What was the importance of Enigma in the Battle of the Atlantic?
2 Answers
The British used High Frequency Direction Finding (HUFF-DUFF) to cover a lot of the success of Enigma.
Explanation:
Because Enigma was so informative the British couldn't use it as much as they would like and were always looking for ways to make the information explainable but less secret means. Radio detection sites on the coast of Iceland and on some ships could triangulate U Boat radio transmissions to confirm the content of the messages. U Boat commanders began to limit transmissions suspecting that the radio direction finding was effective.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-frequency_direction_finding
Upgrades to the German code machines also messed with Enigma's consistency. There were slightly different versions of enigma machines for the German Navy which made it more difficult for decryption. It wasn't until April 1942 that an actual German Naval Enigma was captured (from U 559) that the British had a up to date machine.
The work on the Enigma would be a major turning point in the battle of the Atlantic, because it exposed the entire German communications system to the British without the Germans' knowledge.
Explanation:
The German engineers devised hundreds of new devices for battle and survival during both world wars and the Enigma was one of their proudest efforts. This machine allowed them to code messages to be sent anywhere they were needed with their enemies having no capability of decoding them even when they were intercepted.
Because the British were able to figure out how the messages were being sent, they were gradually able to figure out routings and destinations, and finally methods of decoding the messages.
All of this decoding was taking place while the Germans were still operating under the illusion that they were sending messages that could not be followed or understood by enemy forces.
The Polish, French, British and American allies were able to read German messages during most of the war thanks to collaborative efforts of each country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptanalysis_of_the_Enigma
This video explains how the messages the Germans were sending could be interpreted to reveal their positions and troop strength:
This is a great explanation of the Enigma machine and its operation:
