Cracking the Luftwaffe codes : the secrets of Bletchley Park

Description

’An intriguing page-turning and personal account of that most secretive of wartime institutions, Bletchley Park, and of the often eccentric people who helped to win the war’ – Beryl Bainbridge Bletchley Park, or 'Station X', was home to the most famous code breakers of the Second World War. The 19th-century mansion was the key center for cracking German, Italian and Japanese codes, providing the allies with vital information. After the war, many intercepts, traffic-slips and paperwork were burned (allegedly at Churchill's behest). The truth about Bletchley was not revealed until F. Winterbotham's The Ultra Secret was published in 1974. However, nothing until now has been written on the German Air Section. In Cracking the Luftwaffe Codes, former WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) Gwen Watkins brings to life the reality of this crucial division. In a highly informative, lyrical account, she details her eventful interview, eventual appointment at the 'the biggest lunatic asylum in Britain', methods for cracking codes, the day-to-day routine and decommissioning of her section Content: 1. In the Beginning -- 2. Keeping the Record Straight -- 3. David -- 4. The Interview -- 5. Talk about the Park -- 6. German Air Section -- 7. David Gets to Work -- 8. Within the Gates -- 9. Making Friends -- 10. Living Quarters -- 11. Changes -- 12. Orchestra -- 13. The Camp -- 14. The End of the Park -- 15. Afterwards -- Appendices -- 1. Brief Introduction to Codes and Ciphers -- 2. Control Commission (British Element), 1946-7 -- 3. Food at Bletchley.