Why Is Code Breaking Important

Code breaking, or cryptanalysis, is the procedures, processes, methods, etc., used to translate or interpret secret writings, as codes and ciphers, for which the key is unknown. Today it is fairly easy with the surplus of complex digital encryption systems that are available to break codes. However, during World War II, the need for seclusion forced allies and enemies alike to establish their own various forms of encrypted communication.

While there are hundreds of different codes and cipher systems in the world, there are some universal traits and techniques cryptanalysts use to solve them. Patience and perseverance are two of the most important qualities in a cryptanalyst. Solving a cipher can take a lot of time, sometimes requiring a person to retrace his or her steps or start over. It is tempting to give up when a person is faced with a particularly challenging cipher. Another important skill to have is a strong familiarity with the language in which the plaintext is written. Trying to solve a coded message written in an unfamiliar language is almost
It was so secret - everyone who worked there had to sign the Official Secrets Act for life. The number of codebreakers who worked there rose, as the war went on; from a relatively small team in 1938 to around 10,000 people - code- breakers, Wrens, and WAAFs. The employees did not live at the house. All these people, mainly young, were harbored around the town and nearby villages. At Bletchley, there was no average day. Code breaking went on around the clock, in a three-shift system, and in different huts. It is simply impossible to know how many codes and ciphers were decrypted in total - largely because Bletchley was so mind-bogglingly successful. They read messages from the German army, navy, air force, and secret service… even messages from the desk of Hitler himself. The last German code was broken in January