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capturing_enigma-how_hms_petard_seized_the_german_naval_codes
Used book in good condition, due to its age it could contain normal signs of use
- GenresNonfictionHistory
Paperback
First published October 25, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 12, 2025
“By this time. 2245 hr, Petard was hove to with the U559 low in the water about 60 yd away on the port side, down by the bows in a roughening sea. Outside the beam of light from the Petard all was darkness. The Dulverton circled to ward off attack by any other U-boats.”
The story of the destroyer HMS Petard, which was in action to the end of WWII but whose most valuable contribution to the Allies’ victory was the capture of documents enabling the deciphering of German submarine messages by the experts at Bletchley Park.
The story is in three parts; the first deals with the process of deciphering Enigma and its variants, putting in context the second part, which covers the actions of the brave men who lost their lives inside the German submarine, passing documents to others. The third part tells the story of the subsequent actions of the ship and its crew in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
There are photographs, appendices, bibliography and an index.
An interesting and informative read.
The story of the destroyer HMS Petard, which was in action to the end of WWII but whose most valuable contribution to the Allies’ victory was the capture of documents enabling the deciphering of German submarine messages by the experts at Bletchley Park.
The story is in three parts; the first deals with the process of deciphering Enigma and its variants, putting in context the second part, which covers the actions of the brave men who lost their lives inside the German submarine, passing documents to others. The third part tells the story of the subsequent actions of the ship and its crew in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
There are photographs, appendices, bibliography and an index.
An interesting and informative read.
September 27, 2018
Much more about the general exploits of HMS Petard which therefore includes a brief mention of the capture of the papers needed to break into Germany's naval Enigma codes. Vast, unacknowledged bravery (at the time, due to security) for sure.
I got a little irritated at the bulk of the book which chronicled various other wartime missions with nothing at all to do with Enigma. Interesting in its own right - though occasionally reading a little like a list of diary entries: "went here, did that; dry-docked; went there, did this; ..." - it was not what I expected from a book with this title.
I got a little irritated at the bulk of the book which chronicled various other wartime missions with nothing at all to do with Enigma. Interesting in its own right - though occasionally reading a little like a list of diary entries: "went here, did that; dry-docked; went there, did this; ..." - it was not what I expected from a book with this title.
September 4, 2020
A heavy but interesting read on the GPS Pretoria ship, which played several key roles during the second world war.
November 22, 2012
Although it was of paramount importance that the Allies had captured an Enigma code machine, it was not a story that caught me for real.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews