Extended Essay

Group 3: History

To what extent did breaking code JN-25 and code ULTRA give aid to the Allies in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres of World War Two?

Word Count: 3746

Abstract: This extended essay has the subject of Code Breaking Intelligence. When studying the Second World War, the phrase ‘code breaking’ is not highlighted as a significant factor, so this investigation is to assess the contribution of code intelligence in the Second World War. The main question being: To what extent did breaking code JN-25 and code ULTRA give aid to the Allies in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres of World War Two? The scope of this investigation is confined to two specific codes called the JN-25 and Ultra. This is due to the abundance of codes and ciphers used during WWII. It is also limited to where, either the Pacific or Atlantic theatres, these two codes were most effectively applied to aid the Allies. Information was attained from secondary sources to create a bank of relative information to the research question. The conclusion that can be drawn from this investigation is that code intelligence did significantly aid the Allies in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres. With the assistance of JN-25 the Americans halted the Japanese in the Pacific theatre, stopping its expansionist and aggressive behaviour. Similarly, the British and the Americans, with the help of code Ultra, achieved an offensive against Germany and Hitler, plus shortening the war by two to four years, supported by the historians: Wladyslaw Kozaczuk and Sir Harry Hinsley. Even though code intelligence did offer help to the Allies other factors affected the theatres too. The development of new technology and the employment of newly developed military tactics were certainly competing factors, but code intelligence remains a major factor that significantly aided the Allies in their