Catalogue description Ministry of Fuel and Power, Petroleum Warfare Department and Predecessor:Petroleum Warfare Division Files

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Details of POWE 45
Reference: POWE 45
Title: Ministry of Fuel and Power, Petroleum Warfare Department and Predecessor:Petroleum Warfare Division Files
Description:

The Petroleum Warfare Department was set up in 1940 to develop new war weapons and devices making use of petroleum.

These are unregistered files which contain information relating to schemes developed to utilize petroleum for wartime purposes, including PLUTO ( Pipeline Underwater Transport of Oil).

Date: 1940-1946
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Ministry of Fuel and Power, Petroleum Warfare Department, 1942-1946

Petroleum Department, 1940-1942

Physical description: 69 file(s)
Access conditions: Open
Immediate source of acquisition:

from 1977 Department of Energy

Accruals: Series is not accruing
Administrative / biographical background:

In the spring of 1942 a working party was set up to consider the oil aspect of the cross-channel invasion (OVERLORD). One of the projects considered was an extension of the English pipeline network from the south coast across the English Channel to link directly with military pipelines moving forward behind the armies on the other side. This scheme was known as PLUTO (Pipeline Underwater Transport of Oil). In the early stages of the work the co-ordinating function was carried out by the Petroleum Department but on 1 April 1943 the responsibility for design, development and administrative work in connection with Pluto was transferred to the Petroleum Warfare Department.

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