New Books Network Gershom Gorenberg, "War of Shadows: Codebreakers, Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East" (Public Affairs, 2021)
Jan 26, 2026
Gershom Gorenberg, a columnist and Middle East historian, recounts WWII intelligence battles across North Africa and the Levant. He traces Enigma breakthroughs at Bletchley Park. He describes clandestine Italian and Nazi spying, Jewish involvement with British intelligence, and high-stakes contests over codes and loyalties. The narrative highlights contingency, security failures, and the race to prevent Axis control of the region.
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Axis Ambitions In The Middle East
- Mussolini aimed to rebuild a Roman-style empire by conquering Egypt and the Middle East from Libya.
- Hitler later sent Rommel to North Africa to prevent British gains and pursue wider Middle East conquest.
How Enigma Worked And Was Breached
- Enigma encrypted radio messages with rotating wired rotors, producing effectively unbreakable permutations.
- Bletchley Park used Polish breakthroughs and novel methods to read German traffic and monitor their plans.
Turing's Role And Operational Weaknesses
- Alan Turing designed a machine to run through many Enigma settings, building on Polish work and team efforts.
- Success relied on German operational habits, like repeated phrases, which made crib-based attacks possible.
