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WWII Enigma Cipher Machine Is a War-Time Souvenir With A Hefty Muscle Car Price Tag

The particularity of these cipher devices is that they shouldn't exist anymore. Not in one piece and certainly not functional. Because it was a state secret technology, utmost care was taken by German officials to keep both the Enigma and everything else related to it from falling into enemy hands.
A rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machine 10 photos
Photo: bonhams.com
A rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machineA rare "Heimsoeth und Rinke" 3-rotor Enigma cipher machine
So, it is a true end-of-the-rainbow treasure to have one survive to this day in perfect working order, like this particular machine auctioned by Bonham's auction house. The estimated price is between £75,000 and £100,000 ($87,000 to $116,000 at the time of this story).

A history-making relic, this 1938-built Enigma encrypted messages for the German Army. The D-reflector is the exciting detail that sets this particular cipher machine apart from other Enigmas. Have a look at it in the photo gallery.

This tiny device constituted a hardware upgrade that improved cipher security for the Nazi military, but it came too late to impact the war's course. However, it gave the Allied code-breaking teams sufficient headaches to determine Winston Churchill's order to destroy all remaining Enigma cipher apparatuses.

Alan Turing and his team did a great job cracking the Enigma wide open, but the D-reflector would have rendered their efforts useless. However, this improvement of the Enigma came into service in January 1944.

On top of that, only very few Enigmas got the D update. Thus, the shady war gear came in too little and too late to change anything. Dubbed "Uncle-D" by the operators, the D-reflector (the letter D is just a military chronological code, as it followed models C, B, and A) was rather intricate to operate, as it required a partial disassembly of the cipher machine.

Its 13 pairs of connectors can be wired in specific orders, so the cipher is changed accordingly. Since the wiring operation was time-consuming, the cipher only changed every ten days.

Miraculously, some of these Enigmas survived unscathed. We say "miraculously" because, as is the habit in any war, there is no cost too heavy to safeguard secrets. German officers had strict orders to carry out the total devastation of their secret-transmitting devices to prevent any potential capturer from breaking the cipher.

The auctioned glow lamp-based, three-rotor Enigma, built by Heimsoeth&Rinke in 1938, is serial number A 8904 and features a standard QWERTZ keyboard of 26 keys with white on black backgrounds. The machine is encased in a stained oak box (11in x 6in x 13.5in, 28cm x 15.2cm x 34.5cm) with hinges on the front panel and a leather handle.
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About the author: Razvan Calin
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After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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