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    Cover of Enigma

    Enigma

    Hugh Sebag-Montefiore · 2000

    "cracking stuff... vivid and hitherto unknown details."-Sunday Times (London) The complete untold story of the cracking of the infamous Nazi code Most histories of the cracking of the elusive Enigma code focus on the work done by the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, Britain's famous World War II counterintelligence station. In this fascinating account, however, we are told, for the first time, the hair-raising stories of the heroic British and American sailors, spies, and secret agents who put their lives on the line to provide the codebreakers with the materials they needed. Noted British journalist Hugh Sebag-Montefiore tracked down many of the surviving players in the Enigma drama, and these witnesses-some of them speaking on record for the first time-provide unforgettable firsthand accounts of the courageous men and women who faced death in order to capture vital codebooks from sinking ships and snatch them from under the noses of Nazi officials. In addition to these gripping stories, we learn fascinating new details about the genesis of the code and the feverish activities at Bletchley. Enigma is a spellbinding account of the brilliant feat of decryption that turned the tide of World War II.

    Security & Privacy
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    1recommend
    2mentions
    2people
    2014–2022years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    201420152016201720182019202020212022

    What Hacker News says

    1. danielodievichNov 2022
      I have Enigma by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore (https://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Battle-Code-Hugh-Sebag-Montefi...) except in incredibly nice Folio Society edition. It is meticulously researched and covers all the fun parts of Bombes and programming. The appendixes do step by step algorithm explanation of how this work. Tons of unsung heroism in the seas with the capture of various machines from U boats and ships.
      thread
    2. perceptOct 2014
      The American Black Chamber (there's some controversy surrounding the author, too)

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Black_Chamber

      Enigma: The Battle for the Code (I think that's the one I read)

      http://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Battle-Code-Hugh-Sebag-Montefio...

      I know I read one specifically about breaking Purple, but can't seem to track it down (I don't believe it's the William F. Friedman bio).

      I haven't read this one, but it also seems to be what you're looking for (and has a decent rating):

      http://www.amazon.com/Code-Book-Secret-History-Code-breaking...

      (You might check a public/university library for these and related titles--that's where I found them.)

      thread

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