| Abstract: | Like many inventions, that of radar is difficult to ascribe to an individual. It was the consequence of much earlier work on the properties of electromagnetic radiation and of the availability of several key electronic devices. The question of priority is further complicated by the cloak of military secrecy under which radiolocation methods were investigated in many countries in the years immediately before the Second World War. The author of this review concludes that while radar is a clear case of simultaneous invention, Robert Watson-Watt's memorandum on ‘Detection and Location of Aircraft by Radio Methods’ — published just fifty years ago — was the most influential single publication in this field. British success in the Battle of Britain owed much to the development of a radar system that integrated technical progress with operational feasibility. |
