By Stan Johnston
Monday is Memorial Day in the US, followed a week later by the anniversary of D-Day. As we remember those who sacrificed, let’s also not forget those who served away from the field of battle. Data scientists of every generation made a difference in war.
The largest invasion in history was won by information – and misinformation. When Allied forces landed in France on June 6, 1944, control of data prepared their way.
Allies misled Germans on the location and date. They flooded airways with fake radio traffic full of misinformation. They re-routed radio signals via landlines to mask troop locations. They learned German defensive plans and troop locations by eavesdropping on conversations. Naval forces conducted diversionary maneuvers to draw attention from Normandy. And much of that was possible because data scientists at Bletchley Park broke the complex code of Germany’s famous Enigma machine.
In war, information can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Tactical data about your enemy’s location, numbers, strengths, weaknesses, firepower and supplies are critical in decision-making. Equally important is understanding opposing leaders. Their personalities and tendencies can be used to advantage in battle.
You win by getting the right information in the right hands at the right time. It made a difference then, and it makes a difference today. D-Day is among many historic battles in which data played a key role. Here are five more:
The Spanish Armada (1588)
While King Philip II of Spain was spending lavishly to build an imposing fleet of 130 warships, Queen Elizabeth I put her modest budget into building the most sophisticated spy network in Europe. Her investment paid off; his ended up in flames.
The Spanish king had decided to crush Tudor Protestantism by sending the Armada to escort an invasion army. However, Elizabeth’s spies fed her rich details, which she used to craft a counter-attack. At Calais, the Armada was met by British fire ships, which scattered the fleet. Then nature stepped in. During the Armada’s retreat, more than a third of the ships were lost in severe storms.
Battle of Ulm (1805)
French agent Charles Schulmeister so convincingly infiltrated Austria’s military that he was designated Chief of Intelligence by Napoleon’s rival, General Karl von Mack. The gullible Austrian general even invited the spy into his social circle. Schulmeister relayed Mack’s plans to Napoleon and gave false information to Austrian commanders. Believing French troops were retreating, Mack pursued – until he found his army surrounded by unexpected points of data.
Battle of The Trebia (218 BC)
Sometimes the most important intelligence is about people. Hannibal, commander of the Carthage army, was a master at interpreting data on opposing leaders. After famously leading forces that included elephants over the Alps into Italy, he won his first major victory by luring impetuous Roman general Tiberius Sempronius Longus into a trap.
The warring armies had camped on opposite sides of the Trebia River. From Gallic spies, Hannibal not only had details of the Roman plans, but he also learned Sempronius was temperamental. So Hannibal sent out raiding parties – provoking the Roman general into an angry response. Hannibal easily repelled the assault and got the insight he needed: This enemy could be baited into defeat.
He was right. When the overconfident Romans mounted a direct frontal attack during a cold and snowy December morning, their soldiers could barely hold weapons by the time they crossed the freezing river. Hannibal’s men had eaten, rubbed themselves with oil in front of fires and were ready for a classic pincer movement. It was an historic rout — though 10,000 Romans valiantly fought their way home. It could have been avoided were it not for one man’s pride. That data point made the difference in Trebia.
Tet Offensive (1968)
In late January 1968, the North Vietnamese launched an unexpected campaign against South Vietnamese and American forces. A key target in the campaign was a fortress called The Citadel, in the South Vietnamese city of Hue. The Citadel has thick and high walls surrounded on all sides by water. But the North Vietnamese took the fort with ease, held it for weeks, and then vanished after a massive U.S. counterattack.
Their ability to control information within a large network made the difference. Months earlier, North Vietnamese soldiers had infiltrated Hue to organize sympathizers. They acquired intricate data about the fort and its defenses, dug tunnels under its walls, and left stockpiles of weapons at key spots. During the Tet holiday, fighters slipped into the city dressed as peasants. Inside the Citadel, they helped to overrun guard posts, open the gates, take over the command center, and create mass confusion. The defense of the Citadel collapsed quickly.
Vietnamese call this the “blooming lotus” strategy because it focuses on the soft and vulnerable center instead of a formidable front. To pull off such a complex and coordinated attack, they needed a reliable and accurate flow of information from a large network of informants. That made the difference.
Battle of Midway (1942)
Military historian John Keegan called Midway “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.” The surprise U.S. victory changed the trajectory of World War II in the Pacific, and much credit goes to an information advantage.
Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan’s strategy shifted to securing a forward base for an invasion of Hawaii. It planned a diversionary attack on the Aleutian Islands first. But the real goal was eliminating Midway’s air power, which would leave the remaining U.S. fleet exposed. Japan was so confident that it sent the largest naval force ever assembled in the Pacific.
However, American cryptographers used a ruse to confirm the real target was Midway and the date of the attack. That data enabled the U.S. Navy to prepare an ambush and rush two extra carriers into the mix. In the end, all four of Japan’s large aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser were sunk. Its fleet never fully recovered. And information was the difference.
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