The Ultra Secret

by F.W. Winterbotham

Excellent Book

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage, Military History, War, World War II, Military Fiction

199 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally bought this hoping to learn about the workings of Bletchly Park and the cryptographic activity that went on there. As it turns out this is not the book for that particular story, but nonetheless I'm very glad to have read this.
The Ultra Secret concentrates rather on the story of how the intelligence gained from the Enigma (and other) code-breaking was used in the Allied conduct of the second World War and how this information was securely distributed to those who needed it; all told from the personal perspective of the author. I found it fascinating to read of the author's impressions of how the different commanders and generals reacted to having this information, and how well they were able to adapt to using what was hitherto an unprecedented level of insight into enemy operations. Interesting also were the author's impressions of the enemy leadership at a personal level, as he read and digested their signals over what they believed to be secure channels.
The book concentrates mainly on the European and African war, with only a chapter or two skimming the Pacific war, so I'll need to delve into another book for that. Published as it was in 1974, there are undoubtedly newer accounts, with more and updated or corrected information, but this has been a good introduction for me into this aspect of WW2 history.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ultra Secret is a personal account of some of the cryptographic exploits of the Second World War. Winterbotham was an intelligence officer in charge of Ultra, the Bletchly Park effort to break the Nazi codes. A former RAF pilot, he is proudly not a mathematician, and his explanation of code breaking is a mysterious 'bronze goddess' who spits out decrypts. Rather, Winterbotham handled translating and distributing messages to allied commanders, a system named Ultra run by a world-spanning network of Special Liaison Units. He saw himself as a 'shadow OKW', a British version of the Nazi command staff, which enabled Allied generals to fight with the enemy's cards on the tables.

This was an incalculable advantage. With Ultra, Churchill and Dowding knew the margins of Luftwaffe endurance in the Battle of Britain, and could hold out until the window for Operation Sea Lion had passed. Ultra outfoxed Rommel in North Africa, and reassured Allied commanders that deception plans for amphibious landings, including Overlord, were working.

The book is at its best when it goes to Winterbotham's personal judgement of character. He knew most of the senior Nazis from his time as an attache in Germany in the 1930s, where he gathered vital intelligence by asking questions and letting Hitler talk (loose lips sink conquests). He praises many generals, Patton especially, for bold use of Ultra to punch around concentrations. Montgomery earns mixed marks as a traditionalist who fought in deliberate ignorance of Ultra, and Mark Clark, commander in Italy, dramatically failed to exploit Ultra several times at the expense of his troops.

This book was probably stunning when it was published. Now it's light and short on details, a conventional WW2 history. Compared to R.V Jones' Most Secret War, which drips with personal insights and interest, The Ultra Secret is an anodyne, bureaucratic history.

[Alan Jeddeloh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book back in 1975, when it first came out. After seeing The Imitation Game I dug it out from the basement bookshelves for another quick read.

Back in 1975, the book caused quite a stir, being the first report that the allies in WWII had actually broken the German codes and were frequently able to know exactly what the German plans and order of battle were. Elsewhere on the net one can find now-declassified reviews from inside NSA where apparently quite a few people got their knickers in a twist.

The flaws of this book are well-documented. There are a lot of inaccuracies and omissions. Winterbotham was definitely not a cryptologist; in his list of the "back room boys" he completely omits Alan Turning! Among the glaring inaccuracies is Winterbotham's assertion than the Japanese where using Enigma machines or variants thereof.

Still, I would cut Winterbotham some slack. He was writing from memory, in his (probably 80's), without access to still-classified files. It is a fascinating memoir of the man who passed to Enigma decrypts on. Confidant of Churchill, Montgomery, Eisenhower, Bradley, Alexander, Patton, and others, it provides an intimate if slightly self-aggrandized window into the winning of the war.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

During WWII, Ultra was the code name for the Allied intelligence derived from breaking the German Enigma cipher. Published in 1974, this was one of the first public accounts of Ultra. There are almost no cryptographic details in this book; it is a personal recollection of a man's role in preserving the operational secrecy for the "secret" itself. It describes a network of special liaison units (SLU's) and training visits to the principal receivers of the intelligence: Churchill, Eisenhower and their associates. Through these visits, he describes their attitude and reactions to Ultra.

Much of the book is a description of messages intercepted at key points in the war and their influence on later events. However, the author did not have access to the actual intercepts while writing the book, so the view is hazy. The most interesting story to me was Rommel's tale in North Africa and Europe as viewed through the window of the intercepts.

[Tod Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting high-level look at how the Allies ability to read the German High Command signals was instrumental in defending Britain early in the war and in offensive strategy later in the war.

[Mark Lisac · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is more personal reminiscence than full study, but it's a decent quick overview of the importance that code breaking had for the Allied effort in the Second World War, particularly against Germany. It made quite a splash when it came out in 1974 because it was the first public revelation of the ability to read messages coded through the Germans' Enigma machines. The pioneering status and Winterbotham's lack of access to official files that were still secret at the time excuse most of the nearly conversational tone and quick summaries.
Almost as interesting as the code-breaking story are the glimpses of the life of intelligence officers during the war. Winterbotham's own prewar history as a spy in Germany is touched on and would probably have made an even more interesting book. Even there some information seems to be missing. How was it that a young air force veteran turned world traveller decided he needed a job and got recruited into a fairly senior intelligence role at the end of 1929 in the first place? And yes, as other reviewers have noted, his failure (or refusal) to mention Alan Turing's key role in the British code breaking effort seems odd or even suspicious.

[Drew Geraci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited about reading this, since the author was a spy who actually got close to Hitler and learned secrets for the Allies. This was published in 1974, so the recollections were fresh. However, it's not for the uninitiated. There's many references that I did not understand, and some notes at the bottom of the page would have made it a far better read. Without knowledge of many of the references, I felt left out of the book. Granted, I could have Googled many of the references, but then it stops being a book and becomes a homework assignment. From what I've heard, this book is spot-on with the information provided you knew all the background beyond what the average person does (And I know a bit about WWII). If you're coming in cold, as I did, your eyes will glaze over, but if you know all the places and all the references, it would be a treat, I'm certain. Not for the casual reader, which is why I only gave it three stars.

[Mike Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by the British officer who was in charge of disseminating the information gathered via the intercepted German and Japanese secret war messages. The reading of which was made possible by the the code breakers at Bletchley Circle solving the riddle of the Enigma Machine. The author doesn't tell about any battles in a blow-by-blow way. His focus is the detailed information gathered; who it did, or did not, get passed on to; how it effected the outcome of battles; and the extreme measures taken to keep the enemy from realizing that their codes had been broken. This is a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes handling of intelligence information and how it influenced the course of history. We would most likely be living in a vastly different world today, if the codes had not been broken so early in the war.

[suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the other reviews. As a person too young to understand the war while it was going on, the impressions I got after the war changed after reading The Ultra Secret. America's forces and our allies were greatly aided by having the machine code breaker called the 'Enigma' machine.
I was told about this book by a woman friend who worked on the project as one of the early women who enlisted at the time and who kept silent about it for the 30 years that all who worked on it were required to maintain secrecy. She's alive today and shared with me her impressions of that time.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I would not like this because I am not really into military history at all- I only like the spy stuff! But this narrative by the man who organized and shepherded the Ultra messages (decodings of Nazi secret ciphers from the Enigma machine)was very interesting. That said, it is mostly a revelation about the role of Ultra in the battles of World War II, with a definite focus on the European theater.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First-person perspective of the war as a whole, with some developed perspective of the war as a whole and an under-lying timeline of German forces movements as decoded from Enigma. Also describes the complexities of the code-breaking process, but more in a "we're talking over drinks" rather than diving into advanced theories.

[Len Knighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not much excitement to this book, a straightforward account of how the breaking of the German code greatly influenced the outcome of World War 2. In essence, the Allies often knew what the Axis armies were going to do before the Axis commanders. Published in 1974, this was the first book that revealed the Allies' secret weapon.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of the effects of solving the Ultra codes of WWII. This does not delve into the mechanics of decoding German radio messages, but rather focuses on the effects of knowing their content. The conundrum, of course, is how do the Allies deal with that knowledge, without giving away that they have the ability to read the codes?

[Matt]

I had no idea until about a year ago that we had access to many of Hitler's communications during the war. How cool was that?!?

This book was written by a guy who was directly involved in reviewing the communications they recovered from Ultra.

[Darwin Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book alters our views of who or what led to victory over the Nazis. Another book, The Hut Six Story: Breaking the Enigma Codes, by insider Gordon Welchman, goes well beyond this (but the book is hard to obtain and I haven't read it yet).

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting--and so grateful to the many who made this information a vital piece in winning the war against Hitler and the Nazis. We need to not forget.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who reads extensively about World War II, I was surprised to discover a facet of the war I hadn’t encountered before—Ultra. Of course, given how tightly guarded it was for decades, maybe I shouldn’t have been. This book opened up an entirely new layer of the war effort I hadn’t previously considered, revealing how critical codebreaking and intelligence were to the Allied victory.

The book was deeply informative, which is both its strength and its slight drawback. I appreciated the thorough research and the clear effort to underline just how pivotal Ultra was—arguably more than most of us ever imagined. That said, at times the dense detail and technical explanations slowed the pace for me. While I admire the depth, I found myself skimming through some of the finer points in search of the broader narrative.

Still, I walked away with a fresh understanding of how wars are won not just with firepower but with information, and for that, I’m glad I picked it up.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

British cryptographers at Bletchley Park decrypted some German air force messages, Group Captain Frederick Winterbotham recognized the potential of such intelligence and established a secure system to handle it. Winterbotham's units played a critical role in key moments during the war. This is Winterbotham’s first-hand account of the Enigma program.
For my fellow research nerds and academics this is a primary source! We love a good primary source. If you know me, I’m fascinated by intelligence work especially during the second World War, women often got to shine. This is a great account of the works that was going on at Bletchley.
Thank you NetGalley & Frontline Books for an advanced reader copy. #TheUltraSecret #NetGalley

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but really one person's view of the effects without all the details of the workings of the code itself. Best to have lots of ww2 knowledge of battles, etc in your mind while reading this book. Perhaps a little too self absorbed in the author's telling but that is understandable. Published in 1974 shortly after most of the information became declassified. I suspect that a complete update with all the further info declassified would be excellent. "Ultra" definitely was a major factor in the Allied victories in WW2 and some of our leaders at the time (particularly Churchill) deserve great praise for their quick acceptance and use of the information.

[Mike Thiac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overall look at the breaking of the Enigma machine and the Ultra Program which was critical in the both the Pacific and European theaters in World War II. Its only weakness, I believe, is it was first book to cover this, as the Ultra Program was only disclosed in 1974. While it gives a great insight into the operations from the man inside the program, and his relations with multiple consumers of his intelligence (Roosevelt, Churchill, Ike, MacArthur, Montgomery, Patton), it does not go into the detail you can get in other sources that have come out since. Overall, good read for anyone interested in intelligence in World War II.

[ShouAib ShouAib · Rating 4 out of 5]

is my life

[Milton Fulghum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting summary of the way Ultra intelligence was used during WWII.

[The Villan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Great insight into the breaking of ciphers and it’s use during WWII.

[John Humber · Rating 2 out of 5]

As has been said in many of the reviews here, this is not a book about the Enigma code-breaking. Also, with regard to ‘errors’ referred to here, Winterbotham does point out clearly—in the edition I read at least—that he is telling the story as he knew it at the time.

I borrowed this book from my local library because I thought it would add to the story of Bletchley Park (a place I think I would have enjoyed working in, had I been around at the time). The book does add to that story in some sense but it is not, in my view, a thrilling read. Although there is much interesting information here, his slightly plodding style does not make it easy to get at.

Although homosexuality was decriminalised before this book was first published ‘such goings-on’ would not have settled well with such a died-in-the-wool MI6, stiff upper lip, establishment figure as Winterbotham undoubtedly was and I can’t help wondering if this is why he very noticeably omits any mention of Alan Turing even though he mentions other Bletchley mathematicians by name—names that will be familiar from the film The Imitation Game.

As a hard-to-put-down read, this book fails, as a serious research reference, well, I suppose it would be essential, but there again Winterbotham, or his editor, does not make it easy; the index is very poor.

I found the book informative in parts but quite easy to put aside for something more interesting. I skipped whole chapters and I returned the book to the library well before the due date.

The charitable view would be that this book is just not what I was looking for at the time. The less charitable view would be that Winterbotham must have been a far better MI6 operative than he was a writer.

[Harley Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The English spy organization that became know as Ultra, had broken the code of Germany's Enigma machine. This book tells the story of how British Intelligence used this information to win WWII without ever allowing the Germans to know the code was broken. This is an interesting, fast paced account of the role Ultra played in defeating the Germans.

[Edwin Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be better read as a companion to another history of the war. Hard for me to remember all the background history where the author assumes his average history buff reader in the 1970s would remember this from reading if not personal remembrance of the war itself.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating first look into one of the best kept secrets from WWII. Published in the early 70s, this was a huge revelation to the general public and provided great insight into how the Allies were able to prosecute the war successfully.

[Terri]

This was a great book to read after seeing THE IMITATION GAME about Turing and his group.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very revealing story at the time, when it had just become public knowledge.