2.    In June 1940, after the fall of France, Winston Churchill was facing defeat. Not only did he have to stave off an imminent enemy invasion but he had to quickly turn the UK economy around. This meant focusing slender resources on the immediate threat, unifying a disparate peacetime economy and putting it onto a war footing so that it could sustain total economic warfare, and direct its output into immediate military use.

3.    By June 1940 the race to reach a target of 1200 fighters was lost. Horrendous losses in previous campaigns left RAF fighter command depleted of fighters. The total UK factory output of 200 fighters per month could not possibly build enough in time for a prolonged battle.

4.    A different approach was required. Something that could maximize available resources, make the best use of these, and extend their possible reach. The solution lay in the use of information, very much the same problem that organizations face today. The solution pulled various military, industrial, and civilian establishments and communities together into a federation working towards a common cause.

5.    The solution uses Ultra, the UK code breaking facility at Bletchley Park, to listen in and understand enemy intent and threats. Ultra gives RAF fighter command early warning of when raids would commence and their likely targets. Ultra messages are carefully harvested to form an extensive knowledge base that provides a detailed view of the order of battle, right down to the names of individual commanders.

6.    The solution aggregates several types of information from multiple sources to provide a sophisticated early warning system. For example, long range radar tracks enemy aircraft up to 150 miles away, as aircraft are taking off from airfields. Their positions are tracked in real time by short range radar and once inland by observer corps.

7.    The solution integrates all this information in real-time and feeds it directly into RAF Fighter Command Headquarters at Bentley Prior. Here it is displayed in a sophisticated real-time model depicting the skies over the UK. Color counters are sequenced to the operations room clock to provide 5 minute views of the evolving battle overhead. Decision makers from the gantry use the tote model to determine which squadrons in which sectors are ready and refueled to engage in battle.

8.    Information and orders are cascaded from Bentley Prior to the hierarchy of operations centers at group and sector level. Each center has an exact copy of the map model and determines which fighters can be deployed from within each squadron. Each center leverages all the resources at their disposal, and select the best tactics.

9.    As fighters are scrambled to a precise position at 20,000 feet to meet the on-coming raid, other defense systems are carefully coordinated to maximize the overall response. Fighters do not waste time searching for the enemy, preserving fuel, and maximizing the number of sorties. Effectively, this small fighter force appears to be much larger than it actually is.

10.    Post-battle the solution initiates a sophisticated recovery network collecting downed pilots and destroyed fighters. In workshops these wrecks are cannibalized for parts to keep existing fighters going. Enemy planes are recycled and cast into smelters to provide raw materials for new fighters. The whole supply-chain holds minimum inventory.

11.    The solution synchronizes the whole supply-chain to meet fighter losses with replacements on a daily basis. By the end of August 1940 fighter production hits an astounding figure of 496 per month.

12.    Churchill’s     adaptive enterprise integrated disparate facilities and information to create    a sophisticated early warning system and executive dashboard driven by events,   and closely linked with the supply-chain. Based on accurate and timely information   and intelligence, Churchill and his organization were better able to understand   what was going on in preparation for war, and also in the heat of battle.   With the ever-changing battlefront they were better able to leverage all  the resources at their disposal, and select the best tactics. They were also  able to select the most promising strategies  and projects, and make the best  possible decisions. In the final outcome  not only was the imminent invasion  staved off but the groundwork laid to  eventually defeat a much more powerful  military opponent. Most significantly  this all took place 64 years ago.