Rejewski's break into the Enigma cipher
Ruptura del cifrado Enigma por Rejewski
- Date
- 1932 · confidence high
- Place
- Warsaw, Masovia, Poland
- Credited to
- Marian Rejewski, with Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Różycki
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What was discovered
In late 1932 the Polish mathematician reconstructed the internal wiring of the German military Enigma by applying permutation theory to intercepted messages and documents obtained by French intelligence. It was the first mathematical break of the Enigma.
The Cipher Bureau worked at the Saxon Palace in Warsaw. The intelligence sources (Hans-Thilo Schmidt, passed on by France) were an essential part of the success.
What it led to
- regular reading of German traffic between 1933 and 1939
- Zygalski sheets and Różycki's clock
- transfer of the methods to France and Britain in July 1939 (Bletchley Park)