Synopses & Reviews
Spanning the battle of Corunna in 1809 to the 1815 victory at Waterloo, this is the dramatic true-life tale of an unsung hero in Wellington's army.
Common-born George Scovell -- an engraver's apprentice -- joins the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and becomes a commissioned officer. As Bonaparte's juggernaut marches across Europe, Scovell soon proves himself a linguistic genius and begins to crack the basic codes used in French dispatches, giving General Wellington advance knowledge of French plans. But as the enemy changes from simple ciphers to baffling "next to impossible" encoded messages, Scovell finds himself racing against time to break the legendary "Great Paris Cipher" and save the British Army.
The thrill of clashing armies, challenging puzzles, and the personal struggle of a long-forgotten hero make The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes a gripping -- and brain-teasing -- adventure.
Synopsis
George Scovell, an engraver's apprentice, joined the British army on the Iberian peninsula during the Napoleonic wars. Soon this man of common birth would change the course of history. A linguistic genius, Scovell was assigned to Wellington's headquarters when he obtained a handwritten copy of an obscure book on cyphering and easily began cracking the basic codes used in French dispatches. But as the enemy changed from simple ciphers to bafflingly sophisticated encoded messages, Scovell had to race against time to break the code and save the British army before it was crushed by Bonaparte's juggernaut.
Colorful period detail, a fast-paced narrative, the thrill of clashing armies, challenging puzzles, and the personal struggle of a long-forgotten hero make The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes a gripping -- and brain-teasing -- reading adventure.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-337) and index.
About the Author
As a journalist and former army officer, Mark Urban has the perspective of an eyewitness to the most crucial political events and military campaigns of our time. He lives in London and is a prominent BBC Newsnight correspondent.