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Seizing the Enigma

The Race to Break the German U-Boats Codes, 1939–1943

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Seizing the Enigma

By: David Kahn
Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
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About this listen

For almost four desperate years, between 1939 and 1943, British and American navies fought a savage, losing battle against German submarine wolf packs. The Allies might never have turned the tide of that historic battle without an intelligence coup. The race to break the German U-boat codes is one of the last great untold stories of World War II.

David Kahn, the world’s leading historian of cryptology, brings to life this tense, behind-the-scenes drama for the first time. Seizing the Enigma provides the definitive account of how British and American code breakers fought a war of wits against Nazi naval communications and helped lead the Allies to victory in the crucial Battle of the Atlantic.

©1991 David Khan (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Armed Forces Freedom & Security Military Naval Forces Politics & Government War Submarine Espionage U-Boat Imperialism

Critic reviews

“The best historian of cryptography explains the cracking of the Naval Enigma cipher.... David Kahn writes with authority and enthusiasm.” (Simon Singh, author of The Code Book and Fermat's Last Theorem)
“[Kahn] underscores the strategic importance of submarine warfare in the Atlantic, giving a balanced account of the ultimate importance of code breaking in that arena. High drama at sea seizing German codebooks and equipment and analytical genius ashore were essential. Kahn describes both of these matching efforts expertly. Informed laypersons and specialists will find this book valuable and intriguing.” ( Library Journal)
“Kahn provides detailed, action-packed accounts (drawn from interviews with surviving eyewitnesses on both sides) of the bold seizures that yielded vital documents…A first-rate briefing on the use of brawn as well as brains to alleviate the U-boat threat.” ( Kirkus Reviews)
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The story of code breaking is fascinating but the poor reading makes it difficult to listen to. Mr Mayes reading has strange inflections, pauses, and an over-emphasised exact style that makes it almost machine-like. I will persist but in spite of the reading rather than because of it.

Great content - poor delivery

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The story, as might be expected, is very complicated but illustrates the achievements of the Poles and Allies. In contrast to other reviewers I liked the narrative style. An extraordinary research feat!

Unsurprisingly complex but worth it..

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Good story, good back ground to enigma well done every one involved from pre war Poland to the USA the only thing that I didn't like was Americanisms eg traveling on the railroad to Bletchley park

Enigma what a history

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Whatever its faults, if you want to listen to genuine history this book is one to try. It's slow-moving but then life is slow-moving. It's thorough, and the author clearly has a profound grasp of the topics.
At times thrilling and suspenseful. And doesn't portray the Germans as monsters.
It has faults but its upsides outweigh them.
This book comes off very well when compared with Ben Macintyre's yarny 'Agent Zigzag' (2007 & 2016), one of his typical ahistorical romanticisations of WW2 horrors; e.g. in Chapter 7 'Codebreakers' totally exaggerates the success of Bletchley Park codebreakers e.g. 'From that moment (8.1940) until the end of the war, British intelligence continuously intercepted and read the wireless traffic of the German secret service.' That statement is close to being a lie; it is a serious untruth.
Kahn's book (reviewed here) smashes that idea, and goes into the necessary detail about the inability of BP to make sense of e.g. German U-Boot's (submarines) messages which led to the loss of huge numbers of Allied ships and personnel.
That is the difference between the two books, and in my opinion demonstrates why Kahn's book is praiseworthy, while Macintyre's is schmaltz.

Authentic WW2 history that doesn't glamourise

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quite an informative read. perhaps a little too much useless detail. Such as repeated grid coordinates rather than "a bit further north"
Also the narrator's mock accents in the first half of the book are a bit grating.
Overall though a good listen on the Enigma history.

Informative

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