Enigma: The Battle for the Code

Once I picked this book up, it was very hard to put down. Sebag-Montefiore has compiled a gripping glimpse into the code breaking efforts by the British. His source and reference material are outstanding and his explanations of the technical aspects are gentle enough for the non-cryptologist to follow. I felt his technical analysis was just right, enough to let me understand the problems the Bletchly Park code breakers faced, while not to technical for me to lose interest.Those wanting a in depth review of the methods used may want to look elsewhere, but I believe this book details the human story behind Bletchly Park's success masterfully. It's amazing to me that despite the capability of the Enigma machine, its ultimate Achilles heel was that it was operated by humans, who are in the end non-random and prone to habit. The eccentricities of the code breakers, the stiff British upper lip, and the maverick attitude of the US code breakers are all displayed for the reader.The exploits of the Royal Navy is nothing short of truly heroic in their efforts to obtain code books to aid Bletchly's cause. It's ironic that the Enigma was first broken by three Polish mathematicians, who have never received much credit.A fascinating book on exploits that had far reaching consequences after the end of WWII. Strongest recomendation.

This is an excellent retelling of the story of how Great Britain and the United States succeeded in breaking Enigma, the secret codes used by Nazi Germans and fascist Italy during World War II. It’s a tale that includes cloak and dagger, derring-do on the high seas and mind-boggling decoding by some of the Allies’ greatest minds. The one drawback for me was the technical descriptions about how the Enigma machines worked; I realize that these details add a great deal to this book, but they were not easy for me to follow.This is an exciting story, and I never fully understood just how much action took place at sea in terms of capturing Nazi code books and Enigma machines. (This despite watching the movie U-571.) I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Battle of the Atlantic and the race to break the Enigma codes.

Accurate. Historically correct. Must read for the cryptophiles.

This was 1st addition and not the updated 2017 revised copy. Lacking a lot of info. Sending back. U have to go to Amazon.com UK to get the newest edition. Supposed to take 2 weeks, arrived in 4 days

This was a very excellent account. I had read other accounts about the Enigma code, but this went into much more detail. I didn't know about the Battle Of The Atlantic or the Polish codebreakers. I don't need to read any more about it. This book covered quite an extensive field.

Without any doubt the picturesque grand old manor-house Bletchley Park and it's brilliant inhabitants of cryptographers and code-breakers proved to be the best secret-keepers the world has ever known. Their leader, Alan Turing didn't tell even when sentenced for a consensual homosexual affair which resulted in him serving prison time in 1952. Shortly after after his release from prison he committed suicide. Incidentally, his crime is no longer considered a crime these days. He, like all those involved in Bletchley Park were sworn to secrecy and he never did reveal his role. No one knew that because of his actions, brilliance and dedication he is considered a savior and creator of the world's first ever computer.The author of this remarkable book proves to be a brilliant researcher and historian and has the facts and related events from the German development of the "unbreakable" coding machine Enigma in the early 1930s through to the Allies triumphant victory of WW2. I was completely captivated by learning of the Polish code-breakers successes in understanding how the German ciphers were developing and realizing Hitler's ambitions in Europe, brought their knowledge to the French and British. Also how very important it was for the Allies to capture the books, codes and Enigma machines carried aboard enemy surface vessels and submarines because of the ever changing code programs. The assistance of German, French and Polish spies and many heroic efforts by the British and Canadian sailors are detailed in good chronological order. I now know the rest of the story and you will too.

I wanted an account of the Enigma machine and code busting that went into some detail about exactly how it worked. This book delivered more than I was able to comprehend, but it did make clear the details of the Enigma machine. I also learned that there were other codes within the Enigma transmissions that made breaking the coded messages a real challenge. I found this to be an interesting read.

This book details much of the history of Allied code breaking during WW II. It does an outstanding job of detailing the English work as well as a good overview of the pre-war Polish and French efforts. It is a bit sketchy on the wartime efforts as well as the American effort. The book details the American success in improvement to the bomba, but more detail as to how this was accomplished would really help the story.

An excellent history, especially of how the intelligence was applied to the war. Battle of Atlantic (U-Boats) features prominently. Somewhat of an exciting story, causing me to read the book quickly in one day. It describes more 'blackouts' (when decryption wasn't available) than I'd seen elsewhere. The several Annexes are a bonus in that they provide fairly complete detail of the theory and technical implementation, thus being an excellent little Enigma / Bletchley reference in themselves. For those interested in Enigma, this is probably an essential book.

Its a great book. Very long too. Took me multiple sitting to complete it.It's not exactly told like story. But combination of different people's lives and experience that helped in breaking the code.Wonderful read. Must read for anyone interested in world war 2.

Conta a história detalhada do código Enigma na Segunda Guerra Mundial, incluindo aspectos técnicos e aspectos históricos. Recomenfo a leitura.

Dies ist ein Gutes Buch über Ultra und das Knacken der Enigma und andere Codes. Nichts hervorragendes aber sehr lesbar und gut. Es erzählt die Geschichte vom knacken des Enigma, die Methoden die benutzt hat und die strategische Bedeutung davon. Es Erzählt das es mehr war als das werk von den Helden Alan Turing ohne seine Wichtigkeit herunter zu spielen. Kann es durchaus jeden raten der sich für das Thema interessiert.

Muy interesante y basado en hechos reales, existe varias peliculas sobre el tema y bastantes libros que versan sobre esta historia real