Seizing the enigma
by David Kahn · first published 1996
6mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2014–2022first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Detailed historical account of how Allied codebreakers attacked the Enigma machine and why it failed; combines technical detail with readable narrative, suited to readers wanting depth on WWII cryptography.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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"The Codebreakers" cited above, is a massive history of cryptography. The same author, David Kahn, has written a book focusing on the Enigma called "Seizing the Enigma". http://www.amazon.com/Seizing-Enigma-German-U-Boats-1939-194...
on “Quiet naval hero who rescued Enigma machine dies aged 95” ↗…about how much information (even encrypted) they made available for their enemy to intercept. If you really want to get into the details of how and why the Enigma was a failure, I strongly recommend Seizing the Enigma by David Kahn. It does an excellent job of combining the technical details of the Enigma codebreaking with the overall story of naval intelligence.
on “How did the Enigma Machine work? (2021) [video]” ↗'Enigma' the novel by Robert Harris on which that movie was based, is superb though. Definitely makes 1943 seem like 1943. Another book worth reading is David Kahn's historical account 'Seizing the Enigma.'
on “Alan Turing Biopic Trailer Released” ↗David Kahn's books "Codebreakers" and "Seizing the Enigma" are both very good and detailed reads.
on “Cryptanalysis of Enigma” ↗…Isaacson is really good - his Jobs' biography, the Innovators, the Code Breaker - all are firmly footed in facts, but very easy and interesting to read. "Kitchen Confidentials", "Blind Man's Bluff" and "Seizing the Enigma" are really good in the same sense. Level down there are "Skunk Works" and "The Soul of a New Machine" - interesting, but dense and sluggish. At the bottom, to me at least, there's "Unix" and "Most…
on “I wish I'd self-published sooner” ↗…Nazi-occupied Paris by Riding The Kinsman Saga by Bova The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Rove La Place De La Concorde Suisse by McPhee End of a Berlin Diary by Shirer Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1933-1945 by Kahn Hell and Good Company: The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Rhodes The Forgotten Depression: 1921 : The Crash that Cured Itself…
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?” ↗