Ultra and the air war in Europe, 1943-1945: the R.A.F. and the Luftwaffe

Abstract

In 1940, British Intelligence succeeded in breaking the German secret radio cipher, Enigma. The intelligence gleaned from this source came to be known as "Ultra", an abbreviation for "Ultra Secret". Since the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) was the most verbose source of Enigma traffic, Ultra enabled British Intelligence to obtain detailed intelligence on virtually all aspects of the Luftwaffe. This study found that the history of the air war from November 1943 to May 1945 needed to be revised in light of Ultra's revelations. The analysis of the recently released Ultra documents was significant in the following areas: firstly in demonstrating that Ultra is a source of new historical interpretations in such cases as the oil offensive and the continuing strength of the Luftwaffe, and secondly, in revising the history of the air war by revealing what was known at the time in regard to the strategic bombing offensive, the "Production Miracle" and "Overlord".