Women Codebreakers Were Crucial to Winning World War II

While Alan Turing gets most of the credit for breaking the Enigma code, over 75% of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park were actually women. About 8,000 women worked there during WWII, including mathematicians, linguists, and machine operators. Women like Mavis Batey broke Italian naval codes, Ann Mitchell cracked German diplomatic codes, and Colossus computer operators were predominantly female. These women were sworn to secrecy and their contributions remained hidden for decades. Their work was so crucial that historians estimate it shortened the war by 2-4 years, saving millions of lives. Many had degrees in mathematics or languages at a time when higher education for women was rare. After the war, most returned to traditional roles, and their vital contributions were largely forgotten until classified documents were released decades later.