World War II Communications:
European Decoding of Nazi Messages

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Ash, Timothy. In Europe's Name. New York: New York, 1993.

            Ash communicated the many effects Germany had on the world. The author describes the history of Germany and its geographic division. He goes into detail about the separation of East and West Germany and the Berlin Wall. This source was used to create the background page of our website, in order to instill the proper knowledge for our topic.

Budainsky, Stephen.  Battle of Wits. New York: New York, 2000

This book communicated how Allied cryptanalysts, including brilliant mathematicians, crossword solvers, and ancient history scholars, broke back into the solutions overtaken when the Germans changed their code for the “Enigma” machine at the outbreak of WWII, and how the Allies were able to anticipate changes in German methods.  It also describes how a computer named The Colussus denied Hitler’s servants the secure use of radio communication within the Third Reich. This book was used for pictures and to communicate the effect the discovery of the Enigma had on the war and its outcome.

Fisher, Klaus. Nazi Germany A New History. New York: New York, 1995.

Fisher provided an accurate timeline of how Adolf Hitler came into power through his speeches and the messages he communicated to the public.  He accurately describes the rise of the Nazis in Germany and how they effectively took over the people with little to no hostility.  Fisher also communicates the mistakes made that lead to the fall of the Nazis in Germany and in the war.

Flaherty, Thomas H. ed.  The Shadow War.  Virginia: Alexandria, 1991.

            The Shadow War gave great examples of how the Enigma machine helped Germany.  Flaherty explained how the machine was used to communicate from one person to the next without the Allied Powers knowledge.  He also discussed the decline in Nazi power (and wins) once the codes were breached.  He goes onto relate examples of how the breaking of the code pushed the war towards the Allied Powers' victory and ultimately the defeat of the Axis Powers.

Kahn, David. The Code Breakers. New York: New York, 1967.

            While reading this book we immediately were able to pull out much information about Churchill’s decision regarding when and how he would use the Enigma’s decoded information.  The difficulties of breaking the code were also included within this book along with the dilemma of how to act if the code was never broken.  Kahn communicated great understanding and helped us to understand the pressure Churchill was under when faced with sacrificing many lives to keep the broken codes secret from the Nazis.

Kilzer, Louis.  Churchill's Deception.  New York: New York, 1994.

            Kilzer writes about how Churchill used his genius to trick Germany into attacking Russia which inevitably broke their alliance.  He describes the major events preceding the breaking of alliance between Russia and Germany and how it affected both countries and the outcome of the war.  He then goes on to talk about how Prime Minister Churchill and the British Navy got their hands on the Enigma machine and began to decode the communications from Germany.  Once the codes were broken, Kilzer continues explaining how Churchill managed to keep the Germans unaware.  He also gives detailed accounts of how Churchill used the information to defeat the Nazis and eventually win the war.

Kippenhahn, Rudolf. Code Breaking. New York: Woodstock, 1999.

            This book explained how many codes were and still are used today.  A small section was dedicated to the mechanics behind the Enigma’s code and how was broken by the Polish soldiers in Bletchley Park.  It retold the story of how the Nazis came to power and ciphered the infamous code.  Kippenhahn communicated the frustration the many people felt when faced with breaking the code.  He described how it was finally broken and used against the Germans to seal their utter defeat and annihilation in the World War II.

Korn, Jerry ed. The Secret War.  New Jersey: Morristown, 1981.

            We were able to use pictures form this book of the Enigma machine.  In addition to great pictures Korn gives a detailed description of how the machine looked and was constructed.  Korn made it very easy to understand how the Enigma worded through his beautiful description of it.  We were also able to find an equally detailed description of how the communication device was decrypted and codes made useless to the Germans.

Roger, James.  The Secret War:  Espionage in World War II.  New York: New York, 1991.

            Roger went into great depth in discussing the importance that Enigma had in the war and how it helped the British and her allies win.  This source explained how the actual Enigma machine was discovered on German U-boat U-110.  He also talked about the Bombe, a computer that tried to match electrical circuits in order to create words out of the code, and its creator, Alan Turing.  There is much information about the decision that Winston Churchill had to make, concerning whether or not he would use the information provided by the decoded German communications.  In the end he goes on to say that more than ten years after the war the Germans still did not believe that their code could have possibly been broken, "'...And to this day [1958], as far as I [Doenitz] know, we are not certain whether or not the enemy [Allied Powers] did succeed in breaking our ciphers during the war.'"

Shiver, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. New Jersey: Avenel, 1987.

            Upon opening this book we were confronted with a picture of Adolf Hitler at one of his infamous speeches that turned many people against the Jews or anyone he happened to speak out against.  As we read on we became more acquainted with the history of the merciless dictator.  Shiver communicated brilliantly within his text about the life and death of Adolf Hitler. He described, in detail, how Adolf was raised and his actions within and regarding the death and concentration camps. Shiver provided much insight into the mind and life of Adolf Hitler.

Stafford, David.  Churchill and the Secret Service.  New York: New York, 1997.

            Stafford gives and accurate account of Churchill's life and his service to Britain as Prime Minister.  We were able to get a better understanding of the man who fought hard against the Nazi power, whether it was only through blockade or through decoding of enemy messages. 

Stone, I.F. The War Years 1939-1945. New York: New York, 1988.

            Stone’s book helped us to gather great information for our Background section of our website.  He described how the Nazis came to power through Hitler’s persuasive speeches and successful brainwashing.  This book also told of the concentration camps, giving us a greater understanding of what the victims faced each and everyday of their lives.  Stone informed us of the perils faced when trying to communicate to a loved one within a camp.  The living conditions were harsh and many didn’t survive, but those that did looked forward and sang with glee when the Nazi codes were broken and the German empire fell to ruins.

Winton, John. ULTRA at Sea. New York: New York, 1988.

            In the spring of 1941, the information communicated by Ultra helped the allies enormously, and by January 1942, there were only six German boats left in the Atlantic Ocean, but the Nazis held an advantage in cryptology.  The Ultra was used carefully so that the Nazis wouldn’t think the Allies had the code. In February 1942, three German battleships passed through the straights of Dover in broad day light because the English didn’t want the Nazis to know they had broken the code.  This source was also used to provide accurate background knowledge and information about the discovery and decoding area of our website.