Author Candace Fleming gives readers yet another great nonfiction book. THE ENIGMA GIRLS tells the story of ten teenagers during WW II. These girls ranging from 17-20 years old enlisted in the WRENS and served as code breakers.
They worked at Bletchley Park, a secret location in England. Beginning in 1940, their work was to break the ciphers used by the German to follow their movements and uncover their battle plans. Ciphers were changed on a daily basis so the girls had to work quickly to determine the meaning of the coded orders and report them so action could be taken to prepare for and defeat the enemy. In 1945 alone, more than 6,000 women worked to decode and translate information from the enemies.
The work was tiring and stressful. Everyone was sworn to secrecy. They didn't even discuss these secrets among themselves for fear of revealing critical information that could result in the death of troops or civilians. These girls later married and had families who didn't even know what contributions they made for the war effort.
Some thirty years after the war ended, facts began to surface about the Enigma girls' significant efforts to direct the paths of British and Allied forces during the war. Author Candace Fleming's research into these brave individuals is presented in THE ENIGMA GIRLS.
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