The one great success story of British Intelligence was the wartime
cracking of Germany's Enigma code and the consequent ability of the
Allies to predict with near certainty both the strategy and the
tactics of the Axis enemy. This achievement, if it did not win the
war, certainly shortened it by a considerable period. It is ironic
then that not until the 1970s did any hint of it emerge, and much
of the story remains wrapped in Official Secrecy. Happily some of
the veil is lifted in this series of reminiscences from people who
were among the some 8000 who ultimately worked on the project. The
result is fascinating and even at times moving, as these seemingly
powerless and sightless moles were able to perceive both the
progress and the reality of the war. The editors have done an
impeccable job. (Kirkus UK)
Familiar to anyone versed in the history of World War II or
interested in the study of modern intelligence work, Bletchley Park
was arguably the most successful intelligence operation in world
history, the top secret workplace of the remarkable people who
cracked Germany's vaunted Enigma Code. Almost to the end of the
war, the Germans had firm faith in the Enigma ciphering machine,
but in fact the codebreakers were deciphering nearly 4,000 German
transmissions daily by 1942, reaping a wealth of information on
such important matters as the effort to resupply Rommel's army in
North Africa and the effect of Allied attempts to mislead the
Germans about the location of D-Day landings. Indeed, Winston
Churchill hailed the work of Bletchley Park as the "secret weapon"
that won the war.
Only now, nearly half a century since the end of the Second World
War, have any of the men and women in this group come forward to
tell this remarkable story in their own words--a story that an oath
of secrecy long prevented them from revealing. In Codebreakers,
F.H. Hinsley and Alan Stripp have gathered together twenty-seven
first-hand accounts of one of the most amazing feats in
intelligence history. These engaging memoirs, each written by a
different member of the codebreakers team, recount the long hours
working in total secrecy and the feelings of camaraderie, tension,
excitement, and frustration as these men and women, both British
and American, did some of the most important work of the war. These
talented people share not only their technical knowledge of
cryptography and military logistics, but also poignant personal
recollections as well. Walter Eytan, one of a handful of Jews at
Betchley Park, recalls intercepting a message from a German vessel
which reported that it carried Jews "en route for Piraeus zur
Endlosung (for the final solution)." Eytan writes "I had never
heard this expression before, but instinctively, I knew what it
must mean, and I have never forgotten that moment." Vivienne Alford
tells of her chilling memory of hearing that the atomic bomb had
been dropped on Hiroshima, and the stillness that came over her and
her co-workers in Naval Section VI. And William Millward confides
that he is still haunted by the work he did in Hut 3 nearly fifty
years ago. "I sometimes wonder, especially during the night, how
many sailors I drowned."
Few readers will finish this book without feeling that the
codebreakers were essential to the outcome of the war--and thereby
of major importance in helping to shape the world we live in today.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
