Wilhem Fenner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Wilhelm Fenner 14 April 1891 |
| Died | 25 July 1961 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse | Elise Sophie Katharine von Blanckensee |
| Parent(s) | Heinrich Gottlieb Fenner, Charlotte Georgine Fenner |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Cryptography |
| Institutions | Royal Institute of Technology |
| Significant advance | Cryptology |
Wilhelm Fenner (14 April 1891 in Saint Petersburg, 25 July 1961 in Bad Godesberg)[1][2] was a German cryptanalyst, before and during the time of World War II in the OKW/Chi, the Cipher Department of the High Command of the Wehrmacht, working within the main cryptanalysis group, and entrusted with deciphering enemy message traffic (Cryptography).[3] Wilhelm Fenner was considered an excellent organizer, an anti-Nazi, an anti-Bolshevik and a confirmed Protestant and was known by colleagues as someone who was keen to continue working in cryptology after World War II.[4] To quote military historian David Alvarez:[5]
- Wilhelm Fenner was the central figure in the evolution of the German Cipher Bureau between 1922 and 1939, and a major personality in the history of German communications intelligence in the interwar period. Under his direction, the Cipher Bureau evolved into a highly professional communications intelligence service, which scored impressive cryptanalytic successes against the diplomatic and military systems of many countries.
- ^ Weierud, Frode; Zabell, Sandy (3 March 2020). "German mathematicians and cryptology in WWII". Cryptologia. 44 (2): 97–171. doi:10.1080/01611194.2019.1600076.
- ^ "Army Security Agency: DF-187 The Career of Wilhelm Fenner with Special Regard to his activity in the field of Cryptography and Cryptanalysis (PDF)". Internet Archive. 1 December 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ David Kahn (1983). Kahn on Codes: Secrets of the New Cryptology. Maxwell Macmillan Canada, Incorporated. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-02-560640-1.
- ^ "TICOM I-201 Interrogation of Dr Franz Weisser of Anglo-American section of OKW/Chi". Internet Archive. TICOM. 2 December 1946. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ Alvarez, David (22 March 2007). "Wilhelm Fenner and the Development of the German Cipher Bureau, 1922–1939". Cryptologia. 31 (2): 152–163. doi:10.1080/01611190601038225. S2CID 6431136.