Who were Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski?

Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski were Polish mathematicians and cryptologists who played a crucial role in breaking German Enigma-machine ciphers before and during World War II. Working alongside Marian Rejewski at the Polish Cipher Bureau, Zygalski invented perforated sheets to make cipher-breaking more efficient. Their foundational work and techniques were later shared with French and British allies just before the outbreak of the war.

What we know

• Jerzy Różycki was a Polish mathematician and cryptologist born on July 24, 1909, who worked on breaking German Enigma ciphers. [1, 2]
• Henryk Zygalski was a Polish mathematician and cryptologist born on July 15, 1908, who also worked on breaking Enigma ciphers. [3]
• Henryk Zygalski invented the cryptologic technique known as Zygalski sheets around October 1938. [4, 5]
• The Polish Cipher Bureau shared its Enigma-breaking techniques and technology with French and British intelligence in late July 1939. [5]

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat were Zygalski sheets?
• what caused itHow did Marian Rejewski break the Enigma cipher?
• what followedHow did Bletchley Park use Polish Enigma research?
• whoWho was Marian Rejewski?
• whereWhere did Polish cryptologists operate during World War II?
• an unexpected connectionHow did French spy intelligence aid the initial Enigma breakthrough?The successful mathematical breaking of the Enigma cipher was initially made possible by French-supplied intelligence material obtained from a German spy.

Sources

• [1]Jerzy Różycki (Wikidata Q660251) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Jerzy Różycki · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Henryk Zygalski · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Zygalski sheets · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Cryptanalysis of the Enigma · CC BY-SA 4.0