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The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc. "Preserving, Exhibiting, Interpreting and Teaching the History of the Manhattan Project" |
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Charles Critchfield
Group Leader - Los Alamos
Ordnance
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Military guns are simple in design and a known quantity by virtue of their
long use by the armies and navies of the world. The decision to use
a gun to assemble the uranium material in a fission bomb originated
because gun technology is so well known. Because of several
uncertainties, Robert Oppenheimer took personal control of gun development
at Los Alamos. With the help of Richard Tolman of the NDRC (National Defense Research Committee), Oppenheimer proceeded with an experimental gun program. One of the primary problems would be finding qualified individuals to head up the program. Oppenheimer chose Charles Critchfield, a mathematical physicist, who brought a wealth of ordnance experience to the Los Alamos Laboratory. Critchfield realized that the Naval Gun Factory needed as much as six months to build the full-scale guns required. He suggested that time could be saved by testing at reduced scale using 20mm anti-aircraft guns and 3-inch naval cannons. In 1943, Critchfield's group was placed under Navy Capt. William Parsons, who was then second in command at Los Alamos and director of the Ordnance Division. Web Master's Note: Please "click" here for more information about the career of Charles Critchfield. |
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