Operation Alsos
Encyclopedia
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II
by the Allies
(principally Britain and the United States), branched off from the Manhattan Project
, to investigate the German nuclear energy project
, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and to discern how far the Germans had gone towards creating an atomic bomb. The personnel of the project followed close behind the front lines, first into Italy, and then into France and Germany, searching for personnel, records, material, and sites involved.
Alsos is sometimes mistakenly written ALSOS by sources including the U.S. Army, perhaps because it does not look like a usual English word and is thus falsely assumed to be an acronym. In fact, Alsos is the Hellenic
name for "grove", and so this designation is a play on the name of Major General Leslie M. Groves, the military director of the Manhattan Engineering District (the Manhattan Project
), the Allied wartime effort to develop an atomic bomb (which itself was sparked out of fears of a German weapon). Groves was the major impetus behind Operation Alsos because of his desire to make sure that German technology and personnel did not fall into Soviet hands, and to prolong for as long as possible the anticipated American monopoly on nuclear weapons.
Samuel Goudsmit
was the technical/scientific leader of Alsos, and Lt. Col. Boris Pash
, a former Manhattan Project security officer, was its military leader. Major League baseball player, attorney, and linguist Moe Berg
contributed in various phases.
The project managed to find and remove many of the German research effort's personnel and a substantial portion of the surviving records and equipment. Most of the senior research personnel (including Werner Heisenberg
, Otto Hahn
, and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
) were sequestered at Farm Hall in England for several months, as part of Operation Epsilon
. Their discussions were secretly recorded, and transcripts of those tapes have been released.
In the end, Operation Alsos concluded that the Allies had surpassed the entire German atomic bomb effort by 1942. Compared to the Manhattan Project
(one of the largest scientific and engineering projects in history), the German project was considerably underfunded and understaffed, and it is questionable whether Germany would have had the resources or concentrated research attention which the Allies used to produce such a weapon.
In a monograph published two years after the end of the war, Goudsmit concluded that a principal reason for the failure of the German project was that science could not flourish under totalitarianism
. Many think that this argument is adequately rebutted by German advances in other realms, such as one of the world's first operational jet fighters (Messerschmitt Me 262
) and the first ballistic missile (V-2
), as well as the Soviet Union
's development of a nuclear weapon
by 1949.
Goudsmit is said to have made the statement regarding totalitarianism under "instructions" to support and clear Heisenberg, who personified the new pro-western German scientific order. After Heisenberg's death, Goudsmit revised his statement, claiming that Heisenberg was always working to finish off what he has started, which contrasts with the impression the German project came to a halt through politics.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
(principally Britain and the United States), branched off from the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, to investigate the German nuclear energy project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and to discern how far the Germans had gone towards creating an atomic bomb. The personnel of the project followed close behind the front lines, first into Italy, and then into France and Germany, searching for personnel, records, material, and sites involved.
Alsos is sometimes mistakenly written ALSOS by sources including the U.S. Army, perhaps because it does not look like a usual English word and is thus falsely assumed to be an acronym. In fact, Alsos is the Hellenic
Hellenic
Hellenic is a synonym for Greek and may refer to:* Hellenic languages* Hellenic Airlines* Hellenic College, a liberal arts college in Brookline, Massachusetts* Hellenic College of London* Hellenic FC, a football club in South Africa...
name for "grove", and so this designation is a play on the name of Major General Leslie M. Groves, the military director of the Manhattan Engineering District (the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
), the Allied wartime effort to develop an atomic bomb (which itself was sparked out of fears of a German weapon). Groves was the major impetus behind Operation Alsos because of his desire to make sure that German technology and personnel did not fall into Soviet hands, and to prolong for as long as possible the anticipated American monopoly on nuclear weapons.
Samuel Goudsmit
Samuel Abraham Goudsmit
Samuel Abraham Goudsmit was a Dutch-American physicist famous for jointly proposing the concept of electron spin with George Eugene Uhlenbeck in 1925.-Biography:...
was the technical/scientific leader of Alsos, and Lt. Col. Boris Pash
Boris Pash
Boris T. Pash was a United States Army officer.-Biography:He was born in San Francisco, California, on June 20, 1900. His father was Rev. Theodore Pashkovsky , a Russian Orthodox priest who had been sent to California by the Church in 1894...
, a former Manhattan Project security officer, was its military leader. Major League baseball player, attorney, and linguist Moe Berg
Moe Berg
Morris "Moe" Berg was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II...
contributed in various phases.
The project managed to find and remove many of the German research effort's personnel and a substantial portion of the surviving records and equipment. Most of the senior research personnel (including Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
, Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
, and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German physicist and philosopher. He was the longest-living member of the research team which performed nuclear research in Germany during the Second World War, under Werner Heisenberg's leadership...
) were sequestered at Farm Hall in England for several months, as part of Operation Epsilon
Operation Epsilon
Operation Epsilon was the codename of a program in which Allied forces near the end of World War II detained ten German scientists who were thought to have worked on Nazi Germany's nuclear program. The scientists were captured between May 1 and June 30, 1945, and interned at Farm Hall, a bugged...
. Their discussions were secretly recorded, and transcripts of those tapes have been released.
In the end, Operation Alsos concluded that the Allies had surpassed the entire German atomic bomb effort by 1942. Compared to the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
(one of the largest scientific and engineering projects in history), the German project was considerably underfunded and understaffed, and it is questionable whether Germany would have had the resources or concentrated research attention which the Allies used to produce such a weapon.
In a monograph published two years after the end of the war, Goudsmit concluded that a principal reason for the failure of the German project was that science could not flourish under totalitarianism
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
. Many think that this argument is adequately rebutted by German advances in other realms, such as one of the world's first operational jet fighters (Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
) and the first ballistic missile (V-2
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
), as well as the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's development of a nuclear weapon
Soviet atomic bomb project
The Soviet project to develop an atomic bomb , was a clandestine research and development program began during and post-World War II, in the wake of the Soviet Union's discovery of the United States' nuclear project...
by 1949.
Goudsmit is said to have made the statement regarding totalitarianism under "instructions" to support and clear Heisenberg, who personified the new pro-western German scientific order. After Heisenberg's death, Goudsmit revised his statement, claiming that Heisenberg was always working to finish off what he has started, which contrasts with the impression the German project came to a halt through politics.
See also
- German nuclear energy projectGerman nuclear energy projectThe German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
- Operation Alsos included Operation BigOperation BigOperation Big was a task force which was part of the overarching Allied effort to capture German nuclear secrets during the final days of World War II....
and Operation HarborageOperation HarborageDuring the final days of World War II, Operation Harborage was part of the overall Allied operation to capture German atomic weapons scientists, material and facilities....
. - Similar (but separate) attempts to remove German technical information and personnel after the war were:
- Operation Paperclip (Overcast)Operation PaperclipOperation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
(rocketryRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
) - TICOMTICOMTICOM was a project formed in World War II by the United States to find and seize German intelligence assets, particularly cryptographic ones. The project was stimulated chiefly by the US military cryptography organizations, and had support from the highest levels.Several teams were sent into the...
(cryptographyCryptographyCryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
) - Operation SurgeonOperation SurgeonOperation Surgeon was a British post-Second World War programme to exploit German aeronautics and deny German technical skills to the Soviet Union.A list of 1,500 German scientists and technicians was drawn up...
(avionicsAvionicsAvionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
)
- Operation Paperclip (Overcast)
- Norwegian heavy water sabotageNorwegian heavy water sabotageThe Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
- Russian AlsosRussian AlsosThe Russian Alsos was an operation which took place in early 1945 in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and whose objectives were the exploitation of German atomic related facilities, intellectual materials, materiel resources, and scientific personnel for the benefit of the Soviet atomic bomb...
Further reading
- Jeremy Bernstein and David Cassidy, Hitler's Uranium Club: The Secret Recordings at Farm Hall, 2001.
- Charles Frank, ed. Operation Epsilon: the Farm Hall transcripts, 1993.
- Samuel Goudsmit, Alsos: the failure of German science, 1947.
- Hentschel, Klaus, editor and Ann M. Hentschel, editorial assistant and Translator Physics and National Socialism: An Anthology of Primary Sources (Birkhäuser, 1996)
- Mahoney, Leo J. A History of the War Department Scientific Intelligence Mission (ALSOS), 1943 – 1945. [Ph.D. Dissertation, Kent State UniversityKent State UniversityKent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, 1981] - Pash, Boris. The Alsos Mission. New York: Charter Books, 1969.
- Thomas Powers, Heisenberg's War: The Secret History of the German Bomb, 2000. Powers makes an inferential case that the German effort was, essentially, sabotaged by scientific foot-dragging, perhaps especially by Heisenberg.
- Paul Lawrence Rose, Heisenberg and the Nazi Atomic Bomb Project: A Study in German Culture (Berkeley: University of California PressUniversity of California PressUniversity of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
, 1998), ISBN 0-529-21977-8. - Mark Walker, German National Socialism and the quest for nuclear power, 1939 – 1949, 1990.