Enigma - Decipher Victory: The Polish Role in Helping the British Break the Enigma Code

Join us for this special program, reception and exhibition sponsored in partnership between Duquesne University, the Polish Cultural Council of Pittsburgh, and Britsburgh spotlighting early Polish successes in breaking the Enigma code, the German Military Command's encoded strategic messages, and the strong British-Polish collaboration before and during the War.

Many people are aware of the success of Alan Turing and other British codebreakers at Bletchley Park in breaking the German Enigma code, a vital breakthrough that is believed to have shortened the war by as much as two years, saving innumerable lives, and ultimately helping to secure Allied victory against the Nazis.  Less well known is the role of Polish mathematicians such as Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Rózycki and Henryk Zygalski (pictured here left to right, respectively), before and during the war, in cracking the code.  In the early 1930s, the Polish codebreakers actually achieved success in deciphering an early version of Enigma, which had been invented by a German engineer towards the end of the First World War.  Just before the outbreak of World War II in September 1939,  by which time the Germans had developed a more sophisticated version of Enigma, the Poles passed their knowledge on to their British allies.  This information played a crucial part in the ultimate success of the Bletchley codebreakers in breaking the now more complex Enigma code.  The strong British-Polish collaboration in deciphering Enigma extended into other aspects of the war, including Polish fighter pilots taking part in the Battle of Britain and Polish troops in the North African, Italian and Normandy campaigns and the battle for Berlin,

The evening's program consists of the opportunity to see the special exhibition, "Enigma-Decipher Victory", on loan from the Embassy of Poland in Washington, DC in cooperation with the Polish Cultural Council, Pittsburgh and the Polish Cultural Institute, New York City. Kim Szczypinski of Duquesne University and Britsburgh's History Society will give an introductory talk about the history of British-Polish cooperation during the war.  Special guest Dr. Roman Sznajder, Professor of Mathematics and Graduate Program Coordinator in Applied and Computational Mathematics at Bowie State University, will give the main presentation on, "The Role of the Poles in Breaking the Enigma Code."  An actual Enigma machine, courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Special Collections, Traub-McCorduck Collection, will also be on display during this event.

In addition, guests will be able to view a sampling of World War II intelligence, propaganda, publications, and artifacts from the Gumberg Library's James F. Clarke Collection on display in the Library's first floor Archive.  In 1942, Clarke headed the Balkan section of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA, and from 1943-1945 Clarke also directed the Balkan, Central, and South-East European sectons of the Office of War Information (OWI).  Stationed in Cairo for much of the war, Clarke's linguistic background was essential to his work in research, planning, and policy concerning Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

A reception from 6:30 p.m. preceeds Dr. Sznajder's talk.  Additional time to peruse the exhibitions will follow the talk.

PROGRAMME:

6:30 - 7:00 p.m.     Doors open, reception, visit exhibition, "Enigma - Decipher Victory" and  view Enigma M3 cipher machine 

7:00 - 7:05 p.m.:    Welcome, acknowledgments and introductions

7:05 - 7:15 p.m.:    Introductory talk by Kim Szczypinski of Duquesne University and Britsburgh highlighting Polish-British collaboration during World War II 

7:15 - 8:00 p.m.:    "The Role of the Poles in Breaking the Enigma Code" - presentation by Dr. Roman Sznajder of Bowie State University

8:00 - 8:30 p.m.:    Q & A and discussion 

8:30 - 9:00 p.m.:   Additional time to view  "Enigma - Decipher Victory" exhibition, Enigma M3, and "James F. Clarke Collection" WWII artifacts exhibit

Free and open to the public but to give us an idea of the number of participants please register with Duquesne University for this event:  

https://calendar.library.duq.edu/event/8224811

Parking is available in Duquesne University's Visitor Parking Garage on Forbes Avenue.  The street address for the Forbes garage is 1100 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Upon entering the garage (#34 on the campus map), you will take a ticket and proceed to park. Once you have parked, take the elevator or the stairs to the eighth floor and exit the garage. Turn right into the Sklar Skyway (#33) to cross Forbes Avenue towards the Power Center (#32). As you exit the skywalk and enter the Power Center, the Ballroom is directly ahead on the same level. If you park on the street, enter the Power Center (#32) and take the elevator to the top floor to get to the Ballroom.

Link to campus map: https://www.duq.edu/assets/Images/about/_images/Campus-Map-Legend-9-19-large.jpg

On street parking in the area (along Fifth Avenue near the PPG Paints Arena and the side streets between Fifth and Forbes Avenues) is also available, as is very limited  public parking at meters (free after 6:00 p.m.) on campus.  Be careful not to park in a permit-only metered space!

The "Enigma - Decipher Victory" exhibition will be on view in Duquesne University's Gumberg Library October 4-15, 2021.  For more information about the exhibition and Enigma, see:  https://guides.library.duq.edu/enigma

For more information about this event, contact Kim Szczypinski of Britsburgh's History Society at: kim@britsburgh.com

Explore fascinating British-themed topics with the guidance of experts and enjoy the company and conversation of fellow enthusiasts as a member of the Britsburgh Society. Society members enjoy our Arts, Beer, History, Mystery Lovers and Literary and Tea Society events. If you are not already a member, I would like to invite you to consider becoming a Britsburgh Society member. To become a member, visit the Britsburgh membership page.

THE BRITSBURGH TEAM

The "Enigma--Decipher Victory" exhibit and program are sponsored by

Special thanks to Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Special Collections, Traub-McCorduck Collection for loan of Enigma M3 artifact.