Very Special Intelligence

by Patrick Beesly

Other authors: Ralph Erskine (Afterword), W. J. R. Gardner (Introduction), Lord Louis Mountbatten (Foreword)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations
102	2	269,574	(3.43)	None
The best book about British naval intelligence in World War II, including how the Enigma machine was used to crack the German secret codes.

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

lizzclark, AdamJBarr, Sldc, rh1426, alo1224, TertiusLibros, coldspur

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Member recommendations

00
Enigma U-Boats: Breaking the Code by Jack P. Mallmann Showell (SV1XV)
00
Capturing Enigma -Softbound Edition: How HMS Petard Seized the German Naval Codes by Stephen Harper (SV1XV)
00
Most Secret War by R. V. Jones (SV1XV)
00
Seizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boats Codes, 1939-1943 by David Kahn (SV1XV)
00
The Ultra Secret by F. W. Winterbotham (SV1XV)
SV1XV: How Army and Air Force ULTRA intelligence was handled.

▾Lists

None

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 2 of 2

I believe this was the first Book on Ultra and Enigma in the naval war, 1939 - 45. The prose isn't lively, and overall, one engages with this book looking for chronology and techniques. Useful but not fun. (

)

DinadansFriend | Jul 31, 2014 |

How Britain pioneered so-called all source fusion: uniting & mapping intelligence from decryption, signals, agents, local resistance, in a single “war room” frame - to win the naval struggle of WWII. (

)

SkjaldOfBorea | Jul 7, 2014 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 2 of 2

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Patrick Beesly	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Erskine, Ralph	Afterword	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Gardner, W. J. R.	Introduction	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Mountbatten, Lord Louis	Foreword	secondary author	all editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Ballentine Espionage/Intelligence Library (9)

▾Awards and Honors

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

The Admiralty, London, England, UK

Important events

World War II (1939 | 1945 | Intelligence)

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

Quotations

Commander Colpoys, of OIC, suggested that they be given the designation Ultra, about the only Latin he could remember, and this was the adopted. (pp. 142)

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.