Ultra goes to war: The first account of World War II's greatest secret based on official documents [Hardcover]

Ronald Lewin (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 397 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill (1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070374538
• ISBN-13: 978-0070374539
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,195,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading to understand the course of World War Two, August 24, 2007

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ultra goes to war: The first account of World War II's greatest secret based on official documents (Hardcover)

There is no doubt that the person most responsible for the Allied victory in World War II was Winston Churchill. His leadership when Great Britain stood alone against the German war machine kept the fires of opposition burning until other nations joined the fight. However, even the incredible will and talent of Churchill most likely could not have prevailed had it not been for the amazing assortment of talent assembled at Bletchley Park. This group, responsible for the interception and decryption of German messages, was known by the code name Ultra.

It was the knowledge supplied by Ultra that gave a great assist to the Allied ships battling the German U-boats in the Atlantic. Ultra also provided critical information to the British air command as their fighters were slugging it out with the German Luftwaffe for control of the air over England. Had either of these battles had a different conclusion, Britain would have had to have yielded to the Axis.

Ultra also provided valuable information to those planning the battles in other sectors, from the campaign in North Africa to the northern tip of Norway. Even though they were intercepts of German messages, some of them had value in the Pacific war as the Germans and Japanese had some level of coordination. One thing lost in the scale of the Allied victory is how close they came to being defeated. Although they were successful, the landings on Normandy could have been a catastrophe. Had the Germans learned of the true intention of the Allies, they could have rushed ready reserves to the beaches and destroyed the Allied beachheads.

All of this is documented in this book, demonstrating that while rifles, bombs, planes tanks and all of the other physical paraphernalia of war are necessary, fundamentally it is brainpower that wins wars. If the situation had been reversed, where the Germans had an Ultra equivalent and the allies did not, then it is difficult to conceive of an Allied victory at any time. This is a book that should be read by all people interested in the history of the Second World War.