Breaking Enigma: A World War II Game Changer is an exciting WWII History film that is also useful for teaching with primary sources about Computers and IT, History, Social Studies, Women’s History, Women in Computing, and World History.
This short documentary highlights the innovative computing and technology of the counterintelligence effort started in Poland, headquartered in England, and eventually including the United States, as well as the emphasis on secrecy, teamwork, and cooperation. The film also draws connections to machine learning and artificial intelligence, and viewers track the long line of technological advancement brought about by war and applied in peacetime.
“The pressure was intense, the stakes were high, and failure was not an option.”
– Code Breaker of Bletchley Park
Through diligent work, collaboration, technological advances, and a diverse workforce, Allied powers were able to follow German war strategies and end World War II earlier than if they had not had the intelligence.
Breaking Enigma: A World War II Game Changer is part of our growing collection of documentary films from the World War II Foundation. To find out when we add more films to this collection, sign up for our newsletter.
This film is available to watch on PBS.
Code Breaking in War
Bletchley Park: An Ecosystem of Success
Historical Spaces as Primary Sources
The Legacy of Code Breaking in World War II
Additional Resources
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