Breaking the Enigma code
Polish contribution to victory

Andrzej Dabrowa, Ph.D.

Enigma machine M Rajewski H Zygalski J. Rozycki
Chapters
  1. Synopsis
  2. Historical background
  3. Breaking the Enigma Code
  4. Polish decrypting effort 1930-1939
  5. Polish decrypting effort 1939-1945
  6. English decrypting effort - the beginnings
  7. England - Bletchley Park
  8. United States in the secret war
  9. Battle of Britain
  10. British northeast Africa
  11. Invasion of French northwest Africa
  12. Battle of the Atlantic
  13. Battle of the terror weapons V1 & V2
  14. German atrocities
  15. Enigma security
  16. Conclusion
  17. Epilogue
  18. Glossary and abbreviations
  19. References

10. British northeast Africa

Bletchley Park involvement with the British northeast African war theatre started early in 1941 when they established a direct line to Cairo and began regular transmission of Enigma intelligence. This was about the time when general Rommel invaded Libya and began his offensive towards Egypt.

In September 1941 Bletchley Park made a major breakthrough by breaking the German Army Enigma cipher for North Africa. This was of the utmost importance in the theatre where the situation was very volatile and the front moved back and forth six times throughout the campaign. To be more responsive to the needs of the African campaign, in July 1942 Bletchley Park established an African intercept and decrypt centre in Cairo. Both they and Cairo decrypted Army Operational Reports and, by October, Army Chief Quartermaster Reports. The Enigma decrypts from July through October provided the British with intelligence information on the Axis ships supplying Rommel's army with much needed ammunition and fuel. This allowed the Allied navy to sink 47 supply ships and to permanently cripple the Afrika Korp,

Dissatisfaction with the progress of the African campaign caused the British prime Minister, Winston Churchill, to nominate general Montgomery as chief of the British Eighth Army and to urge him to press the attack on Rommel. On November 7/8th, 1942, Anglo-American forces landed in Morocco and Tunisia and began tightening the grip on the Axis forces. By that time Rommel reported to Hitler that the Afrika Korp was exhausted and could not fight any more. Attempts to transport fuel and ammunition by air were too sporadic, totally inadequate and had little effect on the progress of the campaign. Throughout the African campaign Enigma intelligence played a vital role in Allied decision making.

The fast advancing British Eighth and American First armies linked up in Tunisia on the 7th April 1943, taking 150,000 prisoners. This ended the Axis presence in Africa and established a safe base from which to launch the invasion of Italy.

(c) 2003 A R Dabrowa