ULTRA

ULTRA was a code word for British communications intelligence (COMINT) in the Second World War, primarily targeted against the German Enigma machine and its derivatives. . This was one of the greatest intelligence triumphs in the history of warfare; the British read many German messages throughout the war.

The COMINT organization was called the Government Code and Cipher School (GCCS), which reported to the Secret Intelligence Service. Eventually, GCCS became a separate organization, the Government Communications Headquarters, with functions similar to the Canadian Communications Security Establishment or the U.S. National Security Agency.

Bletchley Park and the early days

Alan Turing, a Cambridge mathematician known at Bletchley as "prof" was one of the key figures. He had done extensive work before the war or the formal theory of computation, including inventing the Turing machine. At Bletchley, he was a contributor to Bombe and Collosus design and the main player in breaking the U-boats' four-rotor enigma.

Bletchley Park now has a museum and a web site [1]. In 2008, they ran low on money and an appeal was made [2] for funds to keep it going. Respondents include several major hi-tech companies [3].