Do you know about

The Secret in Building 26?????

The Secret in Building 26 is a book by author and native Daytonian Jim DeBrosse who will offer a presentation to our group about this fascinating part of Dayton’s role in WWII. Jim’s book covers a history of America’s heroic effort to break the Nazi’s toughest Enigma codes during World War II. And the heart of the operation was hidden in a nondescript factory building at NCR in Dayton, Ohio. The Washington Post said the book “needs to be read… by those who want to understand the indispensable role of information technology in modern warfare.”

Much has been written about the success of the British “Ultra” program in cracking the Germans’ Enigma code early in World War II, but few know what really happened in 1942, when the Germans added a fourth rotor to the machine that created the already challenging naval code and plunged Allied intelligence into darkness.

Enter one Joe Desch, an unassuming but brilliant engineer at the National Cash Register Company in Dayton, Ohio, who was given the task of creating a machine to break the new Enigma settings. It was an enterprise that rivaled the Manhattan Project for secrecy and complexity–and nearly drove Desch to a breakdown. Under enormous pressure, he succeeded in creating a 5,000-pound electromechanical monster known as the Desch Bombe, which helped turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic–but not before a disgruntled co-worker attempted to leak information about the machine to the Nazis.

After toiling anonymously–it even took his daughter years to learn of his accomplishments–Desch was awarded the National Medal of Merit, the country’s highest civilian honor. 

Jim DeBrosse, the author of The Secret in Building 26, is a Dayton native and former reporter for the Dayton Daily News. He now lives in Indianapolis with his wife, poet Karen Kovacik.

Join us Sunday, October 4. 2026

Kohler Hall, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio 45429

4:00 pm—8:00 pm

 Cost: $45 pp

Dinner provided with coffee and tea. Bring a bottle of wine to share.

4:00-5:00 Meet the author reception; 5:00-6:30 Dinner; 6:30-8:00 Presentation and Q&A

Your hosts for this special Event: Mike and Mary Burns