The Imitation Game : Film
 

For those PPRuNe Members who have an interest in the history of WWII Enigma, Cryptography and Ultra Ops in general, I would thoroughly recommend watching the recently released film entitled 'The Imitation Game'. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing with Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke. The story is very well told IMHO.

http://images.radiotimes.com/namedim...inal/49922.jpg

Image Credit : Radio Times

It makes you shudder to think of the consequences had Turing not been successful in developing one of the first computers to help decrypt enemy message traffic. Even more chilling is the fact that not all decrypts could be used for fear of revealing the fact we had broken the Enigma Code.

Actually it has been pointed out that being able to decrypt enemy comms is only useful if you can do something about it

You have to have ships/troops/aircraft able to respond.........

Heathrow Harry,

True, but it enables you to deploy your limited resources in the most efficient way (of vital importance in the anti-U boat campaign).

I believe that, right to the end, Hitler and the German Intelligence believed that the Enigma system was inherently impregnable (and really, if you examine it closely, most people would agree).

It was the special genius of Turing and all who worked at Bletchley Park that achieved the seemingly impossible. It is arguable that he saved Britain.

D.

Well said Danny :ok:

And the single weakness of Enigma was that no letter was ever encrypted as itself!

If I may be allowed to lower the tone for a moment....... anything with Keira Knightley in it is worth watching :D

A good film with a few factual errors (not just the trivial such as a PzIV Ausf H supposedly running over a British tin hat in 1941, but also that it depicted Bently Priory as virtually empty until mid-war! Adds to the drama I suppose). Well put together though and worth the watch. (Also saw "Mr Turner" this week - superb acting and photography but let down by the total inadequacy of the script and screenplay leaving more questions than answers).

Worth pointing out that ENIGMA continued to be used as a source of Intelligence long after the end of WW2... I believe a number of South American countries (Chile springs to mind) were gifted Enigma sets, will the knowledge their usage could be monitored...


all in here ( a fantastic book btw) :
Worth pointing out it T'was the poles who did the first crack of Enigma; Turing was exceptional at industrialising its exploitation and providing direction when the system changed (increased rotors on SHARK etc)

Quote: It was the special genius of Turing and all who worked at Bletchley Park that achieved the seemingly impossible. It is arguable that he saved Britain. unquote . . .
. . . and not forgetting all the military Y-service operators and their civilian counterparts who provided the raw material for Bletchley to play with.

By coincidence, one of our French masters at school was Maj Hugh Skillen, pivotal in the "Y" Service, and later historian of Bletchley Park, and a member of the yacht club of which I was Secretary for 10 years was (Sub Lt) David Balme, who took an Enigma machine off U-110 . Small world

This film will be appreciated by me if it means that every single reference to Benedict Cumberbatch will cease to be bracketed with a reference to Sherlock, which was unadulterated piffle fit only for kids.

Personally I always associate him with the role of the captain in the excellent Radio 4 comedy Cabin Pressure, and he was a pretty good Peter Gwillam in the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Looking forward to seeing the flick.

Indeed, must go and see it.

Don't tell me how it ends! :}

I like Sherlock - must be time to grow up, then! :ok:

LJ
I tried 'growing up' but didn't rate it so binned it ... a lot happier now :E

Leon ...

I'd still keep the SD Deerstalker though :ok:

For those, like me, that haven't seen it yet...


I like the look of it. Waiting for Amazon to have it.

Fully intend to go see the film but I hope this guy gets a mention. Little known fact but the UK had a working digital Exchange by 1968 through no small input from Tommy

Tommy Flowers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

THE EMPRESS PCM DIGITAL TANDEM EXCHANGE

Does it mention the Poles?

Better than an M48 or M60 even.