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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 295 mm, v + 110 pages.
ISBN 978-0-85420-193-8 Hardback Edition: £27.99
ISBN 978-0-85420-114-3 Softback Edition: £17.99
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.
ii + 127 pages, 3 ills, 7 maps & 5 appendices.
ISBN 978-0-85420-224-9 Hardback Edition: £27.99
ISBN 978-0-85420-229-4 Softback Edition: £17.99
Volume III/1: 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. In World War I he was a
member of the Room 40 team at the Admiralty and in WW.II.
and was a senior member of staff at Bletchley Park. He gained
a double first whilst at Cambridge University, after World
War I he was a fellow of King's College Cambridge. From
1937 he was advising the head of the Government Code &
Cypher School (GC&CS). After World War II he was head
of the historical section of GCHQ. 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 became 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 as 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.
This volume 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. There
is also an appreciation of Frank Birch.
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.
210 x 295 mm, xli - 184 pages, includes extensive glossary
and list of abbreviations, 32 pages of diagrams
ISBN 978-0-85420-273-7 Hardback Edition £32.99
ISBN 978-0-85420-278-2 Softback Edition £19.99
Volume III/2: THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SIGNALS
INTELLIGENCE 1914-1945
By Frank Birch: Edited by John Jackson
In preparation for publication in Autumn 2006.
Volume IV: FIGURING IT OUT AT BLETCHLEY PARK, 1939 TO
1945
By Kerry Howard & John Gallehawk
This is a compendium of information on the Government Code
& Cipher School at Bletchley Park in World War II. The
cipher and code breaking activities of this, then secret,
establishment are well known now, as is the world-wide dissemination
of the resulting intelligence material and appraisals. This
book includes tables that show the number of signals sent
on the BRUSA wireless network that linked- Colombo, Bletchley
Park, Washington, Pearl Harbour and Melbourne together with
Naval Commanders in the Pacific. The tables give the number
of Allied messages and decrypts of intercepted Japanese
coded transmissions, sent on the network during periods
of a week by each station for a range of different codes.
Tables based on an original report by Commander Travis,
show the number of German Army, Air Force, Police &
Railway cipher keys broken, messages intercepted and decrypted
during a seven-month period in 1941-1942. Also presented
are the "Z Records" for the decipherment of German
Naval Enigma detailing the Cipher Nets and the several Decipherment
Indicators that indicate the number of days when a "net"
was broken as well as the time lag involved.
It will be obvious that a large team of men and women carried
out this vital work. In September 1939 there were 137 staff
on site all but 6 of whom were civilians but by mid-1944
there was a total of nearly 9000 at the Park and the Outstations,
of this total nearly 7000 were women. The total continued
to increase until almost mid-1945. The tables show a breakdown
between civilians and service as well as SIS personnel.
Thereafter the chapters provide information on the numbers
and types of personnel in the Outstations, also the numbers
of personnel in the different services, the numbers of officers
and other ranks and this includes data on US personnel.
The chapters also provide information on the numbers in
the different Sections and Huts at the Park. The number
of personnel on the Japanese cryptography training courses
is analysed.
Aspects of such a large number of staff are many and varied.
Amongst some of these factors presented in the book are
Sickness levels, which in fact seem to be below the national
average at the time but this rate varied considerably depending
upon the time of year and the Billeting arrangements because
this was a major consideration. Coupled to this of course
is the Catering - the feeding of the Park staff that eventually
expanded onto a 24-hour basis, because the Park eventually
worked on a "three-shift" basis round the clock.
This meant not only had a large number of people to be fed
but, meals had to be provided throughout the 24 hour cycle.
By 1942, some 30,000 meals were provided each week and there
is a comprehensive breakdown of the numbers and types of
meals. In conjunction with this in 1942, a small pig farm
was started. Pig farming was encouraged during the war and
many organisations started their own farms.
The movement of a considerable and rapidly increasing number
of staff required a 24-hour, seven days a week, transport
service and statistics are provided on this aspect.
210 x 295 mm 190 pages, 43 tables, 19 figures, diagrams,
maps
[publication Summer 2006]
Hardback edition £ 32.99
Softback edition £ 19.99
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Front Page
Bletchley Archive Series