Permanent historical factsheet

Enigma Machine

Great Britain · Warfare / World War, 2nd. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.

70Records
1937–1945Date range
29Named people
8Places

Chronological records

1937

Dilly KnoxApril 1937

Warfare / World War, 2nd

Breaks a modified commercial Enigma system used by forces supporting Franco in the Spanish Civil War.

1938

William Francis ClarkeSeptember 1938

Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leads service-section staff, including the Enigma team, during the Bletchley Park wartime rehearsal.

Dilly KnoxSeptember 1938

Warfare / World War, 2nd

Takes his Enigma team to Bletchley Park during the GC&CS wartime rehearsal.

1939

Alastair DennistonJanuary 1939

Paris · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Represents GC&CS at the January Paris meeting with Polish and French cryptologists.

Dilly KnoxJanuary 1939

Paris · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Attends the January Paris meeting and assesses the allied position against military Enigma.

Alastair Denniston25 July 1939

Pyry · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Learns at Pyry that Poland has reconstructed military Enigma and built working cryptanalytic machinery.

Dilly Knox25 July 1939

Pyry · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Receives a detailed explanation of the Polish solution to military Enigma at Pyry.

Alan Mathison Turing4 September 1939

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The day after the UK declared war on Germany, Turing reports to Bletchley Park, the wartime station of GC&CS

Frank BirchSeptember 1939

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Rejoins GC&CS as head of the German Naval subsection, whose principal cipher challenge is Naval Enigma.

Gordon WelchmanSeptember 1939

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins Bletchley Park and begins work on the large-scale problem of German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma.

Edward TravisNovember 1939

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Receives responsibility for the Enigma decryption teams and works alongside Turing and Welchman.

1940

John Jeffreys23 January 1940

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Dilly Knox23 January 1940

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Alan Mathison Turing23 January 1940

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Peter Twin23 January 1940

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The first operational break into Enigma when the team working under Dilly Knox, with the mathematicians John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn and Alan Turing, unravelled the German Army administrative key that became known at Bletchley Park as The Green, encouraged by this success, the codebreakers later crack the Red key used by the Luftwaffe

Alan Mathison TuringJanuary 1940

Paris · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Meets Polish cryptanalysts in Paris and absorbs techniques that influence the British Bombe design.

Gordon WelchmanJanuary 1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Takes charge of Hut 6 as it develops industrial-scale attacks on Army and Luftwaffe Enigma.

Alan Mathison Turing18 March 1940

Warfare / World War, 2nd

The first bombe is installed

Harold KeenMarch 1940

Letchworth · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leads British Tabulating Machine engineering work that turns Turing's Bombe design into operational hardware.

Peter TwinnMarch 1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Breaks several German Naval Enigma messages from late 1938 using the Fort crib method.

Dennis BabbageAugust 1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins senior Hut 6 cryptanalysts protesting a proposed transfer of the Luftwaffe Red Enigma task.

Harold KeenAugust 1940

Letchworth · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Oversees engineering of the improved Bombe known as Agnus Dei, incorporating Welchman's diagonal board.

Gordon WelchmanAugust 1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Introduces the diagonal board, sharply reducing false stops and making the Bombe far more effective.

Hugh Alexander1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works in Hut 6 on German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma before later transferring to Naval Enigma.

Dennis Babbage1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins Hut 6 and applies advanced mathematics to German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma.

Joan Clarke1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Arrives at Bletchley Park and is assigned to Turing's Hut 8 team working on Naval Enigma.

Joan Clarke1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Becomes skilled in Banburismus, reducing the Bombe processing required for Naval Enigma.

Mavis Lever1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins Dilly Knox's team and learns techniques for attacking Enigma variants used by Axis forces.

Stuart Milner-Barry1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works in Hut 6 on German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma and helps organise the growing cryptanalytic operation.

Margaret Rock1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works with Dilly Knox's section on Enigma variants used by German intelligence and other Axis organisations.

Gordon Welchman1940

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leads Hut 6 as regular Luftwaffe Enigma reading begins to provide operational intelligence.

1941

Alastair DennistonJanuary 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Shows visiting American intelligence officers the British Bombe during the Sinkov Mission.

Dilly KnoxMarch 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leads cryptanalysis of Italian naval Enigma traffic that contributes intelligence before Cape Matapan.

Mavis LeverMarch 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Helps Knox's team read Italian naval Enigma traffic before the Battle of Cape Matapan.

Joe Baker-Cresswell9 May 1941

Atlantic Ocean · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Orders a boarding party onto disabled U-110, enabling capture of an intact Enigma machine and code material.

David Balme9 May 1941

Atlantic Ocean · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Boards U-110 and recovers an Enigma machine, rotors, codebooks and current cryptographic material.

George Dodds9 May 1941

Atlantic Ocean · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Participates in the U-110 capture operation that secures valuable German Enigma material.

Joan ClarkeMay 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works in Hut 8 as captured U-boat material helps restore access to German Naval Enigma traffic.

Alan Mathison TuringMay 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Uses captured German naval cryptographic material to strengthen Hut 8 attacks on U-boat Enigma.

Rolf Noskwith20 June 1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins Hut 8 to work on German Naval Enigma immediately after completing his Cambridge examinations.

Alan Mathison TuringJune 1941

Warfare / World War, 2nd

Has set up a good working system for decrypting Enigma signals but there were only a few bombes so not enough time to translate all the signals, in the summer there was considerable success and shipping losses had fallen to under 100,000 tons a month

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill28 October 1941

London · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Orders urgent priority for Bletchley Park resources after receiving the codebreakers' appeal for more support.

Alan Mathison Turing28 October 1941

Warfare / World War, 2nd

Make sure they have all they want on extreme priority and report to me that this has been done.", more than two hundred bombes were in operation by the end of the war.

Alan Mathison Turing28 October 1941

Warfare / World War, 2nd

This record states: Churchill then wrote a memo to General Ismay which read: "ACTION THIS DAY.

Alan Mathison Turing28 October 1941

Warfare / World War, 2nd

This record states: Writes directly to Churchill spelling out his difficulties emphasising how small the need is compared with the vast expenditure of men and money by the forces and compared with the level of assistance they could offer.

Hugh Alexander1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Moves to Hut 8 and joins the concentrated effort against German Naval Enigma.

Frank Birch1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Becomes head of the GC&CS Naval Section as Naval Enigma assumes growing importance in the Atlantic.

Rolf Noskwith1941

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Develops a strong reputation for finding useful cribs in German Naval Enigma traffic.

1942

Peter TwinnJanuary 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leaves Hut 8 to become deputy to Dilly Knox in the section attacking Abwehr Enigma.

Alan Mathison TuringFebruary 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Faces the loss of readable U-boat traffic when four-rotor Naval Enigma creates the Shark blackout.

John TiltmanApril 1942

Washington · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Visits U.S. Navy cryptanalysts and argues for closer sharing of Enigma results and methods.

Tommy Brown30 October 1942

Mediterranean Sea · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Carries captured U-559 codebooks and Enigma material from the sinking submarine to the British boarding party.

Francis Anthony Blair Fasson30 October 1942

Mediterranean Sea · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Boards sinking U-559 and retrieves Enigma key material before drowning when the submarine founders.

Colin Grazier30 October 1942

Mediterranean Sea · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Enters U-559 with Fasson and helps recover documents vital to renewed attacks on four-rotor Naval Enigma.

Frank BirchOctober 1942

Washington · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Travels to Washington and helps negotiate full collaboration with the U.S. Navy on communications intelligence.

Edward TravisOctober 1942

Washington · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Joins Birch in Washington negotiations that strengthen British-American cooperation against Naval Enigma.

Peter TwinnNovember 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works on the specialised Abwehr-Enigma Bombe Funf, installed at Bletchley Park in November.

Hugh AlexanderDecember 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Helps restore reading of four-rotor U-boat Enigma as Hut 8 breaks Shark again in December.

Caroline RowettDecember 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works in the Naval Section's U-boat watch as renewed Enigma decrypts begin arriving after the December Shark break.

Shaun WylieDecember 1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Contributes to the December recovery of four-rotor Shark, ending a prolonged Naval Enigma blackout.

Hugh Alexander1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Leads Hut 8 work on the four-rotor Naval Enigma problem during the Shark blackout.

Shaun Wylie1942

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Works in Hut 8 on German Naval Enigma and contributes to the attack on four-rotor Shark traffic.

1943

Peter TwinnFebruary 1943

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Becomes head of the ISK section responsible for cryptanalysis of German Abwehr Enigma.

Peter TwinnSeptember 1943

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Sees the specialised Abwehr-Enigma Bombe Eureka installed as ISK expands mechanised attacks.

Gordon WelchmanSeptember 1943

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Becomes head of Machine Coordination and Development, overseeing mechanised support for Enigma cryptanalysis.

Dennis Babbage1943

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Heads Hut 6 Research and supports increasingly systematic attacks on German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma.

1944

Gordon WelchmanMarch 1944

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Serves as Assistant Director of Machines and Mechanical Devices while Bombe operations continue supporting Enigma exploitation.

Peter TwinnMay 1944

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Sees Oracle, the third specialised Twinn-type Bombe for Abwehr Enigma, installed in May.

Ian FlemingJune 1944

London · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Supports D-Day intelligence planning that directs 30 Assault Unit to seize German Enigma machines, codebooks and cipher material.

1945

Joan ClarkeMay 1945

Bletchley Park · Warfare / World War, 2nd

Remains in Hut 8 through the end of the European war, continuing work on German Naval Enigma.

Names involved

Alan Mathison TuringAlastair DennistonCaroline RowettColin GrazierDavid BalmeDennis BabbageDilly KnoxEdward TravisFrancis Anthony Blair FassonFrank BirchGeorge DoddsGordon WelchmanHarold KeenHugh AlexanderIan FlemingJoan ClarkeJoe Baker-CresswellJohn JeffreysJohn TiltmanMargaret RockMavis LeverPeter TwinPeter TwinnRolf NoskwithShaun WylieStuart Milner-BarryTommy BrownWilliam Francis ClarkeWinston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Provenance

This factsheet is generated from stored World History Database records matching the country, broad category, detailed category and exact Event value shown above. Duplicate display records are collapsed; database wording is otherwise preserved. Source provenance varies by record, so formal academic citation should be checked against the relevant primary source, archive or specialist historical reference.