Babylon 5, Season 2: The Coming of Shadows

John Sheridan:
You ever studied ancient history? 20th century, World War II?

Zack Allan:
Well…not really. [grins] I always used to fall asleep in history class.

Sheridan:
The Germans had a secret code they used for all their important messages. It was called "Enigma". What they didn't know was that the British had cracked the code. One day, Churchill's people intercepted a message authorizing the bombing of a city named Coventry. Now, if they evacuated Coventry, the Germans would know their code had been broken, and switch to another system. If that happened, it could cost the Allies the entire war. If they didn't evacuate the city, hundreds of innocent men, women, and children would die. [N]

Zack:
So, what happened?

Sheridan:
They kept the secret. There was no evacuation. And on November 14, 1940, Coventry was destroyed. The dead were… piled up like cordwood! I-I've seen newsreels of Churchill visiting the ruins a few days later. And you can just see it in his eyes, the knowledge of what he'd done. Dark, haunted. All these years I've never been able to get that image out of my head.

Zack:
Well, I'm glad it's a decision I don't have to make. I don't think I could live with myself. How many lives is a secret worth?