A most secret war

Air Classics, May 2001

The Ultra and Fellgiebel riddles

It was only in the 1970s that the British authorities admitted that during World War Two that they had broken the German Enigma codes. From then onwards, much of the analysis of the struggle against the Nazis has assumed that the British and the Allies gained a vital advantage through their knowledge of German plans. The story of the breaking and use of the German transcripts is undoubtedly a fascinating account of undercover activities during the war. However, are contemporary historians in danger of over-exaggerating the importance of Enigma? In Without Enigma, published by Ian Allen, British historian Kenneth Macksey seeks to explore in depth the impact of Enigma on both sides during the course of the war. Based upon detailed analysis of the records along with well-informed interpretation, the author describes a scenario in which the Germans become fully aware of the British breaking of the codes and reconstructs how the Nazis would have responded. The story is also interwoven with the grossly underrated role of General Erick Fellgiebel - the Nazis' head of Wehrmacht and Army Signal Services - in both the countermeasures and also the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Drawing upon his detailed knowledge of the period and interlacing this with carefully argued speculation, the author's narrative is a compelling counter-argument to the prevailing myth of the importance of Enigma. The conclusions to which it comes to will certainly lead to considerable debate.