84 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



Resume of Activities 



To give in detail the jurisdiction of all the divisions and panels and to 

 pay proper credit to all the individuals who contributed to their programs 

 is beyond the compass of the present volume. All that will be attempted here 

 is to indicate generally the primary field of activity of each division and 

 panel, and to name the Division, Panel, and Section Chiefs, together with 

 their Deputy Chiefs. Unfortunately this requires the omission of the names 

 of many of the men who contributed in large measure to the excellent work 

 of the divisions with which they were associated; but this omission will be 

 atoned for by the divisional histories where due acknowledgment can be 

 made for their contributions. 



The United States had been at war approximately one year when the 

 reorganization took place. For the most part the divisions took over the 

 active programs of the sections from which they developed. The authoriza- 

 tions for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1945, were somewhat lower than 

 the estimates for the same period due to the collapse of Germany. The effect 

 of the end of hostilities with Japan is apparent from a comparison of the 

 estimates for the eight months period beginning July i, 1945 (prepared 

 while the war was still on) and the actual expenditures for the fiscal year 

 beginning on that date. With the end of hostilities the OSRD demobiliza- 

 tion program began in earnest, and only those expenditures were approved 

 which fitted into the demobilization pattern. 



The activities of the several divisions, panels and committees are described 

 briefly in the following paragraphs. The scale of those activities is indi- 

 cated by the amounts of the contract funds that were authorized by OSRD 

 on their recommendations. Each division was in existence from December 9, 

 1942 to June 30, 1946, except that Division 19 was not organized until 

 April 12, 1943 and Division 12 was terminated on June 30, 1945. 



Division i 



Title: Ballistic Research 

 L. H. Adams, Chief 

 H. B. Allen, Deputy Chief 



Division i was concerned primarily with studies of the control of gun 

 erosion, involving the causes of erosion and the use of erosion-resistant 

 materials, and the development of hypervelocity guns. Erosion of gun barrels 

 presents a serious problem to the military services. A decrease in erosion 

 simplifies the problem of maintenance and makes possible the use of higher 

 velocities which increases accuracy of fire against moving targets and im- 

 proves armor penetration. 



The scale of the division's activities is indicated by the following authoriza- 

 tions upon its recommendation: 



