Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
German cryptanalysts managed to break the Soviet military codes, just as the
British broke the German codes. After the war, the Germans turned over their
cryptanalyst machines to the British and Americans. These German machines
(more than seven tons' worth) were transported to Bletchley Park, where they
were used by British cryptanalysts during the Cold War to continue to decipher
Soviet coded messages.
Germany also had a nuclear program during World War II. The Allies benefited
greatly from the folly of German anti-Semitism, which led to the migration of
scientists such as Albert Einstein, Edward Teller, and Leo Szilard to the United
States. Enrico Fermi also moved to the States to escape Fascism in Italy. John von
Neumann also moved from Hungary but in 1930 before wartime repressions had
started.
Computers in Japan During World War II
Japan had a strong tradition of mathematics and pioneered building calculation
devices as early as 1902. In that year, Yazu Ryoichi built a mechanical calculating
machine called the
automatic abacus
. In appearance, this looks a bit like the
Curta mechanical calculator, only larger. In 1906, Kawaguchi Ichitaro of the Min-
istry of Communications and Transportation built a working mechanical calculator
powered by electricity.
During World War II in 1944, the aviation laboratory at Tokyo Imperial
University built an electromechanical device for solving simultaneous equations.
This was not a true computer but was a step in that direction.
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