Cryptography and the World Wars: The History of Codemaking and Codebreaking during Both Global Conflicts

World War I was the first major conflict in which new electronic means of transmitting and receiving messages became a major factor in political and military operations. The electric telegraph was developed in the first half of the 19th century, and by 1850, there were several telegraph companies around the world providing a service that allowed virtually instantaneous communication over long distances. This was a major breakthrough, but the telegraph depended on the availability of wires ...