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An Enigma No Longer

How the Allies Broke Germany's Enigma Cypher Machine

The German military in World War II used a fiendish cypher machine known as the Enigma to communicate. They believed the Enigma to be so complex that no one could decode the messages. They were wrong.

Before and during the duration of World War 2, the German military used a very complicated cypher machine known as the Enigma for communications to and from military units. The complexity of the Enigma mechanism led German leaders to believe that messages sent via the machine were “unbreakable;” i.e., no one would ever be able to decode them. Their faith in the Enigma was misplaced, as brilliant scientists, beginning in Poland in the 1930s, were able to develop measures that enabled the Allies to decode those messages with ever-increasing speed. The Allied ability to read German plans and intentions helped to win key battles, especially the six-year-long struggle against German submarines seeking to sever the supply lines between North America and Great Britain.

Presented by Greig Siedor, a retired environmental lawyer with a lifelong interest in history, especially the history of warfare in the 20th century. He has given presentations on various subjects relating to World Wars One and Two to the Geneva Public Library, the adult education program at the College of DuPage, the Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) at Waubonsee Community College, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

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