Catalogue description Ministry of Supply and War Office: Military Operational Research Unit, successors and related bodies: Reports and Papers

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Details of WO 291
Reference: WO 291
Title: Ministry of Supply and War Office: Military Operational Research Unit, successors and related bodies: Reports and Papers
Description:

Reports, memoranda and notes of the Air Defence Research and Development Establishment, the Army Operational Research Group and its predecessor the Military Operational Research Unit, various army operational research units under command in the field, the Coast Artillery Experimental Establishment, the School of Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Command, and the Ministry of Supply Operational Research Group. The papers reflect its work on military equipment, war-gaming, and other operational analysis techniques.
Date: 1941-1983
Related material:

For reports and memoranda of the Royal Radar Establishment and predecessors of the Ministry of Technology and predecessors see AVIA 26

For reports of the Defence Operational Analysis Establishment see DEFE 48

For records of the Military Personnel Research Committee see WO 348
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Air Defence Research and Development Establishment, 1941-1944

Coast Artillery Experimental Establishment, 1943-1946

Ministry of Supply, Military Operational Research Unit, 1941-1946

Ministry of Supply, Operational Research Group, 1942-1948

School of Anti-Aircraft Artillery, 1942-1950

War Office, Army Operational Research Group, 1946-1962
Physical description: 2703 files and volumes
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

From 1984 Ministry of Defence
Accruals: Series is accruing.
Unpublished finding aids:

There is an extensive glossary with the paper list in the reading rooms at The National Archives, Kew.

Administrative / biographical background:

Operational research is the application of scientific methods to the study of operational problems. A problem is studied with the aim of identifying the dominant factors involved. On this basis a theoretical representation - or 'model' - of the interactive processes is developed, and this model is then validated against observed data. The model can then be used to determine the sensitivity of factors, thereby providing a basis for making operations more effective.

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