[Math] Mathematical research interrupted by a war

ho.history-overview

I am not sure that this is appropriate at MO, so if not, please, delete this.

This is inspired by David Hansen's question where he asks about mathematics done during the WWII. I would like to ask the opposite question:

what are some examples of mathematical research interrupted by a war?

Everyone is aware of the terrible damage inflicted by the war on the Polish mathematical school. The dramatic destinies of Stefan Banach (who lived in very difficult conditions during the WWII and died soon after it), Juliusz Schauder (killed by Gestapo), Józef Marcinkiewicz (killed by NKVD) and of many others have much influence on the conscience of mathematicians in Central Europe (including Russia, and I believe, not only here).

When I was a student an idea was popular in Soviet Union that war moves science. I must confess, I am a partisan of the opposite one: war kills science. I would be grateful to people here who would share their knowledge and give illustrations.

P.S. By war I mean any war, not necessarily WWII.

Best Answer

When I was a student an idea was popular in Soviet Union that war moves science. I must confess, I am a partisan of the opposite one: war kills science. I would be grateful to people here who would share their knowledge and give illustrations on that score.

That is a hard task, since a killed scientist might never produce the work for which he would later have become famous, if he had not died earlier. But coming up with big names being killed (often intentionally) during war times is easy:

  • Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed.
  • Lavoisier was convicted and guillotined on 8 May 1794 in Paris, at the age of 50, along with his 27 co-defendants.

    Lavoisier's importance to science was expressed by Lagrange who lamented the beheading by saying: "Il ne leur a fallu qu’un moment pour faire tomber cette tête, et cent années peut-être ne suffiront pas pour en reproduire une semblable." ("It took them only an instant to cut off this head, and one hundred years might not suffice to reproduce its like.")

  • When the war broke out in 1914, Hasenöhrl volunteered at once into the Austria-Hungarian army. He fought as Oberleutnant against the Italians in Tyrol. He was wounded, recovered and returned to the front. He was then killed by a grenade in an attack on Mount Plaut (Folgaria) on 7 October 1915 at the age of 40.

    In 1907 he became Boltzmann's successor at the University of Vienna as the head of the Department of Theoretical Physics. He had a number of illustrious pupils there and had an especially significant impact on Erwin Schrödinger, who later won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his contributions to quantum mechanics.

  • Gentzen died in 1945 after the Second World War, because he was deprived of food after being arrested in Prague.
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