Movies and Films
This is the forum for Movie and Film discussions. Again, our topic is naval warfare in WWII for the most part.
RE: The U-505
Posted by:
Don Baker
()
Date: March 04, 2001 09:48PM
<HTML>Hi Clark
It is evident from your comment you do not understand how the Enigma machine worked. The British capture of the first Enigma machine was a giant step forward for the Allies in their ability to read German Enigma traffic. However, even after gaining possesion of an Enigma machine it took a long time to decode a message; sometimes many hours, sometimes days, and sometimes weeks. This was because the Enigma machine had to be set-up to code and de-code messages in accordance with tables of code settings and schedules. Unfortunately, the code settings and schedules, which were carried on each boat, were not captured with that first machine. However, the British scientists were able to study the machine and figure out how it worked which enabled them to de-code messages but it took a tremendous amount of time to do it without the code settings and schedules. In many instances the information obtained was useless or seriously degraded because of the time required to de-code.
The great value of the U-505 capture was not the capture of another Enigma machine, but rather in the capture of the code setting tables and schedules which from that time on enabled the Allies to read German traffic as fast as the Germans themselves could read it. Thousands of hours of de-coding time was saved and actions to be taken determined immediately upon the basis of de-coded information.
Don Baker
</HTML>
It is evident from your comment you do not understand how the Enigma machine worked. The British capture of the first Enigma machine was a giant step forward for the Allies in their ability to read German Enigma traffic. However, even after gaining possesion of an Enigma machine it took a long time to decode a message; sometimes many hours, sometimes days, and sometimes weeks. This was because the Enigma machine had to be set-up to code and de-code messages in accordance with tables of code settings and schedules. Unfortunately, the code settings and schedules, which were carried on each boat, were not captured with that first machine. However, the British scientists were able to study the machine and figure out how it worked which enabled them to de-code messages but it took a tremendous amount of time to do it without the code settings and schedules. In many instances the information obtained was useless or seriously degraded because of the time required to de-code.
The great value of the U-505 capture was not the capture of another Enigma machine, but rather in the capture of the code setting tables and schedules which from that time on enabled the Allies to read German traffic as fast as the Germans themselves could read it. Thousands of hours of de-coding time was saved and actions to be taken determined immediately upon the basis of de-coded information.
Don Baker
</HTML>
