E170 – Bletchley Park & Bomber Command Part 1

Bletchley Park

History

4.8 • 177 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

October 2024

The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.

Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communications revealed priceless insights into the German defensive system – and how it could be evaded, outwitted and ultimately manipulated.

In this ‘It Happened Here’ episode, Bletchley Park Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham tells us about one of Bletchley Park’s most important contributions to Britain’s total war against Nazi Germany.

This episode features the following Veteran from our Oral History archive:
Sir Arthur Bonsall

Many thanks to Dean Annison & Mr Lindsay Spence for voicing our archival documents.

Image: ©Bletchley Park Trust 2024. Staff of Bletchley Park night fighter section in 1943. L-R standing: Pat Smith, Edith Davidson, Janet Smith, Florence Brooke, Vincent Chapman. Seated: Molly Blakeley, Catherine Payne, Brenda Gough. Front: Joy Parker, Jeanne Phillips.

#BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma, #BomberCommand,

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Mark, the podcast producer. Just a quick note before this episode starts.
0:07.0	Because of the amount of detail in the story of Bletchley Part's work for the Allied Strategic bombing campaign,
0:13.0	we've split this show into two episodes. This first show covers the early part of the war.
0:18.0	Part two will be released in two weeks' time.
0:54.8	Now, over is the Bletchley Park podcast.
0:57.0	Welcome to the October 2024 episode of the Bletchley Park podcast.
1:06.0	Bletchley Park and Bomber Command, Part 1. The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war.
1:15.6	Flying by night to their targets and occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night fighters.
1:23.6	Helping them reach their targets was one of the least known but most significant achievements
1:28.5	of the Signals Intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night fighters communications
1:34.6	revealed priceless insights into the German defensive system and how it could be evaded,
1:40.6	outwitted and ultimately manipulated. In this It Happened Here episode, Bletchley Park's research officer, Dr Thomas Cheatham,
1:50.0	tells us about one of Bletchley Park's most important contributions to Britain's total war against Nazi Germany.
1:57.0	Many thanks to Dean Anneson and Mr Lindsay Spence for voicing our archival documents.
2:02.6	This is Bletchley Park.
2:21.4	It happened here.
2:26.3	Tom, in this It Happened Here episode, we're going to focus on one of the longest campaigns during the war, and that's the Allied
2:34.6	Strategic Bombing Campaign.
2:36.7	Now, why is this so important to the war, and why is it so important to BP?
2:42.1	It's important to the war because it's an enormous focus for the Allies.
2:45.2	They pour an enormous amount of resources and a very large number of personnel into bombing,
2:50.4	because it is, for Britain,
	...

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