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Here is a documentary about Gordon Welchman. He was with Alan Turing at Bletchley Park in WW2 decoding Ultra. Quite a brilliant man. He was recruited by the US after WW2. Welchman designed the US defence system. He was castigated and hounded at the end of his life by US agents for recording the events into history by publishing a book. Without him they would have been forgotten. Turing was hounded by the British after WW2 as well, although for other reasons. The film mentions that Bletchley Park assessed the German force's strength in France in 1940 from their decrypts. British high ups using the data assessed also the French and Belgians concluding the small BEF's position was untenable, ordering a withdrawal even with the Germans still way to the east.
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Gordon Welchman was a brillant man, however in terms of Bletchley you only often hear about Alan Turing when others such as Gordon Welchman, Bill Tutte, Tommy Flowers, Dilly Knox and Nigel de Grey were also equally brilliant.
Tutte broke the Lorez Cipher (Tunny) code, which was an even more advanced and diffulcult code than Enigma, whilst Tommy Flowers a British Post Office Engineer built Colossus, which was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer.
If you don't mind, I'll add there were women decoders as well. Not long ago BBC showed a miniseries on these women of Bletchley Park....that's how I learned about it all.
Gordon Welchman was a brillant man, however in terms of Bletchley you only often hear about Alan Turing when others such as Gordon Welchman, Bill Tutte, Tommy Flowers, Dilly Knox and Nigel de Grey were also equally brilliant.
Tutte broke the Lorez Cipher (Tunny) code, which was an even more advanced and diffulcult code than Enigma, whilst Tommy Flowers a British Post Office Engineer built Colossus, which was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer.
Years ago when I lived on the East Coast my neighbor, an American serviceman in WWII, claimed to have been assigned to Bletchley Park. Is that possible or were all personnel British?
Only a handful of Americans were ever with the decoders, about 6 or so. I may be wrong on the figure. Thousands eventually were working at Bletchley Park.
The US moved in to do the D-Day Planning as Clarkson points out, which was separate from the decryption people. So he may have been with them. He probably was unaware of what they were doing. Bletchley Park was a 100% British operation. I lived very near to it for about 5 years. The town of Bletchley was chosen as it was on the rail line between Oxford and Cambridge universities and in easy reach from London by road and on the West Coast Main Line rail spine. Bletchley station is within walking distance. The town had a few brick factories around it, which are now fields. Bletchley is now a part of Milton Keynes.
It was a mansion with lots of ground around it, which had masses of temporary huts built on. Hut 6 was the most important.
It is worth a visit, they have guided tours, as all the old dilapidated buildings are being renovated. It looked a neglected shambles at one point.
Bletchley Park helped the Soviets a lot. For e.g., giving the German strength and positions at Kursk. I recall even giving the German strength in Operation Bagration.
Yes. Bletchley Park would certainly be on my bucket list. Not to mention Churchill’s underground command center in London, Imperial War Museum. On and on.
Yes. Bletchley Park would certainly be on my bucket list. Not to mention Churchill’s underground command center in London, Imperial War Museum. On and on.
The Western Approaches Command Centre in Liverpool (U-Boat war) is worth a visit.
The D-Day beaches in France are also worth a visit. The Mulberry harbour is still in Arromanches. Look off the cliff and all is before you.
HMS Belfast at Tower Bridge, London, to see the inside of an old destroyer.
RAF Hendon in London, to see the planes. Need a whole day to see that. The WW1 hall closes at noon.
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Originally Posted by msgsing
Years ago when I lived on the East Coast my neighbor, an American serviceman in WWII, claimed to have been assigned to Bletchley Park. Is that possible or were all personnel British?
There were Americans at Bletchley, and some of the Codebreakers moved to the US after the war to take up lucrative job. Welchaman himself moved to the United States in 1948 where he taught the first computer course at MIT in the United States and was also employed by the likes of Remington Rand and Ferranti. Welchmand died at Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA in 1985, sadly in his later years Welchman was repeatedly harrased by US Intelligence and the FBI after publishing a book about his codebreaking.
Yes. Bletchley Park would certainly be on my bucket list. Not to mention Churchill’s underground command center in London, Imperial War Museum. On and on.
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