What role did the Navajo Code Talkers play in World War II? How were the Navajos able to maintain total secrecy?
1 Answer
The security of codes was a important concern in World War 2. The unwritten language of the Navajo seemed made to order for secrecy. It contributed to the success of Marine operations.
Explanation:
There were many significant Code failures in World War 2. The Ultra Secret was significant. Before the U.S entered the war, the Germans broke the U.S. diplomatic code. The code used for U.S. Marine Operations would have significant exposure to enemy Code breaking attempts. The U.S. Military was aware of these failures and looked for an unbreakable solution. There were precedents from World War 1.
The Navajo language was not documented so a code breaker had no starting point linguistically for a "Rosetta Stone" to understand what was being said. Navajo is also linguistically complex. The Code Talkers also used code word interpretations of Navajo words. Essential to breaking the Code would be a Native Navajo Speaker.
Having a person speaking a code language was faster communication than composing a written signal and then codifying and transmitting it. It would then have to be received and decoded to be understood. Information on a battlefield would require quick communications to keep up with events.
Military Operations at Company and Battalion level were greatly assisted by having fast, secure communications.
Code Talkers use continued in Korea and Vietnam.
