Monday, May 1, 2017

Cipher machines of WWII

In the period 1939-45 most countries enciphered their communications using hand methods (codebooks, transposition etc). Only a few countries used cipher machines.

The following list covers these countries and the specific models they used.

United States



SIGTOT T/P (one time tape system)

CCM - Combined Cipher Machine

M-209 (US version of the Hagelin C-38)


Hebern cipher machine (5 rotor version)

SIGFOY/M-325 (Enigma type)

Britain

Typex (Enigma type)

Rockex T/P (one time tape system)

CCM - Combined Cipher Machine

Poland


Soviet Union

K-37 (Hagelin B-211 copy)

Pogoda or Pagoda (copy of US AT&T double tape machine)

M-100/101 T/P

France


Hagelin B-211 modified

Hagelin C-38 (US M-209 version)


Sweden

Hagelin B-211

Hagelin C-38

Norway

Hagelin C-38

Holland

Hagelin C-38

Enigma G

Portugal

Hagelin C-38

Switzerland

Enigma K

Germany




Enigma I (plugboard machine)

Enigma M4 (4 rotor naval version)

SG (Schlüsselgerät) 41 (Hagelin type)


T-52 T/P

T-43 T/P (one time tape system)

Italy

Enigma K

Enigma G

Enigma I


Hagelin C-38

Olivetti T/P

Japan






Finland

Hagelin C-36

Romania

Enigma G

Enigma I

Hungary

Enigma I

Slovakia

Enigma I

Bulgaria

Enigma I

Croatia

Enigma K

Spain

Enigma K

2 comments:

  1. What were the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of these machines? Was a rolling substitution cypher inherently poorer than a one time tape?

    Also, what would the germans have done if they found out that enigma had been compromised? Was there some procedure they would follow?

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    Replies
    1. ‘What were the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of these machines?’

      Well a detailed analysis of each cipher machine is something that an expert should do. I think that for the off line cipher machines SIGABA> 4 rotor plugboard Enigma > 3 rotor plugboard Enigma and Typex. Hagelin C-38 had the flaw that it could be solved through depths. Hagelin C-36 and B-211 were weak for the WWII period.
      The Japanese Red and Purple had a cryptologic weakness due to their design (20-6 letter split).
      I don’t know how to rate the teleprinters.

      ‘Was a rolling substitution cypher inherently poorer than a one time tape?’

      One time tape systems were supposed to be unbreakable.

      ‘Also, what would the Germans have done if they found out that enigma had been compromised? Was there some procedure they would follow?’

      There were procedures for the creation of emergency enigma keys. Check ‘History of Hut 6’, p141
      https://www.scribd.com/document/86865889/HW-43-70-Vol1

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