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Station X

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The Enigma coding machine should have been Germany’s greatest weapon during World War II. It could reconfigure each message in 150 million, million, million ways and, unsurprisingly, was thought to be unbreakable. The four-programmes tell the remarkable story of Station X, Britain’s code-breaking headquarters based at the country estate of Bletchley Park. Ten thousand code-breakers were recruited, an eccentric mob of schoolboys and academics, crossword fanatics and chess players. Against the odds, Enigma was broken, rendering it Germany’s greatest liability. These films mix recollections from code-breakers with meticulous reconstructions filmed in Bletchley itself. The result is a set of programmes that conjure up the unique atmosphere of Station X, and explains the methods employed to crack the code.

The Enigma coding machine should have been Germany’s greatest weapon during World War II. It could reconfigure each message in 150 million, million, million ways and, unsurprisingly, was thought to be unbreakable. The four-programmes tell the remarkable story of Station X, Britain’s code-breaking headquarters based at the country estate of Bletchley Park. Ten thousand code-breakers were recruited, an eccentric mob of schoolboys and academics, crossword fanatics and chess players. Against the odds, Enigma was broken, rendering it Germany’s greatest liability. These films mix recollections from code-breakers with meticulous reconstructions filmed in Bletchley itself. The result is a set of programmes that conjure up the unique atmosphere of Station X, and explains the methods employed to crack the code.

Programme Information

  • Genre: History

  • Subgenre: Factual

  • Producers: DARLOW SMITHSON PRODUCTIONS

  • Broadcaster: n/a

  • Duration: 2 x 52'

  • Tags: WWII Code Science

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