East Midlands Branch

 

THE INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS

AND ITS APPLICATIONS

 

Enigma, Bletchley Park & The Battle of the Atlantic

 

by

 

Dr Mark Baldwin

M & M Baldwin, Booksellers & Publishers

 

Tuesday 7th October 2008

starting at 7:00 pm

 

Queens Building, De Montfort University, Leicester

[Campus Map : http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campuses/maps/leic_campus.jsp]  

 

This is a joint meeting with BCS and IMechE

 

Abstract

One of the Second World War's most fascinating stories is that of the Enigma machine, a portable encryption device widely used by the Germans, which they believed to be totally secure. Nevertheless, by mathematical analysis and modern technology (and a certain amount of good luck), the Allies devised techniques for 'breaking' Enigma codes, and thus read hundreds of thousands of German messages, providing a wealth of reliable intelligence.  Much of this work was carried out at Bletchley Park, today open to the public as a museum site, which explains and illustrates the history of the attack on Enigma, initiated by the Poles in the 1930s, later perfected by the British.  The intelligence gained was of immense value to the Allies in virtually every theatre of war, but nowhere more so than in the Battle of the Atlantic, that fierce conflict which lasted nearly six years and cost over 60,000 lives. Dr Baldwin uses the Battle of the Atlantic to exemplify the importance of code breaking in winning the war.

 

No charge is made to attend meeting; non-IMA members are welcome

 

The event is coordinated by Leicester Branch of the BCS, contact Mary Clarkson (mary.clarkson@bcs.org.uk) or access the Web pages at http://www.leicester.bcs.org.  There is no charge for the meeting, but to book a place please email leics-events@bcs.org.uk.  Non-members are most welcome to attend.  A free buffet is available at 6:30 pm, courtesy of the BCS

 

For further details of East Midlands IMA Branch activities consult the Web Site: http://www.ima.org.uk/EMidBranch/ima.html or by contacting the Branch General Secretary:

Dr Stephen Hibberd, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham; email: Stephen.Hibberd@nottingham.ac.uk or Tel. (0115) 9513841