Benedict Flowerpatch. created by @jenocracy (twitter)
Who ever said “Flowers were boring” was absolutely right? Right.
But dearest reader I should warn you that I am American.
I am a hot dog eating, cowboy loving, bleeding heart liberal at heart.
Being that I am American I know I don’t understand two very British key themes; the obsession of Eurovision, why you must have tea with every meal, and the overt fondness of buds and shubbery.
Ok, that’s three things, but America doesn’t follow the metric system. (U.S.A!)
Admittedly, being an American this is the first time I am hearing about the Chelsea Flower Show and much like all of you I was rather surprised when it was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch and his mother Wanda Ventham would be hosting the 2014 coverage. So naturally I did some research and suddenly this flower show was a lot more interesting than I thought…
Recent media coverage could make one wonder if Benedict Cumberbatch embarked on a goodwill tour as an ambassador for British fashion, British independent film – and British charitable works. Luckily for fans, these events have resulted a virtual avalanche of articles, images, videos and eyewitness recaps to make every morning on Tumblr and Twitter feel like Christmas:
This year’s Costume Institute Gala, known to you and me informally as the Met Ball – or Met Gala, was the highlight of what had to be an incredible day for Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Having chaired the gala since 1995, Wintour could be forgiven if she was on “auto-pilot” for the annual fundraiser (which last year raised over $9 million dollars for the Costume Institute, with a ticket price of $15,000 per person.)
However, she was definitely NOT calling this one in. This year held the promise of something different, something exclusive. . .something special. An honour was to be bestowed upon the fashion maven this year: the opening of the $40 million Anna Wintour Costume Center (the new name for the Costume Institute). First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony held earlier on the day of the ball.
For 2014, a theme was chosen (Charles James: Beyond Fashion), a guest list was prepared, and ticket prices were set- at $25,000
There was speculation as to why Wintour increased the ticket price by $10,000 per ticket. Was it because Gwyneth Paltrow complained about crowds and heat at the 2013 event? Was Wintour tired of the attitude today’s celebrities have about exclusive events – having once banned Kim Kardashian from the gala? Was the Vogue editor’s generation gap showing?
Who knows?
(Reality check: How much do you spend when you and your partner go out on a special night – anniversary, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve? Maybe a fundraiser to benefit an animal shelter? $100? $500? Maybe $1000 if it’s important to both of you. Compare that to $50,000 for two for a cocktail party and dinner. Of course, it IS a fundraiser – for fashion. See mention of $40 million costume center above. Ahem.)
Benedict Cumberbatch, chocolate and pedophilia are definitely something that DO NOT belong in the same sentence and instead sounds like something ‘The Daily Mail’ would string together to become some topsy turvy media sensation. As much as I would like to say that the above words are just a string of fancy words that I put together for shock value—they are not.
What do you think is the TOP result if you Google “Benedict Cumberbatch dancing”?
Would it be a mash-up of clips featuring Benedict and Tom Hiddleston? Perhaps it’s behind-the-scenes footage of Benedict as Khan on the set of Star Trek Into Darkness?
Maybe. . .just maybe, it’s the clip from Sherlock Series 3, Episode 2 (“The Sign of Three”), where Benedict pirouettes rather elegantly (which you can see here on an earlier blog post).
Recently, it was reported on Twitter that Benedict had attended the world premiere of James McCarthy’s “Codebreaker” piece at the Barbican. Considering the piece was in honor of Alan Turing, and Benedict is playing the mathematician in The Imitation Game, his spot in the audience shouldn’t have come as a surprise (or at least it wasn’t to me). Coincidentally, I also attended the concert, and really enjoyed it. Because of the interest in the performance, I’ve been asked to share some thoughts, which I’ve posted below.
Note: the following is an excerpt from my blog post I published on my travel blog, The Soul of London. It’s a bit of shameless self-promotion, but if you’re interested in keeping up to date with my adventures around London, do check it out!
Having read both the Hodges and Copeland biographies over the summer (and watched Breaking the Code with Derek Jacobi, which left me emotionally devastated for about 24 hours), I came to England on an Alan Turing kick (which still exists more or less). Since my arrival in the UK, I’ve been to the Science Museum’s exhibition on Turing (now closed – which I guess is good for me, seeing as I had an emotional breakdown in front of Turing’s letter written to Mrs. Morcom after Christopher’s death), his memorial up in Sackville Park in Manchester, and Bletchley Park (I hope to make another visit when the renovations are complete in the summer, even if this means crying in front of his teddy bear, Porgy, again). His character and work have never ceased to amaze me. You certainly begin to wonder what he would have achieved had he lived longer.
While on Twitter one day back in February or so, the wonderful account Alan Turing Years tweeted about a Barbican event featuring Alan Turing. Featuring the Hertfordshire Choir, the event would premiere a new piece that honored Turing’s life and work. Intrigued, I booked a ticket – even though I had something going on that night already (I immediately returned that ticket. So glad I did).
The concert also featured other pieces of music, which helped set the scene for the themes present in the Codebreaker piece. The evening opened with Mendelssohn’s “The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave),” which was chosen for its reminiscence of seascapes – the terrain or “battleground” where the codes Turing had to break originated from.
The next piece was Beethoven’s “Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage).” The piece’s choral arrangement are based off verses given and dedicated to Beethoven by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. These stanzas inspired Mendelssohn’s creation of his overture with the same name. 70 years later, Elgar quoted Mendelssohn in the 13th variation of his Enigma Variations. The connection is a bit long-winded, but at least it’s there – and it gave us a chance to hear the choir before they sang the Codebreaker piece. (Video below features the Monteverdi Choir)
The last piece to close off the first section of the evening was Vaughan Williams’ “Toward the Unknown Region.” Finding inspiration in Walt Whitman’s poems and words, the piece highlights an age of exploration – which Turing very much helped pioneer in his own field. (Video features vocals from the Hertfordshire Choir)
Codebreaker: The Piece
Rather than taking an pure descriptive approach to explaining who Alan Turing was as a person, Codebreaker approached the music from his own perspective. In other words, each element aimed to express Turing’s thoughts and emotions. Codebreaker can be seen as a piece with three acts, which reflect the three critical points in Turing’s personal development: Christopher Morcom and his impact on Alan Turing; the war years; and the trial and its aftermath.
The libretto came from a multitude of sources, including words from Turing, his mother (which were exclusively sung by a soprano soloist), Gordon Brown’s 2009 apology on behalf of the British government, and a number of poems (especially from American poet Sara Teasdale). There was also a musical interlude featuring Chamberlain’s radio message of Britain’s declaration of war against Germany.
Because these words were set alongside an original musical track, I obviously can’t share or even reproduce the orchestration for you. However, to give you a sense of the feelings behind each act, here are the poems which featured in the libretto:
“At boarding school, Alan met a boy; Christopher Morcom. Christopher had a beautiful mind. They shared a passion for science and would map the universe together. Christopher was the love of his life.”
“Christopher Morcom died very suddenly of tuberculosis. He was just 18. Alan was devastated. Bereft. He said: “I feel I shall meet him again somewhere and that there will be some work for us to do together. But now that I am left to do it alone I must not let him down. I shall miss his face so, and the way he used to smile at me sideways.””
“My son was arrested in 1952. For an affair with a young man. The magistrate offered a choice of sentence: prison or chemical castration. Alan chose the later.”
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the concert, though I had a few personal reservations. First, apart from soundtrack scores, modern “classical” music has been somewhat of a hit or miss for me. I think it’s because I’ve listened to a lot of pieces that sounded like the composers were trying too hard to be the next Beethoven or Mozart or Chopin. Second, for whatever reason, I have difficulty with choral music. It’s not that I don’t like it; there is something very beautiful about the human body making music on its own. I guess I just have a difference in opinion as to how lines can be sung. But then again, that’s where the artistry comes in, isn’t it? Nevertheless, I did my best to sit back and let the music take over, shielding my thoughts from the fact that 1) I was up in the first row (didn’t ever think G would start the alphabet); 2) a mouse had ran across the floor during the first act of “Codebreaker”, and 3) two notable thespians who I adore were sitting in the audience with us (I’ll… let you guess who they were 😉 ).
I’ll be flat out to lay out my reaction to the piece: I sniffled. I cried. I felt my heart swell with such emotion that it could burst from my rib cage. Even if I had not known the story of Alan Turing before coming, I would have probably had the same reaction. Codebreaker was a beautiful tribute to the life of a genius.
I like music that tells stories, or conjures up certain emotions. While the programme notes and the themes from the first three pieces helped facilitate some image creation in my head, the music spoke for itself. The ever-present tinkling of the xylophone (along with the plucking of stringed instruments) embodied traces of the Engima machine, the act of decoding, and the future murmurs of computer science. I could feel the warmth and excitement of the relationship between Alan and Christopher through the melody lines, and could equally feel the devastation of the news of Christopher’s death in the soprano soloist’s mournful recollection of Alan’s thoughts. The poetry paired with the music perfectly enhanced the ups and downs in the trajectory of Turing’s life, albeit these were select moments of a life that spanned for about 42 years.
This was one of my few criticisms of Codebreaker:the three acts focused on snippits of his life. The trailer for the music suggested that one didn’t have to know who Alan Turing was in order to enjoy the concert. I agree to some extent – but I felt that this would result in walking away with an emotional portrait of Alan Turing. This isn’t a bad thing; I am very much an advocate for getting that side of someone’s personality as well as understanding their resume of achievements. However, the question of “Why is he important, and why should he be honored?” seemed to go a bit unanswered. Without direct reference to his work, whether it’s codebreaking during the war or his mathematical theories that lay the foundation for computer science and artificial intelligence, it was difficult to assess Turing’s importance as a historical figure. Also, because of the focus on the heart over the mind, the piece came across as more of a tragedy. While I personally like melancholic and sadder pieces of music, I had hoped to walk away with a small sense of hope or happiness. Though there’s no denying that Turing’s life was tragic, I’d like to think that it was more dotted with sad moments rather than running as a consistent theme.
It was clearly evident that James McCarthy, the composer, was influenced by Andrew Hodges biography on Turing. One of the ideas in the book is that without Christopher Morcom, Alan Turing wouldn’t have become the genius he is now known to be. Morcom was not only an intellectual sparring partner, but also a kindred spirit who Turing confided in and loved dearly. Being a romantic, I think your first love sticks with you forever – and Hodges’ thesis certainly fits that. As such, while I couldn’t identify a musical “theme” for Christopher, his memory appeared at the beginning and end of the piece with the words “We shall be happy.” The end proved to be more bittersweet, with the words “for the dead are free” attached to the “We shall be happy” phrase. It demonstrated that Alan and Christopher could be reunited in death after both of their much-too-short lives here on Earth.
Naturally, with the emotional load of this concert, I’ve thought a lot on Turing’s life and his achievements for a few days after the event. Having recently blogged about my worries of digitization and the seemingly on-its-way-to-becoming-obsolete practice of letter writing, I now take a look at the opposite viewpoint on technology. It’s amazing how far technology has advanced over the past few decades. Part of me wonders, though, if it would have progressed faster had Turing been alive for longer. Another part of my brain goes off to imagine what he’d say about the prevalence of computer technology in our day to day lives. I bet he would have marveled at the Internet. At the same time, I wonder what he would have to say about privacy and hacking, Wikileaks, and the mass shift towards everything running on computers. He was certainly not just an intellectual who holed himself in his study; he had his political and philosophical views, and defended them (for example, during the war, he publicly sponsored the idea of bringing Jewish refugees to the United Kingdom). I’m therefore sure he would have had something to say about all the news surrounding government surveillance and technology. Sadly, it’s impossible to have the answers to such questions. At the very least, we can appreciate his life’s work every time we log onto the computer or use our smartphone devices.
Overall, I feel immensely privileged that I got to be there that evening. I hope more people can hear the music – which may become a reality, as the programme was recorded – and, more importantly, learn about the life and achievements of Alan Turing. I’m sure with the tributes that are to come, including a Pet Shop Boys Proms performance of their tribute piece and the release of the hotly-anticipated film The Imitation Game, Turing will become a household name around the world. While such recognition comes several decades too late, I guess it’s better late than never.
Before you run for the hills because you really can’t stand ‘any of that new age stuff’, please bear with me. I am actually the last person to get behind things like meditating. I am a sceptic when it comes to most things that aren’t based on some hard scientific evidence (meditation actually really appears to have some measurable benefits), and some years ago I would have straight out refused to even try to meditate. But then I got unwell. Really, really unwell. My body and my psyche were thrown into absolute turmoil. I had anxiety so severe, that I couldn’t sleep or eat. My mind was constantly working, coming up with worst case scenarios, telling me I was dying. At that point my psychotherapist suggested that I should try to meditate. And I refused for a while. But at some point things got so bad, I reluctantly gave it a go. And yes, at first it was hard and it took me a while to learn techniques to calm down my mind. But then it started to work and the relief it brought me was absolute bliss.
This was many years ago and I fell of the meditation bandwagon for a while. Then I became aware of Benedict and saw him mentioning meditation a lot:
“Q: Did you attain your sense of zen?”
“Yeah, meditating and all that, absolutely, being able to be still and focus and you are putting words into my mouth, (laughs) but you are absolutely right, that’s exactly right. There’s an ability to focus and have a real sort of purity of purpose and attention and not be too distracted, and to feel very alive to your environment, to know what you are part of, to understand what is going on in your peripheral vision and behind you as well of what is in front of you, that definitely came from that.”
(When talking about his gap year in Tibet for an interview with FZdotcom)
“Stillness is an essential part of acting, so I already had a certain amount of focus in that beforehand, and I’d always been fascinated by the idea of meditation and what it meant. A still point is a very, very hard place to find, especially among the usual kind of pulped sheep pushed around by the blinking flashing world of modern technology.” (Source)
He studied at a monastery and he meditates: “It was very lonely at times but also inclusive,” he says. “There was this incredible experience of just for the first time properly thinking, ‘Oh my God! There’s so much going on in there.’ ” Cumberbatch still meditates, but “10 minutes every other week, practically. It’s very sporadic. But I do still try.”
(From the THR Interview)
So I guess it goes without saying, that mediation plays at least some role in Cumberbatch’s life. Him talking about meditation got me thinking. I had to realize that my mind had started to spiral out of control again, that I was often desperately unhappy and on edge and that I never really achieved any kind stillness anymore. Just around that time an App called Headspace (iTunes / Android / Amazon / Web) got quite a bit of publicity.
I think even the lovely Emma Watson mentioned it at some point. Headspace offers ten 10 minute meditations for free in its apps and on the website. So I thought “Why the heck not? It’s free.”
Headspace is the brain child of Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk and all around likable guy (you can watch his TED talk here). He and the lovely, colorful app drew me in immediately. I liked how the meditation was very down to earth and didn’t use any esoteric terms. I found the exercises incredibly relaxing and accessible and soon started to feel a lot calmer. I started to enjoy quiet moments more and learned how to stop my mind from spinning out of control. You can download the app for free and just do the 10 minute exercises over and over again. They are absolutely sufficient to ground you and give you 10 minutes of calm to step back from your hectic life and overactive brain. I think it’s lovely, that you get all that respite and support for free. I personally chose to sign up for longer daily meditation sessions (which I can access anywhere, via app or website) as I really felt like I would benefit from even more and longer meditation. Fancy that. It’s so unlike me but I’ve caught the meditation bug. And it is really keeping me sane.
So why not give Headspace a go? It’s free and we can all use a bit of stillness in these hectic times.
(By the way: this isn’t a sponsored post, I just like this app very very much!)
“For all those whose weddings I have danced at and have yet to dance at! What a great groove from a master at the height of his powers. Thanks to Martin Freeman for properly introducing me to the full brilliance of [Stevie Wonder]. – Benedict Cumberbatch
Thanks to Martin Freeman, indeed – for this and many other things he’s properly introduced to Benedict (adding a bit of polish to his red carpet style, perhaps?)
As gossip sites again circulate whispers of a girlfriend for our favorite actor (because what publication doesn’t use his name to generate web hits?) and we enter spring wedding season, this song’s lyrics seem possibly more suited for Halloween than a wedding reception, BUT who are we to argue? I’ve not attended a wedding with Mr. Cumberbatch, although I’ve a feeling fans think about him in formal wear now and again. . .
. . .are you picturing Sherlock at John & Mary’s wedding reception? Oh, alright then. Here you go:
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
We are currently part way through our flight from Yverdon-les-Bains to Zurich. I would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us today. Especially a distance that, according to Google, takes about 2 hours and 5 minutes in the car (in current traffic).
Of course this could only mean one thing.
Cabin Pressure!
Yes! Welcome aboard MJN air! Please fasten your seatbelts, listen carefully to the safety demonstration (presented beautifully by first officer Douglas Richardson and his identical twin brother Dougie) look out for any yellow cars or camel camels (black dogs do not count) and enjoy your flight. A member of the Cabin Crew will be round shortly with the lunch menu (I promise you the cheesecake is FINE), and if you’re really lucky you might get a complimentary bear fact upon your departure.
What started as a small radio play on BBC Radio 4 in 2008 has come to be the subject of world-wide success and adoration. Written by John Finnemore (who also stars alongside Rogar Allam, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephanie Cole and a wide range of guest stars) Cabin Pressure truly is a remarkable piece of entertainment.
Shall I introduce you to the cabin crew?
First we have the captain, Martin Crieff (Benedict Cumberbatch). Don’t let appearances fool you; he really truly DEFINITELY is the captain! He’s got the impressive hat and everything. Now he may not exactly get paid to fly planes, works as a man with a van on the side to earn money, lives in the attic of a student house and considers a meal consisting of a baked potato a treat but, don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s living the dream, he’s a pilot! Pursuing the only thing he’s wanted to do ever since he was 6 (and before that he wanted to be an aeroplane). He may seem a bit frantic and incompetent on top, but underneath he’s extremely hard working, passionate and right where he wants to be!
Next, first officer Douglas Richardson (Roger Allam). No, he is NOT the captain, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so. What can we say about Douglas? Possible inventor/co-creator of such classic games as ‘Flight Deck Buckaroo’, ‘The Travelling Lemon’ and more word games than you can count! (I’ll never say “Russell Crowe” the same again) He may get by on his super-duper self-confidence, obvious intelligence, dry wit and many a sarcastic statement, but he’s a good man – secretly lovely at heart. Most importantly, you can always count on him to do something clever and sort everything out!
Now for the CEO of MJN air, the alpha dog, Carolyn Knapp-Shappey (Stephanie Cole). Definitely NOT a little old lady and is making the most of the plane she won in her divorce by starting up this small airline (or with only one plane…an airdot). You do not get on the wrong side of this one. Always the politest of polite to the passengers though not always successfully concealing the heavy sarcasm that lies beneath, she is determined, strong-willed, always up for a game (especially a competitive one) and almost singlehandedly keeping the business afloat!
And of course, Carolyn’s son, our Toblerone enthusiast, creator of ‘Surprising Rice’ and ‘Fizzy Yoghurt’ (don’t go calling Gordon Ramsay just yet) and bear expert the absolutely brilliant Arthur Shappey (John Finnemore). Endlessly cheery, always the optimist and not quite as stupid as he seems….well…almost..pretty much…sometimes. Always helping everyone (often too much at times) and can find good in pretty much everything, EVEN take-off delays! He’s the absolute heart of this show and will be sure to bring a smile to your face. Oh, but don’t let him eat strawberries.
As you can probably tell, I really could go on forever. This is only the tip of the iceberg!
Basically, Cabin Pressure is….BRILLIANT.
It is as heart-warming as it is hilarious; you truly grow to love these wonderful characters. If you haven’t listened to this show, and if you weren’t already impressed with their snazzy website complete with the line of dancing aeroplanes, I can’t possibly recommend it enough. Go and get your hands on it immediately. What are you waiting for? GO! GO!
With one final episode to go (possibly towards the end of 2014, we’re not sure yet) it’s certainly going to be tough to see it end, but it will be worth it to have been a part of this inspiring journey.
Thank you for flying MJN Air!
(P.S. A grizzly bear can strip a deer’s carcass in 6 minutes)
You can get Cabin Pressure Series 1-3 including the Christmas special from Amazon HERE and Series 4 HERE. (Once again other sites and other region specific amazon sites are available).
After looking at the various elements of the Enigma machine in Chapter 4 Part 1, we will now go into a bit more detail on how the 26 letters are linked in 13 letter pairs through electrical circuits. Grasping this aspect will make it easier to understand the concept behind the Bombe, the codebreaking machine Alan Turing developed in Bletchley Park in 1939, first produced in 1940.
Examples without plugboard cables
Figure 1 shows a simplified circuit diagram of the connections between 4 of the 26 keyboard keys and lamps. If no key is pressed, the circuit is broken, and electricity cannot flow.
In Figure 2, a key on the keyboard has been pressed, which has closed one of the possible electric circuits (after one of more rotors moved one position).
When the key for S is pressed, the 2-way switch underneath it [1] disconnects from the S lamp and makes contact with the wire coming from the battery. This closes an electrical circuit, thus current can flow from the battery through the 2-way switch [1] and the plugboard [2] to the fixed entry wheel [3]. (No plugboard cables are used in this example, so the plugboard can be ignored for the moment.)
Current enters the scrambling unit at the entry wheel [3]. It is picked up by the first rotor’s spring-loaded pin that is touching the entry wheel’s S contact. It then flows from right to left through the configuration of wires that the three rotors present at this particular setting.
Electricity enters the reflector [4] at one position, exits at another before flowing back through the three rotors, this time from left to right and on a different path of wires. It exits the scrambling unit at the entry wheel [3], flows once again through the plugboard [2] and reaches the 2-way switch for the letter L. Since the key for L is not pressed, the 2-way switch is connected with the L lamp, which lights up when current reaches it [5]. This indicates that the ciphertext replacement for the letter S is L.
As mentioned in Chapter 3 (The Substitution Cipher), all cipher alphabets created by the Enigma machine are reciprocal due to the nature of the reflector. This means that if S is encoded by L at one setting, then L is encoded by S when the same setting is used. Figure 3 shows this scenario:
The electrical pathways in the scrambling unit for encoding L-> S and S-> L are exactly the same – the only difference being the direction of the electrical current. For codebreaking purposes it is therefore often not relevant if a letter is plaintext or ciphertext, it is only important what two letters are linked at a specific setting.
If a different key is pressed at the same setting, e.g.J in Figure 4, then a different electrical circuit is closed, in this case illuminating the C lamp.
Effect of the plugboard
In Figure 5, plugboard cables swap the letters J and L. It is important to notice that even though the lamp C now lights up when L is pressed (and not the key for J as before), the electrical pathway in the scrambling unit is the same as in Figure 4.
This becomes even more apparent when we look at all 13 linked letter pairs that are possible at one particular setting (initial setting AAZ in Figure 6 and AAA in Figure 7). The examples on the left don’t use the plugboard, while the ones on the right swap 20 letters with 10 cables.
The scrambling units in the left examples deliver 13 possible letter pairs (marked with different colours) – the cipher alphabet for that setting. When the plugboard doesn’t have any cables attached, the current for a specific letter flows directly through it and illuminates the corresponding lamp.
If however letters are swapped with plugboard cables, as seen in the examples on the right, then the current is diverted to a different lamp (or is diverted before it even enters the scrambling unit). The 13 letter pairs are different. BUT: the electrical pathways through the rotors and reflector are NOT AFFECTED. This fact is incredibly important when it comes to dealing with Turing’s idea behind his crucial codebreaking machine, the Bombe.
A 3-rotor Enigma machine without plugboard cables has approximately the following number of different settings (when three rotors are chosen from five possibilities):
Choice and position of rotors: 60 possibilities x
Possible rotor settings: 26 x 26 x 26 possibilities = 1,054,560 different settings
If you add 10 cables to the plugboard, the number of different possibilities becomes almost astronomical:
Choice and position of rotors: 60 possibilities x
Possible rotor settings: 26 x 26 x 26 possibilities x
10 plugboard cables, connecting 20 letters: 150,738,274,937,250 possibilities = 158,962,555,217,826,360,000 different settings.
This huge number is one of the reasons the Germans in World War II were so convinced the cipher could not be broken. What Alan Turing was able to do was figure out how to basically link several Enigma machines in a particular way so that the plugboard settings became irrelevant. In a few chapters time we will take a closer look at how the Turing Bombe mechanically searched for a particular scrambling unit setting (which is not affected by the plugboard).
This triumph of the human mind over a machine is what fascinates me the most about the Enigma story. The next chapter will show how messages enciphered by the Enigma machine were first decoded in the 1930s, due to the brilliant work of Polish cryptanalysts.
—
Next Post: ENIGMA Chapter 5 – Polish Pre-War Codebreaking Successes
Books:
SINGH, Simon. The Code Book. The Secret History of Codes and Code-Breaking. London, 1999
WELCHMAN, Gordon. The Hut Six Story. Breaking the Enigma Codes. Oxford, 1997
