Eventually, on the night of 2 June, Georges Painvin cracked an ADFGVX message. Painvin's breakthrough led to a spate of other decipherments, including a message that contained the order 'Rush munitions. Even by day if not seen.' The preamble to the messagew indicated that it was sent from somewhere between Montididier and Compiegne, some 80 km to the north of Paris.
The urgent need for munitions implied that this was to be the location of the imminent German thrust. Aerial reconnaissance confirmed that this stretch of the front line, and a week later the German onslaught began. Having lost the elemtn of surprise, the German army was beaten back in a hellish battle that lasted five days.
|
|
|
|