Marching Orders: The Untold Story of How the American Breaking of the Japanese Secret Codes Led to the Defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan

by Bruce Lee

The paper claims that when the Pentagon’s European Order of Battle Section brought items directly to Marshall’s attention, “it has been estimated that 35 percent were taken from Ultra/Magic traffic.” Yet another 32 percent of information received from other intelligence sources was corroborated by Ultra/Magic sources. The remaining 32 percent of the information adjudged to be accurate came from operational cables from various Allied commands abroad. In summation then: The ability of the British and the Americans to break the enemy’s Ultra/Magic radio traffic provided Marshall with information about the strategic intentions and the disposition of the Axis forces in Europe that was believed to be 67 percent correct. This is probably the greatest intelligence success in military history.