ULTRA: A Case Study

In 1939, shortly after Britain and France declared war on the Third Reich, the codename ULTRA was conceived by the British MI-6 and later the United States to denote sensitive intercept intelligence derived from cryptoanalysis. The British high frequency intercept initiatives focused on Germanys use of the Enigma cipher machine a unit which the Third Reich thought to be totally secure and fullproof from foreign cryptoanalysis attack. The case study is built on several books and articles about the advent of ULTRA and the Enigma machine and how sensitive intelligence was collected and disseminated throughout the allied forces during World War II. The books and articles incorporated into this case study are listed in the endnotes and bibliography sections, at the end of the paper. The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the greatest held secret of World War II, the decryption of the German Enigma cipher machine. The decrypted text was classified using the Ultra designator the contents changed the course of the War, and provided the allies with advanced warnings regarding Hitlers order of battle.