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 BLETCHLEY
SERIES
A new series of publications about Ultra, the high-grade
intelligence decrypted from the German Enigma coding machine
by Bletchley Park during World War Two. It was here that
German, Italian and Japanese radio signals were sent to
be de-cyphered and then distributed to Allied leaders and
field commanders. The Series represents a unique body of
knowledge about the best-kept secret of the War.
Volume I: THE SECRET WAR OF HUT 3:
Edited by John Jackson.
Foreword by Peter Calvocoressi, Head of Air Section at Bletchley
Park during the War. At the end of World War II, those who
had actually worked in the Hut wrote a history of the activities
of Hut 3. The result was so sensitive that it was immediately
given the highest security classification: Top Secret
– Ultra. Now declassified and in the Public Record Office,
this monograph is based on this publication. Hut 3 was responsible
for the processing of the signals once the code in which
they had been transmitted had been broken. They translated
and annotated them and reported the contents to Government
departments and commanders in the field. Churchill received
the most important decrypts direct. Hut 3, at its peak of
activity, had some 580 men and women working in it, which
included 21 Americans. Hut 3 developed into an intelligence
organisation the like of which had never been seen before.
Their index systems, the technical expertise and research
facilities were unique. The monograph explains how Hut 3
handled the signals they received, and how their processing
enhanced the value of the signals. There are chapters on
the Military, Air and Naval Sections, also the Duty Officers,
Signals Section, the Special Liaison Units, the German Book
Room, Hitler’s Secret Weapons and the arrival of the Americans.
210 x 295mm, 110 pages + v.
ISBN 0-85420-193-9 Hardback edition: £25.00
ISBN 0-85420-114-9 Softback edition: £15.00
Volume II: ULTRA’S ARCTIC WAR
By John Jackson
The Arctic convoys that took vital supplies at enormous
risk to Russia during the Second World War did so within
range of Germany’s Luftwaffe, surface ships and U-boats.
These convoys were watched over by Bletchley Park codebreakers
and intelligence officers, through decrypts of the German
Enigma coding machine. In particular, these decrypts were
closely involved in three of the key actions of the Arctic
battles – the sinking of the battlecruiser Scharnhorst,
the destruction of the battleship Tirpitz and the disastrous
PQ17 convoy. This book examines the Ultra decodes, and for
the first time lists the key details in these events in
chronological order, detailing the role of the decrypts
in a virtual minute-by-minute breakdown of how the signals
were used in these key actions.
127 pages + ii, 3 stills, 7 maps, 5 appendices.
ISBN 0-85420-224-2 Hardback Edition: £25.00
ISBN 0-85420-229-3 Softback edition: £15.00
Volume III: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE
1914-1945
by Frank Birch : edited by John Jackson
This is the first time that this Official History has appeared
in print. It was written in the period immediately after
World War II when the author was the official “Sigint” historian
in the United Kingdom. He was allowed full access to all
records and to ensure accuracy the original manuscript was
reviewed by officers of G.C.H.Q. The History has only recently
been declassified. It is the most authoritative account
of how the British Signals Intelligence organisation was
developed to become such a powerful instrument in defeating
the Axis. The History begins with an analysis of the rôle
and effectiveness of Signals Intelligence in World War I
and the aftermath up to the early 1930s. With the increasing
threat from Japan, Italy and Germany in the mid 1930s efforts
were made to improve the Signals Intelligence at home and
overseas. With the outbreak of war in 1939 the skeleton
of what became the World War II organisation was in place.
There were considerable problems that had to be overcome
not least the competing requirements of the Fighting Services
as well the friction between the UK and overseas commands.
What was eventually arrived at was a unique system that
involved the Fighting Services, the Foreign Office and an
array of civilians, many of whom had come from the academic
foundations. The history includes numerous tables and diagrams
that explain the development of the organisation and how
it worked, also the inter-connections and the flow of information.
For instance “The Chain of Control of Interception in 1941”
shows how the “Y Organisation” Committee, which was headed
by the Chief of the Secret Service, reported directly to
the Chiefs of Staff. Whilst the G.C & C.S (Bletchley Park)
activities, known now as G.C.H.Q, have been well documented,
it was only part of the “SIGINT” operations. This history
details and explains one of World War II’s greatest secrets.
THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE:
1914 - 1945 : VOLUME 1 (Part 1)
Includes First World War and after, the "Preparations
for a New Emergency - the pre WW.II organization. World
War II - the Phoney War, the Norwegian & French Campaigns,
plans in the event of invasion. The importance of "Y".
Military & Air Sigint at Bletchley, Organisations in
the Mediterranean, Middle East & Far East. Naval Sigint
in the UK. Traffic Analysis. Footnotes and sources. Also
an appreciation of Frank Birch.
Xli - 184 pages, includes extensive glossary
and list of abbreviations, 32 pages of diagrams.
ISBN 0-85420-273-0 Hardback Edition £32.99
ISBN 0-85420-278-1 Softback Edition £19.99
The next volume is due in early 2005.
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Bletchley Archive Series