gmane.science.cryptography.bletchley-park

OBITUARY : Christine Brooke-Rose

Martin Postranecky — 2012-04-27T15:38:26

Thursday April 26, 2012

OBITUARY : Christine Brooke-Rose
--------------------------------

Christine Brooke-Rose, who has died aged 89, began her career as an author
conventionally enough in the 1950s by writing four accomplished but
orthodox novels; but in 1964, following a serious illness, she published
Out, an experimental novel of the sort unlikely to feature in any WH Smith
summer promotion..../snip/


...At the age of 18 Christine joined the WAAF and, due to her language
skills, soon found herself transferred to Bletchley Park to translate
transcriptions of decoded German messages. In a fictionalised memoir,
Remake (1996), she evoked her growing fascination with language and the
way it conveyed the alien nature of the enemy viewpoint :
"Einsatzbereitsschaftbericht, Einsatzmeldung, Einsatzbefehl, from Keitel
to Kesselring, from Kesselring to Rommel ... the otherness of the other
learned young."

Christine Brooke-Rose had arrived at Bletchley with only a school
certificate, but the experience of working with some of the country's       
greatest minds changed her outlook, and she eventually left to take up a
place at Somerville College, Oxford, to read English. After graduating she
transferred to University College, London, to study for a doctorate. A
Grammar of Metaphor ( 1958 ), a critical study of medieval English poets,   
grew from this work...../snip/

Christine Brooke-Rose, born January 16 1923, died March 21 2012


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/9227040/Christine-Brooke-Rose.html

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02202/brooke-rose_2202979b.jpg

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article3396699.ece

lan Turing papers on code breaking released by GCHQ

Martin Postranecky — 2012-04-19T19:12:07

19 April 2012

Alan Turing papers on code breaking released by GCHQ
----------------------------------------------------

By Chris Vallance BBC News

Two 70-year-old papers by Alan Turing on the theory of code breaking have
been released by the government's communications headquarters, GCHQ.

It is believed Turing wrote the papers while at Bletchley Park working on
breaking German Enigma codes.

A GCHQ mathematician said the fact that the contents had been restricted
"shows what a tremendous importance it has in the foundations of our
subject".

It comes amid celebrations to mark the centenary of Turing's birth.

The two papers are now available to view at the National Archives at Kew,
west London.

GCHQ was able to approximately date the papers because in one example
Turing had made reference to Hitler's age..../snip/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17771962

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59745000/jpg/_59745028_turing.jpg

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z6326724459&z=1250248780

OBITUARY : Jean Gerard Leigh ( not exactly B.P. related, but interesting nevertheless...)

Martin Postranecky — 2012-04-06T17:08:10

Friday 06 Apr 2012

OBITUARY : Jean Gerard Leigh
----------------------------

Jean Gerard Leigh, who has died aged 88, was the woman whose photograph
was used to help trick the Germans into falling for one of the greatest
deceptions of the Second World War.

Operation Mincemeat, which was to inspire a film called 'The Man Who Never
Was' in the 1950s, was devised in the spring of 1943 by two intelligence
officers, Charles Cholmondeley of MI5 and Commander Ewen Montagu of Naval
Intelligence. With Churchill planning to invade Italy through Sicily, a
ruse was required to make the Germans believe that the attack would take
place elsewhere.

Cholmondeley and Montagu devised the idea of planting false papers on an
"officer" and making it look as if he had died in a plane crash at sea.
Through the London coroner, they obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a
down-and-out who had killed himself by drinking rat poison. The body was
kept in cold storage while the plotters devised a cover story.
The body was given military papers, including a pass to Combined
Operations Headquarters, identifying him as Acting Major William Martin,
an expert in amphibious warfare. To make it as convincing as possible,
there was also a letter from his father, a warning about his overdraft
from his bank manager, a bill for an engagement ring, love letters - and a
fetching snapshot of his fiancÃ©e,"Pam", emerging from the Thames in a
one-piece swimsuit..../snip/

....The "Pam" of the photograph was in reality Jean Gerard Leigh (or Jean
Leslie as she then was), a young MI5 clerk. But as Ben Macintyre revealed
in his recent book 'Operation Mincemeat' ( 2010 ), the deception involved
her for a short time in a bizarre game of role-playing which had little to
do with the main business of bamboozling the Germans.

She first got caught up in the plot in February 1943, when the hunt began
for a suitable "mate" for "Major Martin". The more attractive girls in MI5
and Naval Intelligence were asked to supply photographs, and Ewen Montagu,
who had already noticed the pretty 19-year old with wavy brown hair, asked
Jean if she would oblige. She duly became "Pam", "Bill Martin's fiancÃ©",
a young woman working in a government office whom the major had met five
weeks earlier and proposed to after a whirlwind romance. The job of
drafting Pam's breathless billets doux was given to another woman in the
department.

But Jean Leslie soon found that her duties went beyond the mere provision
of a photograph. Montagu, whose wife Iris was sitting out the war with
their children in America, decided to live the part of Major Martin : "He
was Willie and I was Pam. He had the sort of mind that worked that way,"
Jean recalled. Clearly smitten, he began to court her, taking her out to
clubs, films and dinner and writing her love letters signed "Bill". "Pam"
enjoyed the make-believe, sending him a copy of the swimsuit photograph
inscribed "till death us do part. Your loving Pam". At "Bill Martin's
farewell party" at the Gargoyle Club, she turned up on Montagu's
arm...../snip/

....In 1980 when a photograph of Jean appeared in The Times after her
husband was appointed CBE, the 79-year-old Montagu wrote another letter :
"Dear Pam, It was a voice from the past to see you in today's papers and I
can't resist being another such voice and sending you congratulations.
Ever yours, Ewen ( alias Major William Martin )."

But it was not until 1996 that Jean Gerard Leigh admitted publicly that
she and "Pam" were one and the same. She came forward after The Daily
Telegraph reported the true identity of the body used in Operation
Mincemeat; it had been identified following years of painstaking research
by Roger Morgan, a local council officer.

Jean Gerard Leigh's husband died in 2008. She is survived by her two sons
and two daughters.

Jean Gerard Leigh born November 20 1923, died April 3 2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/9189418/Jean-Gerard-Leigh.html

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02186/leigh_2186744b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fawbs/7049869645/lightbox/

http://announcements.thetimes.co.uk/obituaries/timesonline-uk/obituary.aspx?n=jean-gerard-leigh&pid=156873279

Christy Campbell unearthed an intimate link to Bletchley Park

Martin Postranecky — 2012-04-06T16:58:30

01 Apr 2012

Christy Campbell : a Page in the Life
-------------------------------------

Christy Campbell unearthed an intimate link to Bletchley Park while 
researching his new book, he tells Keith Lowe

By Keith Lowe

I meet Christy Campbell beside a derelict building, tucked away from the 
main road. It is one of those bright spring mornings where the endless 
blue of the sky is broken only by a few vapour trails - but even the 
freshness of the day cannot disguise the atmosphere of decay around us. We 
walk past a succession of buildings, all flaking paint and mottled 
brickwork. Suddenly, almost miraculously, we find ourselves standing 
before a small Victorian stately home. In such a context, dwarfed by acres 
of disused Forties architecture, it looks bizarre, like the setting for an 
episode of Doctor Who. It is, in fact, the manor house at Bletchley Park, 
the centre of Britain's wartime code breaking effort.

"It's amazing to think that a place like this prevented us from losing the 
war," says Campbell, gesturing towards some wooden huts. "It's just so 
wonderfully modest." He has a proprietorial air as he shows me around, and 
it is obvious that the connection he feels towards this place is more than 
merely professional.

As the author of a new book about V-weapons, Target London, Campbell came 
to Bletchley Park several times to conduct research. However, as he was 
finishing the book he accidentally discovered a much more intimate link: 
his late mother had worked here during the war..../snip/


- "Target London : Under attack from the V-weapons during WWII"
  by Christy Campbell

  LITTLE BROWN BOOKS GROUP
  Publication Date : 29-Mar-2012
  Hardback
  ISBN : 9781408702925


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9183098/Christy-Campbell-a-Page-in-the-Life.html

http://books.telegraph.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781408702925

Re: BLETCHLEYPARK Digest - 10 Mar 2012 to 23 Mar 2012 (#2012-12)

John Jackson — 2012-03-24T09:04:10

For a detailed report on the Spanish Enigma see Cryptologia, Vol 34, Issue
4, October 2010
Spanish Enigma: A History of the Enigma in Spain by Jose Ramon Fuensanta,
Francisco Javier Lopez-Brea Espiau and Frode Weierud.
Regards
John Jackson

-----Original Message-----
From: Bletchley Park discussion [mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org] On
Behalf Of BLETCHLEYPARK automatic digest system
Sent: 24 March 2012 05:01
To: BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org
Subject: BLETCHLEYPARK Digest - 10 Mar 2012 to 23 Mar 2012 (#2012-12)

There is 1 message totalling 46 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. The Spanish link in cracking the Enigma code (fwd)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date:    Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:25:43 +0000
From:    Martin Postranecky <mp-/9YJdTTY0pwcGMUv0VjUrg< at >public.gmane.org>
Subject: The Spanish link in cracking the Enigma code (fwd)

23 March 2012

The Spanish link in cracking the Enigma code
--------------------------------------------

By Gordon Corera Security correspondent, BBC News

A pair of rare Enigma machines used in the Spanish Civil War have been given
to the head of GCHQ, Britain's communications intelligence agency. 
The machines - only recently discovered in Spain - fill in a missing chapter
in the history of British code-breaking, paving the way for crucial
successes in World War II.

A row of senior Spanish military and intelligence officers stand upright in
a line in front of a long elegant table in the country's Army Museum in
Toledo. In front of them are two modest, slightly battered wooden boxes that
are the subject of the day's unusual and high-powered gathering.

Inside they contain a key part of Britain's code-breaking history.

With their lids open, the distinctive black and white keypad and rotors of
an Enigma machine used to encrypt communications can be seen...../snip/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17486464

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59255000/jpg/_59255749_photo2_304.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9708000/9708423.stm


http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01611194.2010.485414

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01611194.2010.485414


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/24/spanish_enigmas/

------------------------------

End of BLETCHLEYPARK Digest - 10 Mar 2012 to 23 Mar 2012 (#2012-12)
*******************************************************************

The Spanish link in cracking the Enigma code (fwd)

Martin Postranecky — 2012-03-23T18:25:43

23 March 2012

The Spanish link in cracking the Enigma code
--------------------------------------------

By Gordon Corera Security correspondent, BBC News

A pair of rare Enigma machines used in the Spanish Civil War have been 
given to the head of GCHQ, Britain's communications intelligence agency. 
The machines - only recently discovered in Spain - fill in a missing 
chapter in the history of British code-breaking, paving the way for 
crucial successes in World War II.

A row of senior Spanish military and intelligence officers stand upright 
in a line in front of a long elegant table in the country's Army Museum in 
Toledo. In front of them are two modest, slightly battered wooden boxes 
that are the subject of the day's unusual and high-powered gathering.

Inside they contain a key part of Britain's code-breaking history.

With their lids open, the distinctive black and white keypad and rotors of 
an Enigma machine used to encrypt communications can be seen...../snip/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17486464

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59255000/jpg/_59255749_photo2_304.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9708000/9708423.stm


http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01611194.2010.485414

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01611194.2010.485414


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/24/spanish_enigmas/

The Delilah Secure Speech System (fwd)

Martin Postranecky — 2012-03-10T18:57:32

The Delilah Secure Speech System
--------------------------------

by John Graham-Cumming on 3/6/12

http://blog.jgc.org/2012/03/delilah-secure-speech-system.html


Part of the new exhibit being unveiled at Bletchley Park is the Delilah
Secure Speech system that Alan Turing developed during the Second World
War. Details of the system are in Andrew Hodges' excellent biography of
Turing and have recently been placed in the National Archives ( references
FO 850/256 and HW 25/36 for people who want to go an see them for
themselves ).

Delilah was intended to be fairly portable ( unlike SIGSALY ) and usable
in the field (such as in a tank) and allow secure speech communication
between people over radio or telephone.

A team at Bletchley Park has been working to rebuild Delilah from the
report ( with some assistance from GCHQ ) and I was able to see and
photograph the reconstructed machine. Here are some pictures :

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGQGRzPW7rQ/T1Xzac6YpxI/AAAAAAAABLc/hTl0T9S73bU/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3HYhStEPj_8/T1Xzaw6_92I/AAAAAAAABLo/WcGw0Fa1Zog/s1600/IMG_3184.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Vt6hEiy_IE/T1XzbRkCm3I/AAAAAAAABL0/CHTs1zb91tw/s1600/IMG_3185.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjgxmP33OuI/T1XzcO7PDYI/AAAAAAAABMA/f2MuAaBVz2A/s1600/IMG_3186.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T-VVUIrpUXk/T1Xzcl3aTzI/AAAAAAAABMM/Ddyv0zDD8DY/s1600/IMG_3187.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0qy-LAeMGlc/T1Xz-sfZVnI/AAAAAAAABMY/mh1zua_nsPQ/s1600/IMG_3188.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-poo-PSyOQ/T1Xz_QtEKxI/AAAAAAAABMk/oDyvoSqW3us/s400/IMG_3189.JPG

And here are pictures of the original machine taken from recently
declassified documents :

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcoT_LJP2lI/T1X15EoBxNI/AAAAAAAABMw/cHfha3KElf4/s1600/Delilah001.png

Briefly, Delilah worked as follows. The incoming speech was limited a
channel of 2kHz which was then sampled at 4kHz to produce 4,000 samples
per second of the incoming waveform. These samples were normalized to a
range of 0 to 1 and added using modulo arithmetic to a key stream
consisting of values in the range 0 to 1.

The resulting waveform was then transmitted and at the opposite end the
original waveform could be constructed by adding back (again using modulo
arithmetic) the same key stream. Both ends had to be synchronized for this
scheme to work ( and use the same key ).

The key was set on wheels visible in the photograph above that generated a
stream of pseudo-random numbers which when added to the incoming signal
would result in something close to pure noise being transmitted.


http://blog.jgc.org/2012/03/delilah-secure-speech-system.html

Turing exhibition opening (fwd)

Martin Postranecky — 2012-03-10T18:20:30

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/mar/06/alan-turing-exhibition-enigma-codebreaker

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-17262062

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z6042322467&z=1250248769


and as received from Christopher Tarry...:


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2012 14:21:55
From: christopher tarry <c.w.tarry-FhtRXb7CoQBt1OO0OYaSVA< at >public.gmane.org>
To: Martin Postranecky <mp-/9YJdTTY0pwcGMUv0VjUrg< at >public.gmane.org>
Subject: Turing exhibition opening

Martin,

If you are collating reports of yesterday's (5th March)
Alan Turing exhibition opening at Bletchley Park,
this site gives a comprehensive overview:

www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/06/new_turing_exhibition_bletchley_park/

and, unlike some of the other press reports, mentions
the "Delilah" speech scrambling equipment with which Turing
was involved.

Regards,

"NATURE" - Special Turing Anniversary issue

Martin Postranecky — 2012-03-01T18:31:05

NATURE
Volume 482 Number 7386 pp439-562
23 February 2012
doi:10.1038/482455a

The English mathematician Alan Turing was born on 23 June 1912 and died 
tragically aged only 41, yet his influence is still felt in many fields. 
In this issue marking the centenary of Turing's birth, Nature hails him 
as one of the top scientific minds of all time ( see pages 440 and 441 ).
 
Computer specialists and those working in fields that have exploited 
computer science - including Sydney Brenner ( page 461 ) and Henry Markram 
( page 456 ) - explain some aspects of this remarkable legacy.

For more, go to www.nature.com/turing. 

Cover image : Andy Potts; Turing family.


http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7386/index.html

http://www.nature.com/news/turing-at-100-legacy-of-a-universal-mind-1.10065
http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/1.10065!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/482455a.pdf

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7386/full/482459a.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7386/pdf/482459a.pdf

Enigma Settings Sheets

Philip Marks — 2012-02-25T17:02:25

Responding to some of Craig's follow-up questions from earlier this week:

-----Original Message-----
From: Bletchley Park discussion [mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org] On
Behalf Of Craig Heath
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 5:20 PM
To: BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org
Subject: Re: [BPARK] Enigma Settings Sheets

<snipped questions>

archives, perhaps from a wartime "pinch"?

I also assume that it came from the BP archives, although I did not
specifically ask him at the time.  I do not know its provenance before that.

there's a digitisation project going on at BP:
living just an hour's drive away
years since I last visited the US National Cryptologic Museum, 

I had to get most of my material the old-fashioned way, poking about in
paper records in the US National Archives.  This was supplemented a great
deal by the generosity of other researchers who are acknowledged in the
article.  Back then, an awful lot of expensive and time-consuming
photocopying was involved.  At least these days both US and UK National
Archives allow the use of digital cameras.

Living in NJ, it is inconvenient and expensive for me to get to Kew.  I've
managed about 2 or 3 days there in the last 10 years.  I've been able to
visit BP a bit more often, but I have never visited the archive there.

I hadn't looked at the BP page Craig references in a while, and I see they
would now like a GBP25 donation to follow up on inquiries.  Since it's in a
good cause and cheaper than buying plane tickets, I think I'll give it a try
with some current questions I have.  A recent e-mail went unanswered, but
looking at the page I now see why.

US NCM does have some archives, and I believe David Kahn recently donated
most of his papers to them.  NARA of course has much larger holdings of
source documents, but NCM has been very good about letting me access their
machines.  In particular, all of my photos of UKW D and more recently of the
Kryha machine were taken in NCM's conference room.

that is held by the US National Archives and Records Administration,
suppose that document is available online anywhere?  I'm particularly
curious 
plug-board pairs, if anyone can explain further?

I do not believe this document is available online.  It is a collection of
BP memos sent to the US during the war.  The relevant memo here, dated March
9th, 1945, is the very last one in the file, and is too large for me to
retype in its entirety.  Here are a few relevant quotes:

- Repeats of stecker pairings, either whole or in part, as stecker for other
keys have been a feature of G.A.F. cypher procedure since 1942.  Since the
institution of the D reflector such sets of D pairings as have been
recovered have been compared together in the hope that repeats between them
will also occur.  So far, repeats have not been found.

- A day's stecker employs only ten pairs of letters and because of this
difference it was impossible to make comparisons in the stecker catalogue in
its old form.  A new catalogue has been compiled ...

- When considering this process two points should be borne in mind:-
(1) When constructing a D plugging J and Y must be paired together.
(2) For some unaccountable reason the G.A.F. cypher office have a
deep-rooted objection to pairing consecutive letters together, either in a
stecker or a D.

- The process [for transforming stecker pairings into D pairings] would seem
to be this:-
(a) Lift all pairs not involving J and Y directly into the D.
(b) The letters to which J and Y are paired in the stecker are paired
together in the D.  If these letters are consecutive ... The process is
altered - see (d) below.
(c) Take the unsteckered letters in alphabetical order and pair them 1 and
4: 2 and 5: 3 and 6.  These obviously cannot give consecutive letters.
(d) Where operation (b) gives a consecutive pairing take the offending
letters and pair them with the 1st and 4th unsteckered letters.  The
remaining unsteckered letters are paired 2 and 5: 3 and 6: as in (c) above.

So my previous speculation was slightly off.  Consecutive letters seem to
have been a G.A.F. obsession throughout, rather than just inherited from
their steckering habits.  Note that the descriptions in the memo use German
notation throughout (thus J and Y are the fixed B/O pairing observed in GCCS
notation).

Phil

Re: Enigma Settings Sheets

Craig Heath — 2012-02-20T22:20:24

Thank you to both Phil and Frode for your excellent answers, it's good to
see that there are experts still on this list!

I find it interesting that our understanding of these settings procedures
seems still largely based on what was pieced together by the attackers at
BP, but that's understandable given the lack of surviving primary sources
from the German side.  There is the material that was collected by US TICOM
immediately after the war, like Frode's Luftwaffe settings sheets, and I
presume the settings sheet provided to Phil by Tony Sale was from the BP
archives, perhaps from a wartime "pinch"?

How does one go about getting access to these primary sources?  I know
there's a digitisation project going on at BP:
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/edu/archives/ , I suppose I should just go
and ask them, as I have the convenience of living just an hour's drive away
:-)  Does anyone know about getting access to the TICOM stuff?  It's many
years since I last visited the US National Cryptologic Museum, do they hold
those materials?

nature of randomness

Indeed.  It could be a positive feature of any security system that the
design looks secure to the uninitiated, provided that doesn't appreciably
worsen the underlying security but clearly in this case it did.  I
exchanged some email with Ralph Simpson recently, speculating that this may
be why the Transvertex HC-9 was set up not to encrypt letters to themselves
even though it was physically capable of doing so.

cipher became lazy and started constructing UKWD pairings by reusing
stecker pairings from other keys.

Thanks for that pointer, I reread that part of your article and I see you
refer to a document that is held by the US National Archives and Records
Administration, RIP 403 ... "Special British Reports on German
Cryptography" - I don't suppose that document is available online
anywhere?  I'm particularly curious about how they would create sets of 12
reflector pairs from sets of 10 plug-board pairs, if anyone can explain
further?

Re difference between M2 and M3:

M 3

I'll watch out for examples from these serial number ranges and see if
there are any visible differences.

the alphabet ring

Excellent, thanks for clarifying that!

Cheers,

- Craig.

Re: Enigma Settings Sheets

Frode Weierud — 2012-02-18T16:19:27

I was silly enough to just paste my Table 1 from Word to my e-mail thinking it would be OK, but I see it all got mangled. Here is what it should look like

Production       Total number           Serial numbers         Model
    Year             of machines
    1934                    401                  M 501 – M 901         M 1
    1935                      60                  M 902 – M 961         M 1a
    1937                    150                  M 962 – M 1111       M 1a
    1938                    310                M 1112 – M 1421       M 2
    1939                    580                M 1422 – M 2001       M 2a, M 3
    1940                    800               M 2002 – M 2801       M 3
    1941                  1011                M 2802 – M 3812       M 4

Table 1. Production of Naval Enigma models from 1934 to 1941.

With respect to the question:
- Was there any particular logic governing when UKWD settings changed?  The
authentic settings sheets seem to have used variously 7, 8, 9 or 10 day
periods.

I can only add that the sheets on my Web page are from the material collected by the TICOM teams in German at end of the war. Even if the Luftwaffen-Maschinenschlüssel Nr. 619<http://cryptocellar.web.cern.ch/cryptocellar/Enigma/Luftwaffen-MSchluessel-Nr619.pdf> and Luftwaffen-Maschinenschlüssel Nr. 651<http://cryptocellar.web.cern.ch/cryptocellar/Enigma/Luftwaffen-MSchluessel-Nr651.pdf> that I have published carry no date information it is likely that these keys were from 1945. This could indicate that Wehrmacht/Chi had decided to tighten up on the key instructions and reduce the period for which the a given UKWD wiring was operational.

Frode Weierud


On 18 Feb 2012, at 16:27, Frode Weierud wrote:

I might be able to throw some light on the last few questions that Phil could not answer.

Frode Weierud

On 18 Feb 2012, at 14:34, Philip Marks wrote:

Here are some answers to Craig Heath's Enigma questions posted last week.

Phil Marks


-----Original Message-----
From: Bletchley Park discussion [mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org] On
Behalf Of Craig Heath
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 1:27 PM
To: BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org<mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org><mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org>
Subject: [BPARK] Enigma Settings Sheets


I have a couple of other random Enigma questions as well, so I may as well
ask while I'm here :-)
- What's the difference between an Enigma M2 and M3?


Here is an extract from some of my unpublished studies:
The naval Enigma machines were made in four different models, M 1 to M 4, with M 1 and M 2 also having the sub models, M 1a and M 2a. M 1 to M 3 where 3-wheel Enigma machines, while M 4 was the model number for the 4-wheel Enigma. It has been a wide held belief that M 3 and M 4 respectively referred to 3-wheel and 4-wheel naval Enigma machines, but the documents do not support this theory. The model designations M 1 to M 4 were simply model numbers where M 4 happened to be the designation for the 4-wheel naval Enigma. Curiously enough the in-house designation for the naval machines remained Ch. 11 g irrespective of which M-model was being produced; however the M 4 would sometimes be referred to as Ch. 11 g/4. Other names for the M 4 were Enigma M Form 4, Funkschlüssel Form M 4, or simply Funkschlüssel M 4. The different naval models that were first produced are shown in Table 1.
Production
Year

Total number
of machines

Serial numbers

Model

1934

401

M 501 – M 901

M 1

1935

60

M 902 – M 961

M 1a

1937

150

M 962 – M 1111

M 1a

1938

310

M 1112 – M 1421

M 2

1939

580

M 1422 – M 2001

M 2a, M 3

1940

800

M 2002 – M 2801

M 3

1941

1011

M 2802 – M 3812

M 4

Table 1. Production of Naval Enigma models from 1934 to 1941.

Further information on differences:
The number of machines made for the three main models of the 3-wheel Naval Enigma is shown to be M 1: 611 machines, M2: 770 machines, M3: 920 machines; a total of 2301 machines. Unfortunately we do not know much about the differences between these 3-wheel models, but there are some clues. In November 1978 there was an international meeting in Bonn – Bad Godesberg and Stuttgart with the theme Signal Intelligence and its Role in the Second World War.[1] A year later the proceedings from the conference was published in book form by the two organizers, Professor Dr. Jürgen Rohwer and Professor Dr. Eberhard Jäckel.[2] On page 129 in this book there are three photos from an early instruction manual for the Naval Enigma. One of these photos shows the machine together with the opened box for the extra wheels, Walzenkaste. On the inner, rear wall of the wheel box the plate with the serial number is fixed and it shows M 50_. This means the photos are of one of first nine machines, probably M 501, and therefore tells us that the photos are of a model M 1. The two other photos, which show the machine with open wheel cover, make it possible to identify a few characteristics of this model. First of all the wheel cover is equipped with two security locks instead of only one as on the M4. Secondly the machine does not seem to have a battery. In the place where the battery holder is normally situated there is instead a plate with a large power connector for connecting to an external power source. The machine is equipped with the usual green celluloid plate (Zellonplatte) that fits over the lamp field to reduce the eyestrain in weak light environments, but it is also equipped with a light screen (Lichtblende), which can be mounted behind the lamps field. This was intended to make it possible to use the machine in strong sunlight or under strong artificial lighting. On other Enigma versions it was usually the wooden box lid that served as a light screen because it was possible to lock it in a 45° half-open position.

________________________________

[1] Internationale Tagung in Bonn – Bad Godesberg und Stuttgart vom 15. – 18. November 1978: „Die Funkaufklärung und ihre Rolle im Zweiten Weltkrieg.“

[2] „Die Funkaufklärung und ihre Rolle im Zweiten Weltkrieg,“ ed. Jürgen Rohwer und Eberhard Jäckel, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1979.

-----------

There are probably other internal differences but they are probably minor, mechanical differences which does not in any way change the way the machine operates as a cipher machine.


- Deavours and Kruh 1985 (and hence Wikipedia) states that Enigma models
prior to I used a different rotor construction, where the turn-over notches
are fixed to the rotor core rather than to the settable ring.  Is this true?
(I haven't seen any other reference) and if so, which models?


D&K repeat this information in various articles.  I believe it to be true -
looking at Cryptologia 26:1, they seem to be saying it applied to the early
commercial models B, C, and D.  Can someone else on the list with more
knowledge than me pitch in here?


Enigma A and Enigma B were the large commercial printing Enigma machines and their rotors did not have notches for the wheel transport but used gear wheels. The first Enigma machines with notches were Enigma C and Enigma D. Enigma D was also called Enigma A 26 as the serial numbers were issued in the A-series and it was developed in 1926. The internal drawing reference was Ch. 8. Both Enigma C and D had the notches fixed to the wheel body and not on the alphabet ring. When the Reichwehr decided to buy Enigma machines in 1927 they also started discussion with the Enigma firm Chiffriermaschinen A-G (ChiMAG) to made modifications to the commercial D machine such as to make it more secure and better adapted to the Reichswehr use. The first modification was the addition of a Steckerbrett. These discussions started already in February 1928 and the details were ironed out in two meeting on 14 and 17 February 1928. On 1 March 1928 ChiMAG received an order to change the transport notches on two of the ordered Enigma machines, A 866 and A 867. Wheel I should have its notch on the alphabet or number ring at 25 (Y), wheel II at 13 (M) and wheel III at 04 (D). So the wheel notches of the three first Enigma wheels were  decided already in March 1928. ChiMAG replied on 6 March 1928 that they were ready to make this modification on all the other 400 machines that the Reichswehr had ordered and that for the time were stored with them for making the other modifications such as the addition of the Steckerbrett. The added cost would be 10.35 RM per machine.

Frode

Re: Enigma Settings Sheets

Frode Weierud — 2012-02-18T15:27:50

I might be able to throw some light on the last few questions that Phil could not answer.

Frode Weierud

On 18 Feb 2012, at 14:34, Philip Marks wrote:

Here are some answers to Craig Heath's Enigma questions posted last week.

Phil Marks


-----Original Message-----
From: Bletchley Park discussion [mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org] On
Behalf Of Craig Heath
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 1:27 PM
To: BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org<mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org>
Subject: [BPARK] Enigma Settings Sheets


I have a couple of other random Enigma questions as well, so I may as well
ask while I'm here :-)
- What's the difference between an Enigma M2 and M3?


Here is an extract from some of my unpublished studies:
The naval Enigma machines were made in four different models, M 1 to M 4, with M 1 and M 2 also having the sub models, M 1a and M 2a. M 1 to M 3 where 3-wheel Enigma machines, while M 4 was the model number for the 4-wheel Enigma. It has been a wide held belief that M 3 and M 4 respectively referred to 3-wheel and 4-wheel naval Enigma machines, but the documents do not support this theory. The model designations M 1 to M 4 were simply model numbers where M 4 happened to be the designation for the 4-wheel naval Enigma. Curiously enough the in-house designation for the naval machines remained Ch. 11 g irrespective of which M-model was being produced; however the M 4 would sometimes be referred to as Ch. 11 g/4. Other names for the M 4 were Enigma M Form 4, Funkschlüssel Form M 4, or simply Funkschlüssel M 4. The different naval models that were first produced are shown in Table 1.
Production
Year

Total number
of machines

Serial numbers

Model

1934

401

M 501 – M 901

M 1

1935

60

M 902 – M 961

M 1a

1937

150

M 962 – M 1111

M 1a

1938

310

M 1112 – M 1421

M 2

1939

580

M 1422 – M 2001

M 2a, M 3

1940

800

M 2002 – M 2801

M 3

1941

1011

M 2802 – M 3812

M 4

Table 1. Production of Naval Enigma models from 1934 to 1941.

Further information on differences:
The number of machines made for the three main models of the 3-wheel Naval Enigma is shown to be M 1: 611 machines, M2: 770 machines, M3: 920 machines; a total of 2301 machines. Unfortunately we do not know much about the differences between these 3-wheel models, but there are some clues. In November 1978 there was an international meeting in Bonn – Bad Godesberg and Stuttgart with the theme Signal Intelligence and its Role in the Second World War.[1] A year later the proceedings from the conference was published in book form by the two organizers, Professor Dr. Jürgen Rohwer and Professor Dr. Eberhard Jäckel.[2] On page 129 in this book there are three photos from an early instruction manual for the Naval Enigma. One of these photos shows the machine together with the opened box for the extra wheels, Walzenkaste. On the inner, rear wall of the wheel box the plate with the serial number is fixed and it shows M 50_. This means the photos are of one of first nine machines, probably M 501, and therefore tells us that the photos are of a model M 1. The two other photos, which show the machine with open wheel cover, make it possible to identify a few characteristics of this model. First of all the wheel cover is equipped with two security locks instead of only one as on the M4. Secondly the machine does not seem to have a battery. In the place where the battery holder is normally situated there is instead a plate with a large power connector for connecting to an external power source. The machine is equipped with the usual green celluloid plate (Zellonplatte) that fits over the lamp field to reduce the eyestrain in weak light environments, but it is also equipped with a light screen (Lichtblende), which can be mounted behind the lamps field. This was intended to make it possible to use the machine in strong sunlight or under strong artificial lighting. On other Enigma versions it was usually the wooden box lid that served as a light screen because it was possible to lock it in a 45° half-open position.

________________________________

[1] Internationale Tagung in Bonn – Bad Godesberg und Stuttgart vom 15. – 18. November 1978: „Die Funkaufklärung und ihre Rolle im Zweiten Weltkrieg.“

[2] „Die Funkaufklärung und ihre Rolle im Zweiten Weltkrieg,“ ed. Jürgen Rohwer und Eberhard Jäckel, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1979.

-----------

There are probably other internal differences but they are probably minor, mechanical differences which does not in any way change the way the machine operates as a cipher machine.


- Deavours and Kruh 1985 (and hence Wikipedia) states that Enigma models
prior to I used a different rotor construction, where the turn-over notches
are fixed to the rotor core rather than to the settable ring.  Is this true?
(I haven't seen any other reference) and if so, which models?


D&K repeat this information in various articles.  I believe it to be true -
looking at Cryptologia 26:1, they seem to be saying it applied to the early
commercial models B, C, and D.  Can someone else on the list with more
knowledge than me pitch in here?


Enigma A and Enigma B were the large commercial printing Enigma machines and their rotors did not have notches for the wheel transport but used gear wheels. The first Enigma machines with notches were Enigma C and Enigma D. Enigma D was also called Enigma A 26 as the serial numbers were issued in the A-series and it was developed in 1926. The internal drawing reference was Ch. 8. Both Enigma C and D had the notches fixed to the wheel body and not on the alphabet ring. When the Reichwehr decided to buy Enigma machines in 1927 they also started discussion with the Enigma firm Chiffriermaschinen A-G (ChiMAG) to made modifications to the commercial D machine such as to make it more secure and better adapted to the Reichswehr use. The first modification was the addition of a Steckerbrett. These discussions started already in February 1928 and the details were ironed out in two meeting on 14 and 17 February 1928. On 1 March 1928 ChiMAG received an order to change the transport notches on two of the ordered Enigma machines, A 866 and A 867. Wheel I should have its notch on the alphabet or number ring at 25 (Y), wheel II at 13 (M) and wheel III at 04 (D). So the wheel notches of the three first Enigma wheels were  decided already in March 1928. ChiMAG replied on 6 March 1928 that they were ready to make this modification on all the other 400 machines that the Reichswehr had ordered and that for the time were stored with them for making the other modifications such as the addition of the Steckerbrett. The added cost would be 10.35 RM per machine.

Frode

Enigma Settings Sheets

Philip Marks — 2012-02-18T13:34:58

Here are some answers to Craig Heath's Enigma questions posted last week.

Phil Marks

-----Original Message-----
From: Bletchley Park discussion [mailto:BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org] On
Behalf Of Craig Heath
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 1:27 PM
To: BLETCHLEYPARK-0lvw86wZMd/yu4QqHy1JNA< at >public.gmane.org
Subject: [BPARK] Enigma Settings Sheets

<snip>

- Was there any particular logic governing when UKWD settings changed?  The
authentic settings sheets seem to have used variously 7, 8, 9 or 10 day
periods.

Not that I am aware of, other than the general observation I found in some
of the source documents that the Luftwaffe (GAF = German Air Force in GCCS
terms of the time) changed "about every 10 days".  The sample key sheet
shown in my Cryptologia article (originally provided to me by the late Tony
Sale) divides a 31-day month into UKWD periods of 9, 12 and 10 days.  Some
other sheets posted by Frode Weierud at:

http://cryptocellar.web.cern.ch/cryptocellar/Enigma/index.html

show shorter periods as Craig has noted.

At the time I wrote the article, I did not know much about the KD machine.
This was introduced by the Abwehr in late 1944 as a stopgap replacement for
the G-series Enigma (the "lobster machine" broken by Dilly Knox and team in
1941) until the much tougher SG41 machine could be brought into widespread
service.  Some details of the KD machine can be seen at:

http://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/enigma/k/index.htm

It also used UKWD, in conjunction with three multi-notch wheels selected
from a choice of 6.  It appears that with this machine, the UKWD wirings
remained in force for about 15 days each.

- Was there any physical limitation on which pairs of letters could be
plugged together?  The authentic settings sheets avoid alphabetically
adjacent pairs (like 'AB') but not all physically adjacent pairs ('IK' is
actually physically adjacent, because there is no 'J', and that's used on
the Luftwaffe settings sheet No. 651).

I do not believe so, other than the fixed B/O pairing (B/O in GCCS notation
- the relationship between this notation and the German markings is
explained in my article).  Replugging UKWD is a fiddly job, and there isn't
much room under the cover for the wires - but so far as I can see any other
pair of letters could be plugged together.

The Luftwaffe cipher office appears to have had some odd ideas about the
nature of randomness, and in fact managed to create patterns in their keys
(identifiable and actually used by GCCS) in what appears to have been some
sort of misguided attempt to improve security.  For example, not plugging
together consecutive letters on the Steckerboard.  This led to the addition
to the BTM bombe of the "CSKO" (consecutive stecker knock-out) feature,
which took advantage of the limitation by increasing the effective power of
the diagonal board.

In my article I noted that late in the war someone in the Luftwaffe cipher
became lazy and started constructing UKWD pairings by reusing stecker
pairings from other keys.  I will speculate that the phenomenon you are
seeing in the UKWD pairings in the sheets you reference (no consecutive
letters plugged together) is a by-product of reusing stecker pairings that
also contain no consecutive letters.

- Why did they avoid alphabetically adjacent pairs on the plug board in the
first place? (I assume this was a key generation practice that was simply
carried on when the UKWD settings were added.)

See previous answer.

- Were there any rules about which ring settings were permissible (such as
not using the same one two days running)?

I don't recall seeing anything of this nature.  A man called Reg Parker made
a minute study of German keys at GCCS (see Welchman, The Hut 6 Story); he
was the person who spotted the key repeats mentioned above - so if you have
access to any archival material written by him, that would be the place to
look.

- Are there any authentic settings sheets available for earlier indicator
procedures (with specified Grundstellung and/or fewer than 10 plug board
pairs)?

I don't recall seeing any, but I'm not the best person to answer this
question.

I have a couple of other random Enigma questions as well, so I may as well
ask while I'm here :-)
- What's the difference between an Enigma M2 and M3?

Sorry, can't help here.

- Deavours and Kruh 1985 (and hence Wikipedia) states that Enigma models
prior to I used a different rotor construction, where the turn-over notches
are fixed to the rotor core rather than to the settable ring.  Is this true?
(I haven't seen any other reference) and if so, which models?

D&K repeat this information in various articles.  I believe it to be true -
looking at Cryptologia 26:1, they seem to be saying it applied to the early
commercial models B, C, and D.  Can someone else on the list with more
knowledge than me pitch in here?

<ends>

Enigma Settings Sheets

Craig Heath — 2012-02-10T18:27:01

Hello Bletchley Park list!  I've been subscribed for a little while so I
hope you don't mind me leaping in...

I see in years past there has been some excellent in-depth discussion on
this list of the Enigma machine, its keys and code-breaking techniques.  Is
it still appropriate to discuss that here?  (If not I'd certainly
appreciate any pointers to appropriate mailing lists or forums.)

I've recently created an Enigma settings generator web page (
http://goo.gl/T80zL ) as I wanted a few things that Dirk Rijmenants'
Windows tool doesn't do (including support for the pluggable reflector,
D).  This is in conjunction with an Android Enigma simulator (
http://goo.gl/EwywN ).  I have read Philip Marks' excellent papers on UKWD,
but I have a few remaining questions:

- Was there any particular logic governing when UKWD settings changed?  The
authentic settings sheets seem to have used variously 7, 8, 9 or 10 day
periods.
- Was there any physical limitation on which pairs of letters could be
plugged together?  The authentic settings sheets avoid alphabetically
adjacent pairs (like 'AB') but not all physically adjacent pairs ('IK' is
actually physically adjacent, because there is no 'J', and that's used on
the Luftwaffe settings sheet No. 651).
- Why did they avoid alphabetically adjacent pairs on the plug board in the
first place? (I assume this was a key generation practice that was simply
carried on when the UKWD settings were added.)
- Were there any rules about which ring settings were permissible (such as
not using the same one two days running)?
- Are there any authentic settings sheets available for earlier indicator
procedures (with specified Grundstellung and/or fewer than 10 plug board
pairs)?

I have a couple of other random Enigma questions as well, so I may as well
ask while I'm here :-)
- What's the difference between an Enigma M2 and M3?
- Deavours and Kruh 1985 (and hence Wikipedia) states that Enigma models
prior to I used a different rotor construction, where the turn-over notches
are fixed to the rotor core rather than to the settable ring.  Is this
true? (I haven't seen any other reference) and if so, which models?

Thanks!

- Craig Heath.

Sponsor a Valve on Colossus

Martin Postranecky — 2012-02-09T13:59:37

In case you may have not spotted this...:



Sponsor a Valve on Colossus
---------------------------
Please sponsor a valve on Colossus ( from £10 ) and help create a 
marvelous new gallery for the world's first modern computer. Colossus was 
built by Tommy Flowers specifically to help crack the Lorenz codes of 
German High Command during World War II. There were 10 working Colossi and 
each had 2,500 valves that performed the code-cracking calculations. The 
rebuilt and working Colossus will be on permanent display again at TNMOC 
in March. You can sponsor as many pixels as you like and add your logo or 
your name or nickname and url

http://tnmoc.org/36/section.aspx/232

http://www.colossusonline.org/index.php

http://www.colossusonline.org/get_pixels.php

http://www.colossusonline.org/pixel_list.php

Government rejects a pardon for computer genius Alan Turing

Martin Postranecky — 2012-02-08T18:52:29

Wednesday 08 February 2012

Government rejects a pardon for computer genius Alan Turing
-----------------------------------------------------------

Martin Wainwright

But the campaign goes on in his centenary year, with support from all over 
the world. Leading US mathematician calls for 'hullabaloo in the UK' over 
the decision

The government has given an initial rebuff to the campaign for a pardon 
for Alan Turing, the brilliant British 'father of the computer' whose 
career ended in tragedy after a gross indecency conviction at a time when 
gay sex was against the law.

Signatures are gathering on an e-petition for a pardon but the justice 
minister Lord McNally used the precedent argument to discourage the notion 
in the House of Lords..../snip/


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/feb/07/alan-turing-pardon-lord-mcnally-lord-sharkey-computers

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/82-heritage/3735-widespread-celebrations-but-no-pardon-for-turing.html

http://blog.jgc.org/2012/02/uk-government-declines-to-pardon-alan.html

http://blog.jgc.org/2011/11/why-im-not-supporting-campaign-for.html

Alan Turing petition & associated articles in The Guardian...

Martin Postranecky — 2012-01-26T11:41:16

Posted by Martin Wainwright
Monday 5 December 2011
guardian.co.uk 

Pressure grows for a Turing pardon
----------------------------------
Supporters are clicking on a new e-petition for the man whose brilliance 
underlies the laptops, mobiles and computer world which we often take for 
granted

An e-petition to the Government to end the long if now somewhat 
theoretical disgrace of Alan Turing is rapidly gathering signatures after 
only a few days..../snip/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/dec/05/alan-turing-universityofmanchester?intcmp=239

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23526


Monday 19 December 2011
guardian.co.uk 

Alan Turing : My Favourite Scientist
------------------------------------
Mathematician, master codebreaker and father of computer science, Alan 
Turing was a genius touched by tragedy..../snip/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2011/dec/19/1?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

http://youtu.be/u3Ue7r5Xsyo

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/237/641/37.short
http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/237/641/37.full.pdf


Caroline Davies
The Guardian, Monday 2 January 2012 

Codebreaker Alan Turing gets stamp of approval
----------------------------------------------
Gay mathematician convicted of gross indecency in 1952 among those to be 
celebrated in Royal Mail stamps in 2012.../snip/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/jan/02/codebreaker-alan-turing-stamp-approval

from 'MTB 102 Newsletter', Autumn 2011

Martin Postranecky — 2012-01-11T13:46:46

from 'MTB 102 Newsletter', Autumn 2011 :


1-4 September 2011
ADLS ( Association of Dunkirk Little Ships ) Veterans Cruise


.....WW II VETS

On Sunday morning our WW2 guests arrived and were allocated their boats 
for the day. MTB102 usually has Royal Navy Veterans on board, and this 
year they were joined by an ex Wren who spent some of her war at Bletchley 
Park. They all have interesting stories to tell..../snip/


http://www.mtb102.com/NewsletterAutumn2011(A4).pdf

http://www.mtb102.com

Bletchley Park's information hub wins Grade II listing

Martin Postranecky — 2012-01-08T20:13:59

Saturday 7 January 2012

Bletchley Park's information hub wins Grade II listing
------------------------------------------------------

Derelict block seen as birthplace of modern computer processing gains 
heritage protection

Stephen Bates

To look at, it is a distinctly undistinguished and desolate-looking piece 
of utilitarian 1940s architecture. There is a failed concrete roof, water 
seeping in, pigeons nesting and vegetation growing through the cracks in 
the brickwork.

But in context, the long overlooked and derelict Block C at Bletchley 
Park, the second world war codebreaking headquarters in Buckinghamshire, 
may be one of the most significant buildings of the 20th century and on 
Friday the government gave it Grade II listed status to preserve it for 
posterity.

It joins most other buildings on the site, including the famous wooden 
huts in which scientists, intelligence officers and civil servants, led by 
figures such as Alan Turing, initially worked to break the Nazis' 
supposedly impenetrable Enigma code. Their success shortened the war by as 
much as four years, by some accounts....../snip/


http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/06/bletchley-park-grade-ii-listing


http://www.culture.gov.uk./news/news_stories/8751.aspx

http://www.culture.gov.uk./news/media_releases/8750.aspx

Bletchley Park's information hub wins Grade II listing

Martin Postranecky — 2012-01-08T20:13:59

Saturday 7 January 2012

Bletchley Park's information hub wins Grade II listing
------------------------------------------------------

Derelict block seen as birthplace of modern computer processing gains 
heritage protection

Stephen Bates

To look at, it is a distinctly undistinguished and desolate-looking piece 
of utilitarian 1940s architecture. There is a failed concrete roof, water 
seeping in, pigeons nesting and vegetation growing through the cracks in 
the brickwork.

But in context, the long overlooked and derelict Block C at Bletchley 
Park, the second world war codebreaking headquarters in Buckinghamshire, 
may be one of the most significant buildings of the 20th century and on 
Friday the government gave it Grade II listed status to preserve it for 
posterity.

It joins most other buildings on the site, including the famous wooden 
huts in which scientists, intelligence officers and civil servants, led by 
figures such as Alan Turing, initially worked to break the Nazis' 
supposedly impenetrable Enigma code. Their success shortened the war by as 
much as four years, by some accounts....../snip/


http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/06/bletchley-park-grade-ii-listing


http://www.culture.gov.uk./news/news_stories/8751.aspx

http://www.culture.gov.uk./news/media_releases/8750.aspx