Jersey enigma machine

**JERSEY 34** · 10-31-2011, 12:16 AM

Just found these on file and thought you'd like to see them.
D.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-31-2011 12:16 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**lianshangzheng** · 10-31-2011, 05:59 AM

Wow!How does it work.
I guess it must be expensive

**reneblacky** · 10-31-2011, 06:06 AM

Lovely Thanks for the shots

**Walkwolf** · 10-31-2011, 06:06 AM

Rare and historically significant machine.........!

You have been showing some tremendous
items from your collection/museum !

**Eric Zentner** · 10-31-2011, 06:10 AM

This deserves a pic rotate love it thanks for showing Sir.

Eric

**Walkwolf** · 10-31-2011, 06:56 AM

by lianshangzheng

Wow!How does it work.I guess it must be expensive

This machine worked like a typewriter and had a series of interchangeable wheels.
It was a very sophisticated code machine for it's time, and the code transmissions
were considered 'uncrackable'. There was a major breakthrough when a complete
U-boat was captured by the British Navy in the North Sea with one of these
machines on board. Once the code was broken, it spelled the 'begining
of the end' of the war in the Atlantic.........

**Eric Zentner** · 10-31-2011, 07:01 AM

I agree with Steve here is more detail though. The mechanical parts act in such a way as to form a varying electrical circuit. When a key is pressed, a circuit is completed with current flowing through the various components in their current configuration and ultimately lighting one of the display lamps, indicating the output letter. For example, when encrypting a message starting ANX…, the operator would first press the A key, and the Z lamp might light, so Z would be the first letter of the ciphertext. The operator would next press N, and then X in the same fashion, and so on.

The detailed operation of Enigma is shown in the wiring diagram to the right. To simplify the example, only four components of a complete Enigma machine are shown. In reality, there are 26 lamps and keys, rotor wirings inside the rotors (of which there were either three or four) and between six and ten plug leads.

The scrambling action of Enigma's rotors is shown for two consecutive letters with the right-hand rotor moving one position between them.Current flowed from the battery through a depressed bi-directional keyboard switch to the plugboard . Next, it passed through the (unused in this instance, so shown closed) plug via the entry wheel through the wiring of the three (Wehrmacht Enigma) or four (Kriegsmarine M4 and Abwehr variants) installed rotors , and entered the reflector . The reflector returned the current, via an entirely different path, back through the rotors and entry wheel proceeding through plug 'S' connected with a cable to plug 'D', and another bi-directional switch to light the appropriate lamp.
The repeated changes of electrical path through an Enigma scrambler, implemented a polyalphabetic substitution cipher which provided Enigma's high security. The electrical pathway changed with each key depression, which caused rotation of at least the right hand rotor. Current passed into the set of rotors, into and back out of the reflector, and out through the rotors again. The greyed-out lines are some other possible paths within each rotor; these are hard-wired from one side of each rotor to the other. Letter A encrypts differently with consecutive key presses, first to G, and then to C. This is because the right hand rotor has stepped, sending the signal on a completely different route; eventually other rotors will also step with a key press.

Eric

**Teutonicknights** · 10-31-2011, 07:06 AM

Way cool!!! thanks for sharing

**CARL** · 10-31-2011, 03:42 PM

Nicely explained gents, well done. The capturing of an intact enigma was indeed a crucial turning point of the Atlantic war. From then onwards, life for the Grey Wolves became very difficult. The emphasis on how important this event was is often underestimated, Churchill himself famously said that "the only thing that truly scared me were the U-Boats." The example shown above is in wonderful condition, it truly is a treasure. Thanks again to D for showing yet another special item from what must be a superb museum over there in Jersey.

Regards,

Carl