Bletchley Park
Constance Martin
Reference Resources
​
eReference Books
Bletchley Park, Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence
​
The Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence is an illustrated reference which provides detailed information on spies, intelligence, and counterintelligence throughout history, both internationally and in the United States, including Bletchley Park’s role during World War II. Written specifically for students and general readers by scholars, former intelligence officers, and other experts, it provides a unique background perspective for viewing history and current events. In easy-to-understand, non-technical language, it explains how espionage works as a function of national policy; traces the roots of national security; profiles key intelligence leaders, agents, and double-agents; discusses intelligence concepts and techniques; and profiles the security organizations and intelligence history and policies of nations around the world. The author of this section is a military historian from the U.S. Military Academy. This source is available via Credo Reference, in an 809-page book format (2004), and in a revised e-book published in 2015.
​
Harms, B. M. (2005). Bletchley Park. In R. P. Carlisle, Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence. Routledge. Credo Reference: http://lynx.lib.usm.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpint/bletchley_park/0?institutionId=3440
Codes and Ciphers in the Second World War, The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
​
The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia is a comprehensive encyclopedia with more than 75,000 articles and 15 million words which provides an authoritative insight into the worlds of science and technology, history, geography, politics, and the arts. Heavily hyperlinked articles are supported by over 4,000 images, a fabulous integrated atlas, animations, video, and sound clips, quotations, and thousands of links to Web sites. This article provides an independent guide to the history, science, and computing behind the work of Allied cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park, England, during World War II. The site offers a detailed technical and historical account of the work of these early computer scientists, including Alan Turing, and their efforts to crack German communications codes. Work here using automated machines to decode complex information was later to lead to the development of modern computer science. This source is available via Credo Reference, and a print edition is pending.
​
Codes and ciphers in the second world war. (2018). In Helicon (Ed.), The Hutchinson unabridged encyclopedia with atlas and weather guide. Helicon. Credo Reference: http://lynx.lib.usm.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/heliconhe/codes_and_ciphers_in_the_second_world_war/0?institutionId=3440
Enigma, The Companion to British History
The Companion to British History is a comprehensive A-Z guide to the history of Britain and its peoples, packed full of detail on everything from Hadrian's Wall to the Plague to Tony Blair. It includes an article on the enigma cipher, which was devised by German signals intelligence for use during military operations during World War II, and the technology that was developed using these ciphers became known as ENIGMA machines. A British cryptographer managed to smuggle a completely new Enigma machine to Bletchley Park in England, where a team of decoders found a way of cracking the ciphers. This source is available via Credo Reference as well as a print edition (2016).
Enigma. (2001). In C. Arnold-Baker, The companion to British history, Routledge (2nd ed.). Routledge. Credo Reference: http://lynx.lib.usm.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routcbh/enigma/0?institutionId=3440
The Historical Dictionary of World War II Intelligence
​
This work tells the emerging history of the intelligence world during World War II. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the secret agencies, operations, and events. The world of double agents, spies, and moles during WWII is explained in a comprehensive reference, including the fact that it was not revealed until 1974 that codebreakers at Bletchley Park had succeeded in decrypting Axis communications. This is the seventh installment of the Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence series. The author, who also wrote three of the other books in the series, is recognized as an expert in the fields of intelligence and counterintelligence. The book is available in a print edition and electronic format.
​
West, N. (2008). Historical dictionary of World War II intelligence. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.
The Oxford Companion to World War II
​
The Oxford Companion to World War II, using an international team of 140 experts, covers every aspect of the conduct and experience of the conflict, from grand strategic decision-making to the struggles of daily life. More than 1,700 entries, ranging from brief identifications to in-depth articles on complex subjects, bring the far-flung elements and events of the war into focus. The Companion also provides exceptional coverage beyond the military and political spheres, revealing the war as it affected the millions of non-combatants, especially women performing war work, such as the espionage conducted at Bletchley Park. The Companion's emphasis on the social history and daily experience of the war makes it the most complete one-volume reference on this critical chapter in history. The most recent print edition was published in 2000 and an electronic version in 2011.
​
Dear, I., & Foot, M. (2011). The Oxford companion to World War II. Oxford;: Oxford University Press.
Print Reference Books
Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park by F.H. Hinsley and Alan Stripp (editors)
​
Because of the secrecy required at Bletchley Park, it was not until approximately fifty years after the end of World War II that any of the men and women who worked in cryptology at Bletchley Park told their remarkable story in their own words. Codebreakers includes twenty-seven first-hand accounts of one of the most amazing feats in intelligence history. Each narrative, written by a different member of the codebreakers team, recounts the long hours working in total secrecy and the feelings of camaraderie, tension, excitement, and frustration as these men and women, both British and American, did some of the most important work of the war. These talented people share not only their technical knowledge of cryptography and military logistics, but also poignant personal recollections as well. This book is available in print and electronic format.
​
Hinsley, F. H., & Stripp, A. (2011). Codebreakers: The inside story of Bletchley Park. New York: Oxford University Press.
The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park: The Secret Intelligence Station that Helped Defeat the Nazis by Sir John Dermot Turing
​
At Bletchley Park, some of Britain's most talented mathematicians, linguists, and intellectuals were assembled to break Nazi codes. The crucial role that these codebreakers played in the Allied victory in World War II was not recognized for many years. Written by Dermot Turing, the nephew of famous codebreaker Alan Turing, this illustrated account provides unique insight into the behind-the-scenes action at Bletchley Park: how staff were recruited, the social life that grew up around the park, and how they dealt with the burden of secrecy. This book is available in print and electronic format.
​
Turing, J.D. (2020). Codebreakers of Bletchley Park: The secret intelligence station that helped defeat the Nazis. London: Arcturus.
The Lost World of Bletchley Park: The Illustrated History of the Wartime Codebreaking Centre by Sinclair McKay
​
This is the first comprehensive illustrated history of Bletchley, from its prewar heyday as a country estate under the Liberal MP Sir Herbert Leon, through its wartime requisition with the addition of the famous huts within the grounds, to become the place where modern computing was invented and the German Enigma code was cracked, its post-war dereliction and then rescue towards the end of the twentieth century as a museum whose visitor numbers have more than doubled in recent years. Featuring over 200 photographs, some previously unseen, it is an essential resource for those who want to see the place where codebreaking helped to win World War II. This book is available in print and electronic format.
​
McKay, S. (2013). Lost world of Bletchley Park: An illustrated history of the WWII codebreaking centre. London: Aurum Press.
The Secrets of Station X: How the Bletchley Park Codebreakers Helped Win the War by Michael Smith
​
The author uses recently released secret files, along with personal interviews with many of the codebreakers themselves, to provide a definitive account of everything that happened at Bletchley Park during World War II, from breaking the German, Italian and Japanese codes to creating the world’s first electronic computer. Some imagine Bletchley Park full of eccentric elderly professors breaking German codes, but in fact the vast majority of people who worked at Bletchley Park were young women. For them and for the young graduates plucked from Britain’s best universities who did the bulk of the day-to-day codebreaking, Smith provides an enthralling account of their success. This book is available in print and electronic format.
​
Smith, M. (2011). The secrets of Station X: How the Bletchley Park codebreakers helped win the war. London: Biteback Publishers.
The Secret History of World War II: Spies, Code Breakers, and Covert Operations by Neil Kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop
​
From spy missions to code breaking, this richly illustrated account of the covert operations of World War II takes readers behind the battle lines and deep into the undercover war effort that changed the course of history. The authors take the reader inside the secret lives of spies and spy masters; secret agents and secret armies; Enigma machines and code breakers; psychological warfare and black propaganda; secret weapons and secret battle strategies. Seven heavily illustrated narrative chapters reveal the truth behind the lies and deception that shaped the espionage; eight essays showcase hundreds of rare photos and artifacts (many never before seen); and specially created sidebars tell the stories of spies and secret operations. This book is available in print, audio, and electronic format.
​
Kagan, N., & Hyslop, S. G. (2016). The secret history of World War II: Spies, code breakers & covert operations. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Press
Databases
Imperial War Museum, London
​
The Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organization with branches at five locations in England. Founded in 1917, the museum was intended to record the war effort during World War I but has since expanded to include all conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces have been involved since 1914. The goal is to help visitors understand the history of modern war and wartime experience. The museum's collections include archives of personal and official documents, photographs, film and video material, and oral history recordings, an extensive library, a large art collection, and examples of military vehicles and aircraft, equipment, and other artifacts. It has an extensive Bletchley Park database, of which one particularly interesting item is an unpublished manuscript concerning the women who worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. The target audience is adults or mature students.
​
Imperial War Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2020, from https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=bletchley park&pageSize=
World War II Database
​
The Library of Congress is the repository of a World War II database which is a collection of articles, photos, documents, personal narratives, and more about the Second World War. It is organized by people, events, equipment, places, map, books, photos, videos, and an FAQ. The author/editor admits he is an enthusiast rather than an academic so the material on the site should be used primarily for context and background; moreover, it is not easy to navigate. However, it does have a helpful entry for Bletchley Park, and an impressive collection of 26,493 World War II pictures, 2,086 of which are in color. In addition, it is updated with new articles on a near-daily basis.
Chen, C. P. (2008) World War II Database: Your WW2 History Reference Destination. United States. [Archived Web Site] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0005634/