Jerzy Różycki
Różycki’s work was part of the collaborative Polish breakthrough against Enigma. Recording the team, rather than only its most famous member, gives a more accurate account of how cryptanalytic advances happen.
Jerzy Różycki was a Polish mathematician and cryptanalyst assigned to the Cipher Bureau’s German section. Alongside Marian Rejewski and Henryk Zygalski, he contributed to early successful work against Enigma.
Collaborative cryptanalysis
Różycki developed the “clock” method, which used characteristics of Enigma traffic to help determine rotor settings. The Polish team’s results were shared with Allied partners before the Second World War.
In memoriam
Różycki died in 1942 when the passenger ship Lamoricière sank in the Mediterranean. His contribution belongs to the collective history of the Polish Cipher Bureau.
Timeline
- 1909Born in Olszana, then in the Russian Empire.
- 1932Begins work for Poland’s Cipher Bureau.
- 1930sContributes to methods for attacking Enigma traffic.
- 1939The Polish team shares Enigma knowledge with Britain and France.
- 1942Dies in the sinking of the Lamoricière.
Jerzy Różycki
- Type
- Person
- Era
- 1930s-1942
- Born
- 1909
- Died
- 1942
- Known for
- Polish Cipher Bureau; Enigma cryptanalysis; Clock method
- Tags
- cryptanalysis, enigma, polish-cipher-bureau, mathematics, codebreaking
Created by Joas A Santos · Something wrong or want it removed? Open an issue.