Without Enigma: The Ultra and Fellgiebel Riddles

by Kenneth John Macksey

It was only in the 1970s that the British authorities admitted that during World War 2 they had broken the German Enigma codes. From then onwards much of the analysis of the struggle against Nazi Germany has assumed that the British and their allies gained a vital advantage through their knowledge of German plans. The story of the breaking and use of the German transcripts is undoubtedly a fascinating account of undercover activities during the war. However, are contemporary historians in danger of over-exaggerating the importance of Enigma? In Without Enigma, Kenneth Macksey, one of Britain’s foremost military historians, seeks to explore in depth the impact of Enigma on both sides during the course of the war. Based upon detailed analysis of the records along with well-informed interpretation, the author describes a scenario in which the Germans become fully aware of the British breaking of the codes and reconstructs how the Nazis would have responded. The story is also interwoven with the grossly underrated role of General Erich Fellgiebel — the German’s head of Wehrmacht and Army Signal Services — in both the counter-measures and also the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Drawing upon his detailed knowledge of the period and interlacing this with carefully argued speculation, the author’s narrative is a compelling counter-argument to the prevailing myth of the importance of Enigma. The conclusions to which he comes will astound many and lead to considerable debate. Without Enigma is essential reading for all interested in the history of World War 2 and in the study of German opposition to Adolf Hitler.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

British author and historian who specialized in military history and military biography, particularly of the Second World War. Macksey was commissioned in the Royal Armoured Corps and served during the Second World War (earning the Military Cross under the command of Percy Hobart). Macksey later wrote the (authoritative) biography of Hobart.Macksey gained a permanent commission in 1946, was transferred to the Royal Tank Regiment in 1947, reached the rank of major in 1957 and retired from the Army in 1968.

Amongst many other books, Macksey wrote two volumes of alternate history, one, entitled Invasion, dealt with a successful invasion of England by Germany in 1940 and the other describing a NATO–Warsaw Pact clash in the late 1980s. The latter book was done under contract to the Canadian Forces and focuses on the Canadian role in such a conflict. He was an editor and contributor to Greenhill's Alternate Decisions series since 1995.

In Macksey's Guderian – Panzer General, he refuted the view of historian Sir Basil Liddell-Hart regarding Hart's influence on the development of German Tank Theory in the years leading up to 1939.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published at Book of Bogan.

The cracking of the enigma code by Allied scientists at Bletchley Park has - in recent years - become one of the greatest success stories of the Second World War, lionised as the key to breaking the German war machine. Much of that narrative relies on a somewhat incompetent, oblivious characterisation of the people who were on the other side. Without Enigma seeks to take a sort of alternate history approach to the importance of the enigma machine, and the ULTRA program.

The author draws heavily on this style to develop a sort of alternative narrative, still mostly within the bounds of what actually occurred during the war. At the end of each chapter, however, he notates the places where his own stories diverge from the actual historical events, and while I found these intriguing at first, as time went on I was less and less interested in knowing where the differences lay.

I did enjoy the author's style, and his dedication to bringing this alternative view of history to us. His characters felt realistic, and well-fleshed out, although he tended to focus a little too much on the German side of things, without giving the English enough individual credit. Axis competency aside, the reality is that the English did have some part to play in all of this.

If there is one other failing I found with this book is that it tended to be front-loaded with action, as the discovery and investigation of whether the Enigma machine is no longer secure reads like a spy novel. As the story progresses, however, I found that the pace slowed down, and it felt like a fairly banal retelling of our own reality, with only vague callbacks to the earlier alternatives. This remains an interesting read, for people with an interest in history, who are looking for more than what they get taught in school. I don't necessarily agree that the author succeeds in his premise of revealing the 'importance' of enigma to be a lie, but it is an interesting read nonetheless.

[Antony Douglas Whipp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not averse to the occasional alternative history but this one simply doesn’t work for me. The basic assumption behind such inventions is that, at some pivotal point in history, a credible alternative occurred. Having some knowledge of military communications and a long-standing interest in Ultra, to my mind, the alternative offered here is frankly, utterly incredible. Incidentally the format of alleged minutes and records of supposed conversations ring as true as a cracked bell. It is a very long time since I was this disappointed in a book...