Enigma: Book Review

This book was written in 1984 and is one of several on the topic of the Enigma encryption machines used during World War II. As I read the book, I was constantly reminded of things happening right here and now in 2022.

The story focuses on the contribution of a Polish cryptology department and three amazing mathematicians, Marian Rejewski, Jerry Rozyck, and Henryk Warsaw under some excellent leadership, all of which was kept very secret for good reasons! All these years later, the author is shining the light and putting the record straight on the significant Polish contributions in decrypting German communications.

There were other countries working on cryptology, even prior to World War II. This team eventually shared their hacking successes with England and France. Throughout the war, the Germans continued to change the cipher process in various ways, but each time, these teams tackled the new challenge. Decrypting these messages was absolutely critical to the success and subsequent victory of the Allied forces. 

The layout is well researched and truly conveys the successes, failures, and the personal risks and sacrifices this team and many others made. It also highlights the arrogance of the Nazi party since they thought the encryptions could not be decrypted, but they were wrong. In addition to the story of these men, this special program, and the historical timeline, there are many pictures and articles; Highly Recommended! – CMW