Margins
Ultra in the Pacific book cover
Ultra in the Pacific
How breaking Japanese codes & cyphers affected naval operations against Japan 1941-45
1993
First Published
4.22
Average Rating
247
Number of Pages

Ultra, the name given to information gained from the deciphering of messages passed by the enemy in code during the Second World War, was certainly an invaluable asset to the Allies; but its application gave rise to other problems. If the information gained was used too freely, the enemy would soon suspect that their radio traffic was being intercepted and read, and would take the necessary counter-measures. Fortunately for the Americans in the Pacific, the Japanese sincerely believed that it was not possible for Westerners to learn their language. Lulled by this misapprehension into a false sense of security, they could only ascribe to luck or coincidence the remarkable frequency with which the Americans intercepted their plans. The war in the Pacific has had many chroniclers but the secret of Ultra remained guarded for many years and only recently has it become possible to assess in detail the effect it has on the campaign. John Winton's expert analysis of the records now available are here combined with his encyclopedic knowledge of the naval history of the Second World War to tell, for the first time, what exactly the Allies did learn from Ultra in the Pacific War and to what use that knowledge was put. The result is a fascinating story told with the zest and pace one might expect from an author who is both a highly respected historian and a first-class novelist. His long-overdue tribute to Joe Rochefort, whose contribution to the successful outcome of the War in the Pacific is hard to overemphasize, is particularly welcome.

Avg Rating
4.22
Number of Ratings
196
5 STARS
46%
4 STARS
35%
3 STARS
15%
2 STARS
3%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads

Author

John Winton
Author · 22 books
A former officer in the Royal Navy, John Pratt was the author of a variety of fiction and non-fiction works published under the pen name John Winton. Pratt also served for 14 years as an obituarist for The Daily Telegraph.
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved