Enigma: Codebreaking and the Second World War

Enigma-coded German radio messages were intercepted and decoded at Bletchly Park throughout the Second World War. The decrypted information was known as Ultra and provided invaluable benefits to the alllied war effort. This pack tells the Enigma story through a unique collection of contemporary documents held in the national archives, from top secret memos and letters to some of the original decrypts themselves. An illustrated introduction provides a full explanation of the documents and sets them in their historical context. The documents include: Handwritten papers by Alan Turing - the leading mathematician and computer scientist who helped crack the Enigma codes; An intercepted message from Himmler in 1943 - the year featured in the film Enigma; A letter from the famous 'Hut 6' at Bletchly Park - where Kate Winslet's character worked in the film; The Ultra decrypt of the Normandy landings

Oliver Hoare attended the War Studies Department at King's College, London, where he studied the early development of the Security Service. He has written the introduction to Camp 020: M.I.5 and the Nazi Spies and has been interviewed on televison and radio regarding newly released intelligence records. He is currently Exhibitions and Events Manager at the Public Record Office and lives in London.