*** World War I -- intelligence communications signals intelligence codes used








World War I: Communications--Codes


Figure 1.--

World War I armies and navies operated largely independently in World War I. This is one reason that navies formed infantry forces (marines). The codes used by combatant armies and navies were different. And there was a need to develop new codes with the deployment of the new wireless. Telegraph codes were relatively secure. Wireless communications were insecure because they could be easily picked up by the enemy. It took some time for the military forces to adjust to this new reality. Codes and encription became necessary for critical messages. The navies were quicker to adjust than the armies. Navies could use the new radio (wireless) technology, although the range of radio was still limited. Here the Royal Navy had an advantage because of their many colonnial possessiuins where land stAtions could be built and could relay naval messages. The navies had an easier task in this regard than the armies which relied heavily on telegrams and phones using land lines. Each country varied in how they adjusted to the new realities and the codes which they developed. Developing the codes, however, was only part of the problem. Getting the soldiers to use them proved to be a difficult undertaking.

Military Organizatioins


Navies

The navies were quicker to adjust to radio usage than the armies. Navies could use the new radio (wireless) technology, although the range of radio was still limited. Here the Royal Navy had an advantage because of their many colonnial possessiuins where land stAtions could be built and could relay naval messages. The navies had an easier task in this regard.

Armies

World War I armies which relied heavily on telegrams and phones using land lines. Messengers were very heavily used, especially when units were in motion. The War on the Western Front quickly settled down into a static struggle of attrition. The two sides built trenches, huge parallel lines of fixed earthwork fortifications snaking from the Swiss border to the Channel. Huge numbers of men were sacrificed in futile assaults attempting to break through the enemnyblines. Often these offensives resulted in only minor dents in the opposing lines. The armies involved distributed codebooks which were easier to protect then with armies on the move. These code books were one of the prizes sought by trench-raiding parties. The code books were changecon a regular basis.

Countries


Britain

The British followed the French in adopting trench codes.

France

The French Army was the first to develop trench codes (early 1916). The first trench code were for the telephone. They were developed when telephone conversations were overheard by the Germans and resulted in a particularly devestating artillery barage. The first telephone codes were a small set of two-letter codewords which were spelled out in voice communications. This was later upgraded with a three-letter code scheme. The telephone trench codes were adopted for wireless use. The first one-part codes evolved into more secure two-part codes.

Germany

The German Foreign Ministry had no way of communicating with its embassuies in The United States and North America. They had to use cables that went through Britain. Thus they coded the messages. One of those codes 0075. This code system was judged to be impossible to crack, It contained about 10.000 phrases and individual words. One codebook was used to transmit and another to decode. They proved to be very wrong. This was the code used for the famous Zimmerman telegram. This was surely one of the greatest cryptographic fiascos in history. The Germans began using trench codes (spring 1917). The Germans developed a codebook with 4,000 words. They changed it on a bimonthly basis. Different codebooks were used on various sectors of the front. The Germans developed another encipherement system which they called ADFGX. This was a system worked out by Oberst Fritz Nebel. These five letters were substituted for plaintext. Plaintext letters were enciphered with two letters (=FF, b=XA, c=FA, etc.) The letter �y� was omitted as unecessary and to compolicate attempts at decpherment. A 'super' encipherement was added. The final enciphered text was written with groups of five letters; FDFAX FDFAD XAAFX, etc. This proved very difficult to crack.

Russia

France and Russian had a mutual defense treaty. When the Germans launched the Scliffen Plan in the West, the Russians honored the terms of the treaty and launched a major offensive into East Prussiam The Russuans had codes, but becaise of the work involved, important nessages involving trouip movements were often sent in the clear. This played a major role in the German victory at Tannemberg. The Germans also learned important information sbout Russian secure communications.

United States

Electronic messaging camev into existence before the Civil War -- the telegraph. And the telegraph played a very iportant role in the War, at least at the higer command levels. Messages were sentb in the clear. Intercepting a message was difficult, required spying and getting the results to the people who needed it, virtually impossible. The United States established the Signal Corps after the War (1866), but its primary concern was communications, ways in which armybcommanders could sendand receive communications and orders. We know of no work on on coodes and cyphers. This only began to change with the invention of radio (wireless) and at first only for the Navy. Only ships had the ability to send and receive radio communications. Now we know that radio comminications at sea very impotant in the lead up to World War I--most famously because of the RMS Titanic disaster (1912). The U.S. Navy had radio comminications when it entered World War I (1917). We have been unable to find any information on codes it had developed. But as it operated very closely with the Royal Navy in the Atklasntic and the North Sea, it oresumbably used Royal Navy Codes. The U.S. Army was a different matter. The Signal Corops had privided commuuicatuins equiomebnt, telephines and telegraphic equipment during the Spanish American War, but we know if no work on coding. Even with the invention of radio, we do not know of any codes developed and implemented. The United States basically entered World War I without an army. The U.S. Army when Congress declared war was tiny (April 1917. There was a Signal Corps, but no codes for sending classfied messages. The United States had not participated in a major war since the Civil War. As a result, Americans had no expertise with cryptology. The War, Navy, and Justice Deoartmebnt began sending intercepted messages to Riverbank. There wee, howeve, young man and women had some expertise. Willian Friedmann and Elizabeth Smith met while working for George Fabian, at his Riverbank estate. He put them to work trying to crack codes Fabian believed inveeded in Shajkespoearian manuscript. They woked diligently abnd delved into texts on code breaking. They finally decided that there was no such cide abnd saw no nfuturein cide breaking, buthat there was a future in each other and married (May 1917). Suddenly the Army was intereste in cryotology. There was no code breaking unit inthe entire Federal Giovernmebnt, let alone the Army. So here Fabian stepped in and offered his servuces to the U.S. Governmet and put William and Elizabeth in charge of a team to crack secret messages. It was the first dedicated code breaking unit in America. Thousands of mnesages arrived for decription from theWar Department (Army), the Navy Deoartment, and the Justice Department. Now William and Eizabeth were not trained cryptologists. They had only been working on the Shakespeare projrct a short time and had read a few books. But they began working on the messages using basic frequency analysis. William had a mathematical mind and Elizabeth a way with language. They soon reached the limits of frequency analysis and began inventing their own techniques. And suceeded in ceacking the messages arriving. They documented their successes and methiods in eight volumes known as the Riverbank Publications laying out the mathematical foundation for the principles of codebreaking. They began trainingb U.S Army officers at a coding school. The Army established a Cypher Bureau in Washington based on the sysem estabklished at Riverbank. This esentially replaced Riverbank. Willian wanted to do his bit and enlisted. Hecwas sent to France as a fielf cryotologist. Only men were allowed. Elizabeth sayed behind at Riverbank. Parker Hitt, a Signal Corps instructor, published a short book on cryptology before America entered the War (1915). He went with the AEF to France as a staff officer, but commanders there sought him out for advice on cryptographic issues. A young Signal Corps officer. Joseph Mauborgne, also emerged in cryptographic work. The first AEF Douggboys arriving in France during 1917 were largely untrained. As a result, the AEF did not move up to the front for nearly a year. While training in France, the AEF on its own began developing code books. until the German Spring offensive threatened to break through Allied lines (May 1918). They also began adopting trench codes. A Captain Howard R. Barnes became especually adroit at turning out these codes. The Americans named their first codes after rivers, beginning with 'Potomac'. The Americans printed the codebooks on paper that burned easily and degraded after a few weeks by which time the codes would presumably be changed. A font was chosen for readability under trench conditions. American codemakers, however, found that combat units under the pressure of action were unable or unwilling to use the codes.






HBC







Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to Main World War I intelligence communications page]
[Return to Main World War I intelligence page]
[Return to Main World War I page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [Essays] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Created: 10:19 PM 2/24/2011
Last updated: 5:11 AM 12/6/2023