Why was the Navajo code hard to decipher?

Why was the Navajo code hard to decipher?

The Navajo recruits were not allowed to take written notes into the field, so if they were killed or captured, there would be no written notes to study. Although the Japanese did capture a Navajo in the Philippines, since he had not been trained in the special code vocabulary, he could not understand the conversations.

Why were the Navajo Code Talkers not recognized?

One reason that Navajo Code Talkers were not recognized until much later is because the program was secret and classified by the military. The military did not order the Comanche Code Talkers to keep silent about their jobs in the war.

Did Japanese know about Navajo code talkers?

Japan was well aware that the military was using Native language(s) as code, The genius of the code talkers was the diversification of the tribal languages. Until the declassification of military document (some not all) of the use of the language(s) no one knew about the secret operations.

Can you crack the Navajo code?

These codes used by the Navajo code talkers, which included word substitutions for wartime vehicles and other war-oriented implements, are the only code in wartime history, never to have been broken. …

What was the purpose of Navajo code talkers?

Most people have heard of the famous Navajo (or Diné) code talkers who used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific theater of combat during World War II.

Are there any Navajo Code Talkers still living?

More than 400 qualified Navajo Code Talkers served during WWII and only four are still living. He continues to share his story and experience as a Navajo Code Talker. MacDonald served in the Marine Corps from 1944 to 1946.

What did code talkers do if they were captured?

“They were told that if – if a code talker was captured to shoot him,” he says. When the American flag finally was raised on Iwo Jima, the first news went out in Navajo code. When the war ended, the American G.I.s came home to a hero’s jubilant welcome, but the Navajo returned to the reservation – and silence.

How did Kieyoomia decode the Navajo code?

The Japanese tried unsuccessfully to have him decode messages in the “Navajo Code” used by the United States Marine Corps, but although Kieyoomia understood Navajo, the messages sounded like nonsense to him because even though the code was based on the Navajo language, it was decipherable only by individuals specifically trained in its usage. .

Did the Japanese know they were dealing with an American Indian code?

Thus the Japanese knew they were dealing with not only an American Indian code, but specifically one based on the Navajo language. Joe Kieyoomia was a Navajo soldier from New Mexico, who was not a code talker.

Did the Japanese ever break the Navajo code?

The US had literally hundreds of Navajo code talkers, The Japanese weren’t just looking for one guy, they needed the ability to train hundreds of intelligence officers in this code in order to capitalize on breaking it. Of coarse though they never broke it. Japanese intercepts were from radio and hard wired messages.

Did the Japanese know the Marines were using Navajo Indians as code talkers?

I say the Japanese knew the Marines were using Navajo Indians as code talkers, because they sought out a Navajo POW and enlisted him to help break the code. Thus the Japanese knew they were dealing with not only an American Indian code, but specifically one based on the Navajo language.