Alan Stripp (1924–2009)
Autor von Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park
Werke von Alan Stripp
Getagged
Wissenswertes
- Geburtstag
- 1924-10-17
- Todestag
- 2009-02-18
- Geschlecht
- male
- Nationalität
- United Kingdom
- Ausbildung
- Trinity College, Cambridge
- Berufe
- cryptographer
- Organisationen
- Bletchley Park
University of Cambridge
British Council
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
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Statistikseite
- Werke
- 3
- Mitglieder
- 491
- Beliebtheit
- #50,320
- Bewertung
- 3.6
- Rezensionen
- 2
- ISBNs
- 13
I admit going in to this that I hoped that each of the thirty stories would have some "I was there at a famous moment" anecdotes. But most talked about the monotony of working at a place that they couldn't tell anyone -- wives, husbands, parents, children -- about. A few made sure to point out how they felt overworked and underpaid throughout the war effort (which, of course, was longer in Europe than we Americans remember it being!). A couple of the stories were incredibly detailed, including one that provided a schematic with relays and switches showing how they built an Enigma-breaker. There were a few recollections that repeated some information, but it never felt duplicative or tedious.
The editors ended the book in a strange way: they saved the last essay for a woman -- one of several interviewed in the book, which was also impressive -- who just couldn't stand working in such a secretive place and doing nothing (so she thought), so she figured out a way to leave!
I was slightly disappointed that so few people remembered any significant moments (or even never-before-revealed secrets) during that period, although upon reflection, I probably can't remember all that many moments that would impress outsiders during the last five-plus years at my workplace. (There were a handful, though, and those were interesting, including the one who figured out the Japanese were creating a brand-new term during their surrender.)
You might learn a bit more about the specifics of German and Japanese codes by a book more concentrated on cryptography (like Kahn's famous Codebreakers), but this is a good read for those wanting to know how "normal" people functioned during World War II.
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LT Haiku:
Some codebreakers at
famous park share their stories
about secret work.… (mehr)