The Secret War (1977): S01E06 – Still Secret

Introduction The Secret War was a seven-part television series that was produced by the BBC in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum (IWM) that documented secret technical developments during the Second World War. Outline This episode covers the story of the Enigma machine and the Lorenz cipher and how, after valuable initial work by the…

Andrew Marshall

23/03/2022

1–2 minutes

Countermeasures, History, Military Documentary, Military Engineer, Military Scientist, Military Technology, World War Two

Introduction

The Secret War was a seven-part television series that was produced by the BBC in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum (IWM) that documented secret technical developments during the Second World War.

Outline

This episode covers the story of the Enigma machine and the Lorenz cipher and how, after valuable initial work by the Polish intelligence service Biuro Szyfrów (BS4) and the French, the codes were broken at Bletchley Park, including some information on the Colossus computer that was still secret when the programme was made. It explains how the codes were broken and how the information was used. It features interviews with Gordon Welchman, Harry Golombek, Peter Calvocoressi, F. W. Winterbotham, Max Newman, Jack Good and Tommy Flowers.

The Secret War Series

You can find a full index and overview of The Secret War here.

Production & Filming Details

Release Date: 09 February 1977.
Rating: Unknown.
Running Time: 60 minutes (per episode).
Country: UK.
Language: English.