Rommel
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Last Seen: Jan 17, 2012
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Posts: 235
Location: Germany
Badges 09/80 Level 026
Last Shout: secret nazi invention [IMG]
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 Posted:
Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:30 am |
 
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Perhaps the most dramatic success that resulted from breaking the Japanese naval code (JL-25) was the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The plan of Japanese commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was to assemble an aircraft carrier task force, launch a diversionary raid off the Aleutian Islands, and lure the U.S. Navy to Midway Island and into a decisive battle that would destroy what remained of the American fleet after Pearl Harbor. From decrypted messages, U.S. naval commanders knew the general outlines of the plan, even the timetable. The messages, however, did not say where the Japanese intended to strike; the target was simply designated "AF."
It was Rochefort who proposed a ruse to determine what AF stood for. Suspecting that it was Midway Island, he arranged for American forces on the island to send out a radio message saying that they were running short of fresh water. Rochefort and his group waited anxiously to see if Japan would take the bait. Finally, codebreakers intercepted a Japanese message: AF was running short of fresh water. Knowing that the assault was to come at Midway, the U.S. Navy was ready. On June 4, 1942, after a fierce three-day battle, U.S. pilots sank all four Japanese aircraft carriers in Yamamoto's task force, effectively turning the tide in the Pacific.
 http://www.espionageinfo.com/Vo-Z/World-War-II-United-States-Breaking-of-Japanese-Naval-Codes.html |
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