Re: Spot the deliberate mistake

David Hamer <dhamer@...> writes:

>
> Geoff...
>
> The story is told in, of course, much more detail in "The Secret in
> Building 26" by Jim DeBrosse and Colin Burke, Random House 2004.
> ISBN 0-375-50807-4.
>
> I just checked <http://www.amazon.co.uk/> and it appears to be available
> in the UK.
>
> David Hamer
>
> At 08:59 4/29/05, Geoff Sullivan wrote:
> >No one has yet...
> >I presume the black out referred to below was the introduction of M4. This
was in February 1942. Re-entry to
> the German Naval codes must have been mainly due to the heroic actions of
Fasson and Grazier on October 30
> 1942, rather than the USA 4-wheel Bombes. I think Shark was mostly read after
the end of 1942.
> >American journalists and script writers rarely get Enigma history correct...
> >
> >cheers,
> >
> >geoff
> >
> >
> >
> >Codebreakers' next task is preservation
> >Saving the Dayton building that turned the tide of WWII
> >By Jim DeBrosse
> >
> >Dayton Daily News
> >DAYTON  - During World War II, Britain and America worked closely togethe=
> >r to break the German Enigma codes, an effort that saved millions of live=
> >s by shortening the bloody conflict in Europe by two years, some experts =
> >
> ><SNIPPED>
> >
> >Desch - the father of Debbie Desch Anderson - is credited with designing =
> >an American version of Britain's Enigma-busting Bombe that enabled the al=
> >lies to re-enter the German naval code in 1943 after Bletchley Park had b=
> >een blacked out for months.
> >
> ><SNIPPED>
>


David,

Having examined a copy of the DeBrosse and Burke book:

On page 102 credit is correctly given to the Bletchley three-wheel Bombes in
breaking the March 1943 blackout. However the statement has some errors - it
mentions the U-599 capture as the source material, but this had expired - hence
the blackout!

The first break by a Dayton machine (p 119) is given as June 22 , decrypting a
May 31 message.
I understand the machines were not available in numbers until summer '43
(possibly August or September)

Perhaps one day a more accurate account will appear in print.

cheers,

Geoff