Events

Battlefields Trust online lecture: Bletchley Park & D-Day 1944

Thursday 2nd December 2021

Signals intelligence played a vital part in Operation OVERLORD, however this extended beyond simply providing current information to commanders during the operation. Analysts at Bletchley Park spent many months prior to the invasion creating a detailed picture of the German forces in the West. This provided information on the basis of which the invasion could be planned, and indeed its very viability assessed at the highest levels. This presentation examines the process whereby intercepted enemy wireless messages were turned into theatre-wide strategic intelligence, and the contribution this made to ultimate Allied victory in WW2.

Dr David Kenyon is responsible for historical research in support of all public content at Bletchley Park, the Second World War code-breaking site in Buckinghamshire, now a museum. This includes exhibition material as well as visitor tours, web information and broadcast items. He also appears as a spokesman for Bletchley Park on TV and radio. His latest book, Bletchley Park and D-Day is published by Yale University Press in 2019.

He was previously a free-lance military historian and museum consultant and has worked on and appeared in numerous historical TV and film projects. (These include the Trench Detectives series, shown on History channel, and work as Historical Advisor to the Spielberg film production of Warhorse in 2010)

He has previously worked for a number of years as an archaeologist and is one of the UK’s leading experts on the archaeology of the First World War. After attaining his PhD in Military History at UK Defence Academy, he has lectured both at home and abroad, including at various universities, as well as to other groups and societies. His book Digging the Trenches, was published in 2008.

This presentation is exclusive to Battlefields Trust members. It starts at 8pm and booking will be on-line in response to a Mailchimp invitation sent to all Trust members.