Overview

When the top secret code breaking activities at Bletchley Park were revealed in the 1970s, much of the history of the Second World War had to be rewritten. Code Wars examines the role of ULTRA (the intelligence derived from breaking secret enemy signals) on major events of the Second World War. It examines how it influenced the outcome of key battles such as D-Day, El Alamein, Crete, key naval battles, the controversy surrounding Churchill and Coventry, the shadowing of Hitler's V1 pilotless aircraft and the V2 rocket. The book also examines the pioneering work in breaking Enigma by the Polish cryptographers, and the building of Colossus, the world's first digital, programmable computer, which helped unravel the secret orders of Hitler and the German High Command. It also tells the story of the American successes in breaking Japanese signals, known as Magic. It also stresses the vital role of the intercept stations which took down the enemy messages, providing the raw material for the cryptographers to break. The book shows how the codebreakers were able to shorten the war by as much as two years and bring Signals Intelligence, in the post-war years, into a new era of military intelligence gathering. SELLING POINTS: . ""Ultra"" intelligence and the Enigma code breaking activities remain a source of great interest and mystery. . ""Magic"", the American contribution to code breaking of Japanese signal traffic is described. . Covers the contribution of the little known outstations as well Bletchley itself. . Studies the effect of the intelligence gained through Bletchley on specific operations during WW2. . Written by an expert previously published author and Bletchley guide. AUTHOR: John Jackson is a journalist and writer who has specialised in Second World War Signals Intelligence. He has written The Secret War of Hut 3 and Ultra's Arctic War and has edited the declassified Official History of British Sigint1914-1945 and Naval Enigma: The History of Hut 8 - 1939-1943. He is a volunteer guide at Bletchley Park, where he also demonstrates the Turing-Welchman bombe. ILLUSTRATIONS: 16pp b/w plates *

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9781848845107

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If you want to read the gripping story of the intelligence services' battles of measures and countermeasures presented in an intelligent, concise and engaging narrative, Code Wars is the book to launch you on your journey of discovery. -- K9YA Telegraph

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John Jackson is an author and historian.

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