Turing Joins the Government Code and Cypher School
Turing's personal battle with the Enigma began some months before the outbreak of the Second World War. At the time there was no more than a handful of people in Britain tackling the Enigma. Turing worked largely in isolation, occasionally he visited the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) for discussions with Dilwiyn Knox. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, Knox had broken the type of Enigma machine used by the Italian Navy. However, the sort of Enigma used by the Germans was not so easily defeated.
On September 4,1939, the day following Chamberlain's announcement of war with Germany, Alan joined the residence at the new headquarters of GC&CS, Bletchley Park. By 1942, Bletchley Park had become a veritable factory, with the help of codebreaking machines called "Bombes" - designed by Turing, Gordon, and Harold Keen. Their Bombes were deciphering about 39,000 Enigma messages each month. It is estimated that the breaking of the Enigma may have shortened the war in Europe by two years.
On September 4,1939, the day following Chamberlain's announcement of war with Germany, Alan joined the residence at the new headquarters of GC&CS, Bletchley Park. By 1942, Bletchley Park had become a veritable factory, with the help of codebreaking machines called "Bombes" - designed by Turing, Gordon, and Harold Keen. Their Bombes were deciphering about 39,000 Enigma messages each month. It is estimated that the breaking of the Enigma may have shortened the war in Europe by two years.