, produced, and used RDX in the top-secret, $100 million factory near Kingsport, Tennessee, called the Holston Ordinance Works. Drawing from archival records and numerous interviews with individuals who worked at the “powder plant” from 1942 to 1945, he explores not only the explosive’s military significance but also its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Behind thirty-eight miles of fences, thousands of local men and women synthesized twenty-three thousand tons of RDX each month, enough to supply the entire Allied army, air force, and navy. RDX was added to torpedo warheads, airborne antisubmarine depth charges, and a mounted antisubmarine weapon called the Hedgehog. For the first time, the Allies had a weapon that could challenge German U-boats in the Atlantic, and RDX became the workhorse explosive for the Allies throughout the war. Baxter details the work of Canadian, British, and American scientists as well as the Eastman Company executives who raced to produce the explosive effectively and quickly. He examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents in the Army Ordnance Department, as well as the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, naval war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. Front cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 1 Lord Beaverbrook, RDX, and the Ministry of Supply......Page 20 2 The Vexed Question of RDX Supply......Page 24 3 Torpex and the Air War......Page 36 4 RDX and the Army Ordnance Department......Page 44 5 RDX and the Army Air Forces......Page 54 6 The Battle for RDX Production......Page 64 7 Canada and RDX......Page 74 8 The Wexler Bend Pilot Plant......Page 86 9 The Great Holston Ordnance Works......Page 98 10 Torpex and the Battle of the Atlantic......Page 124 11 1945 and the Atomic Bomb......Page 146 12 The Aftermath......Page 150 Epilogue......Page 154 Acknowledgments......Page 158 Notes......Page 162 Bibliography......Page 198 Index......Page 208