Signals Intelligence In World War II
Signals Intelligence in World War II: The Ancestor of Modern SIGINT
Signals Intelligence in World War II began as a defunct system that appeared to be doomed and offered little to no valuable intelligence to commanders at all echelons. The United States Army formed the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1930 in an effort to consolidate all Army cryptologic functions underneath the Signal Corps. The Army identified the need for the SIS following the dissolution of the War Departments Military Intelligence Division in New York the previous year. The initial success of the SIS in deciphering of Japanese radio transmissions was bittersweet due to the lack of a dissemination method for this classification of information. Senior officials only …show more content…
The SIS expanded its footprint and aligned its monitoring stations into a better position for the current wartime conditions. The SIS hired a large civilian workforce and constructed multiple buildings to hold the overflow workspace for their large employee base. The SIS also underwent a renaming period, initially changing to the Signal Security Division, but ultimately became the Signal Security Agency (SSA) in 1943. During this expansion, the SSA began looking at sharing their efforts with allies. The SSA opened a small detachment in Australia …show more content…
ULTRA became the primary method of intelligence collection in Europe, and due to the dedication and skill of the SSOs appointed, remained a great secret in the war. General Dwight D. Eisenhower later wrote to the Chief of the British Secret Service, thanking him for the wealth of information provided by ULTRA. “The intelligence which has emanated from you before and during this campaign has been of priceless value to me. It has simplified my task as a commander enormously. It has saved thousands of British and American lives and, in no small way, contributed to the speed with which the enemy was routed and eventually forced to
Signals Intelligence in World War II began as a defunct system that appeared to be doomed and offered little to no valuable intelligence to commanders at all echelons. The United States Army formed the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1930 in an effort to consolidate all Army cryptologic functions underneath the Signal Corps. The Army identified the need for the SIS following the dissolution of the War Departments Military Intelligence Division in New York the previous year. The initial success of the SIS in deciphering of Japanese radio transmissions was bittersweet due to the lack of a dissemination method for this classification of information. Senior officials only …show more content…
The SIS expanded its footprint and aligned its monitoring stations into a better position for the current wartime conditions. The SIS hired a large civilian workforce and constructed multiple buildings to hold the overflow workspace for their large employee base. The SIS also underwent a renaming period, initially changing to the Signal Security Division, but ultimately became the Signal Security Agency (SSA) in 1943. During this expansion, the SSA began looking at sharing their efforts with allies. The SSA opened a small detachment in Australia …show more content…
ULTRA became the primary method of intelligence collection in Europe, and due to the dedication and skill of the SSOs appointed, remained a great secret in the war. General Dwight D. Eisenhower later wrote to the Chief of the British Secret Service, thanking him for the wealth of information provided by ULTRA. “The intelligence which has emanated from you before and during this campaign has been of priceless value to me. It has simplified my task as a commander enormously. It has saved thousands of British and American lives and, in no small way, contributed to the speed with which the enemy was routed and eventually forced to