When Geoffrey Tandy was summoned to Bletchley Park in 1939, he had no idea what to expect. A volunteer at the Royal Navy Reserves, Tandy wanted to serve Britain however he could as World War II threatened his country’s existence. But as a cryptogamist for the National History Museum, Tandy wasn’t quite sure where he fit in. Cryptogamists studied algae, a skill that wasn’t in high demand when it came to military strategizing.
Tandy was greeted by representatives for the Ministry of Defence, who seemed excited at the prospect of Tandy joining the top-secret efforts at Bletchley—too excited, really, about someone whose expertise was in seaweed.
At some point, it occurred to Tandy that the Ministry may have made a mistake. The exact details are lost to history, but it became clear that someone had mistaken his job of cryptogamistfor a cryptogramist—a codebreaker, which is exactly what men like Alan Turing were doing at Bletchley. The mistake led to a moss specialist being deposited into one of the most intense covert operations of the war.
Generally useless to the group, Tandy did nothing for two years. Then something incredible happened.
In 1941, Allied forces torpedoed German U-boats and salvagedsome important documents from the wreckages, including papers that instructed users of the German Enigma Machine how to unscramble messages. The problem: The papers were waterlogged, damaged, and in dire need of quick restoration before they could be put to use.
The Ministry needed someone who was an expert in drying out water-damaged, fragile materials. Someone who may have had training in preserving algae in such a manner. They needed someone like Tandy.
Using absorbent materials gathered from a museum, Tandy dried the pages and returned them to legibility. The Bletchley codebreakers were able to use the information to crack German communication, allowing Allied forces to get a glimpse of their strategy. The deciphering likely hastened the end of the war by two to four years, saving millions of lives in the process.
white man: i’m fascinated with history espe– me: military history white man: actually yes a– me: world war two white man: uh yea– me: nazis
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me:actually yes a-
You: world war 2
Me: shit no, try the Mongolian empire you presumptuous asshat.
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me:actually yes a-
You: world war 2
Me: no, bayonetting militia, you fool.
On a serious note, we really need to kill the idea that people liking history IMMEDIATELY means they like the Nazis.
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me:actually yes a-
You: world war 2
Me: No you ignorant simpleton, Ancient Egyptian Chariot Battles.
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me: actually yes a-
You: world war 2
Me: no you fucking Sunni infidel, Iranian tactics and weapons during the Iran-iraq war.
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me: actually yes a-
You: world war two
Me: uh, yea-
You: Nazis
Me: actually American and alliance fighter aircraft and weapons.
I have a gun that killed Nazis though…
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me: no.
You: …
Me: I’m more interested in the development, implementation, and use of technology, including smithing, stonework, leatherwork, brazing, tinsmithing, coin-minting…
*45 minutes later*
and that whole thing about how apparently we can’t make fabric like we used to which I call insanely suspicious because we have an unbroken tradition in loomery between today and-
You: I will literally pay you money to stop talking. Please. Please for the love of god.
Me: Oh, sorry. Also, military history is cool.
Me: I’m a fan of history espe-
You: military history
Me: actually yes a-
You: world war two
Me: No, you dishonorable coward! Everything before guns. Melee combat!
Me: I’m a fan of history, espe-
You: Military History.
Me: yes, actually…
You: World War Two.
Me: Yeah…
You: Nazis.
Me: Axis and Allies both created advancements in technological warfare that changed the world and are still used to this day or were just all around crazy. Like, Nazi Germany invented night vision goggles, revolutionized how army helmets were designed, and had amazing tanks.
You: Ha! I kne-
Me: And Japan used paper balloons to try to and fire bomb America, to which America replied by almost fire bombing Japan with live bats.
You: what….?
Me: Yeah, America almost beat Japan with not a Hydrogen Bomb, but with…
