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Sought-after World War II-era three-rotor Enigma I electromechanical cipher machine built for the German military by Heimsoeth and Rinke in Berlin in 1943. Based on the chassis of the commercial Enigma D, the Enigma I machine was the standard Enigma machine used by the German military throughout the war. It features an ebonite Steckerbrett [plugboard] on the front, which was exclusive to the German armed forces and exponentially increased the complexity of the code. This version of the Enigma is sometimes referred to as the Heeres [Army] Enigma, Wehrmacht Enigma, or Luftwaffe Enigma due to its military-specific application.
The Enigma machine is housed in an original oak Enigma case with hinged lid and hinged front panel, with serial number plate "A16878/jla/43" on the keyboard. The three included rotors—marked "I," "II," and "III"—carry matching serial numbers matching that of the machine, "A16878," as does the reflector, indicating that all were issued together in 1943. Stored inside the lid are two spare Stecker cables, ten spare light bulbs, a replica contrast screen, and replica "Zur Beachtung" instructions for cleaning, use, and troubleshooting. The inner front panel is stamped "Klappe Schliessen [Keep Closed]" and boasts the iconic oval-shaped "Enigma" brand. The case also retains its brown leather carrying handle on the rear.
This Enigma machine has an unusual history: it was discovered in an old wood shed in Antwerp, Belgium in 2017. Upon discovery, the machine was missing the plugboard, the wooden transport case, and the plug cables. Extensive restoration was undertaken, which included disassembly and cleaning, lubrication, testing, and repairs with both original and replica parts. An original Steckerbrett plugboard was sourced from a damaged, corroded 'donor' Enigma, and rewired using c. 1960s coated wire; the machine's original plugboard wiring had been intentionally severed, perhaps by German troops to disable the device while under threat of capture. Since no original batteries have survived, this machine has also been modified to accept two modern C batteries. Thanks to this restoration, the Enigma machine operates at about 75% functionality—occasional key pushes fail to result in a lighted indicator.
Once restored, the Enigma I was installed within an original oak Enigma case (though not original to this machine), which was acquired from the family of a United States soldier who served in Europe during World War II. The soldier had sent the empty case—filled with items he had acquired during his time in Europe—back home to his address in Keyser, West Virginia, which is inscribed on the top of the lid, along with the soldier's return address. The transport case remains in exceptional condition, exhibiting appropriate patina for its age and history.
The three rotors included are especially desirable as they are original to the machine, with matching numbers: mismatches are typical of field-used machines, as the interchangeable rotors were often swapped out at German outposts. These rotors demonstrate a progression in design, which evolved as resources became scarce over the course of the war. The earliest rotors featured an all-metal construction, while later examples had Bakelite thumbwheels and ratchet wheels; these Bakelite examples are representative of the redesign.
Each rotor can display one of its 26 numerals through the three windows in the machine's cover. They have spring-loaded brass contacts on the sides corresponding to each of the 26 numbers, and they may be arranged in any order on the internal shaft. The specific settings of the rotors and plugboard were determined on a daily basis via a secret codebook that allowed the German forces to synchronize their Enigma machines.
The Enigma machine has a standard German "QWERTZ" keyboard with 26 white-on-black keys, with matching "QWERTZ" lighted display. When a key is pressed, the corresponding encoded letter—as determined by the specific arrangement of the rotor wheels and plugboard—is illuminated. The rightmost rotor steps once each time a key is pressed. At an adjustable point it triggers the middle rotor to step, and so on. Through this mechanism, an easily crackable simple substitution cipher is avoided—letters are not encoded the same way twice. An encoded message would be written down and transmitted, usually via radio telegraph (a standard World War II-era German Wehrmacht Baumuster T1 telegraph key is included with this machine). In order to decode a message, the Enigma machine on the receiving end would have to be set up with the plugboard and rotor wheels in the same pattern as the sending Enigma: when the encoded message was typed in, the decoded letters would light up, revealing the secret message one character at a time.
Includes a modern reprint of the Enigma operator manual in German and a photocopy of the soldier's enlistment record, showing that he served in campaigns at Normandy, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.
First patented in 1918 by Arthur Scherbius, the Enigma machine was developed for use in the transmission of confidential information: in addition to its obvious military and diplomatic applications, the machine found commercial use for the encryption of sensitive financial data. The German military adopted the Enigma as its primary cipher in 1926, after learning that the British had intercepted and interpreted coded German naval messages during World War I. Amidst the subsequent buildup of German forces, Poland felt particularly vulnerable—having been ceded disputed border territories by the Treaty of Versailles—and sought to crack the Enigma.
Genius Polish codebreakers—led by Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Rozycki, and Henryk Zygalski—developed techniques for the decryption of Enigma code, and turned over their research to Allied counterparts after Germany's 1939 invasion of Poland. Alan Turing and the other brilliant codebreakers at Bletchley Park continued their important work, speeding up the time it took to decode Enigma messages. The code breaking efforts at Bletchley Park led to the development of the world's first computers as technology was pushed to defeat German cipher machines. Historians agree that these decoded messages shortened World War II by about two years, perhaps denying Nazi Germany the time needed to develop nuclear weapons. As a functional, war-dated example of the German military's Enigma machine with a unique story, this piece is truly a marvel of technological and military history.
