Enigma Collection. Enigma is perhaps the best known cipher machine of all time. However there were many different types of Enigma machine manufactured, all of which staff at Bletchley Park tried to crack. Below is a list of the current Enigma machines on display within the Bletchley Park collection. This Enigma collection is the largest on public display within Europe and can be viewed every day in the main Block B Museum.
Abwehr Enigma - G312
The German Secret Service, or Abwehr, commonly used the Enigma-G which is smaller than a standard Enigma machine and has no plugboard (Steckerbrett).This machine is equipped with four rotors, one of which is the reflector and also an incremental counter. Each letter key also has an addition symbol.
Army and Air Force Enigma – A16992
A modified Army (Heeres) and Air-Force (Luftwaffe) Enigma.
The plugs (Steckers) have been removed from the plug-board (Steckerbrett) as part of this alteration and modified to include the addition of a small plug-board (Steckerbrett) on the left side of the case. This appears to alter the wiring of the Reflector (Umkehrwalze). This modification was probably undertaken by Bletchley Park.
Army and Air-Force Enigma – A02192
This 3-rotor Army (Heeres) and Air-force (Luftwaffe) Enigma was manufactured by Ertel-Werk of Munich and the ‘44E’ code shows it was produced in 1944.
The detachable metal cover and special protective plate over the plug-board (Steckerbrett) are comprised of a sandwich of sheet metal with a plywood core (Panzerholz). Approximately 2450 of these metal-cased machines were produced and a limited number have survived.
Italian Naval Enigma – A1214
Records show this machine was delivered from its manufacturers Heimsoeth und Rinke to the Italian Navy in 1932 and in 1941 the Italian Embassy in Berlin ordered spare rotors for the machine. The Italian Dictator 1922-43, Benito Mussolini also once owned this Enigma machine.
US Naval Officers recovered this Enigma machine on 29th April 1945 in Northern Italy.On loan from The National Cryptologic Museum Foundation
Modified Enigma - M16264
This Enigma machine has been modified to contain 27 mechanical digital counters.
The original German keyboard has been replaced by a standard British QWERTY one. This modification was probably made by Bletchley Park to undertake statistical character analysis within messages.
Naval M4 Enigma – M15946
This Enigma machine was developed during WWII exclusively for the U-Boat division of the Germany Navy (Kriegsmarine). This type of Enigma uses four rotors, chosen from a set of eight. The extra rotor does not move during encipherment and cannot be exchanged with the other three rotors.
Naval M4 Enigma – M5846
This Enigma machine was developed during WWII exclusively for the U-Boat division of the Germany Navy (Kriegsmarine). This type of Enigma uses four rotors, chosen from a set of eight. Note that this machine has lettered rotors and a numbered plug-board (Steckerbrett).
Naval Enigma – M1322
The plugboard (Steckerbrett) carries both A-Z and 1-26 markings. It is fitted with the standard A-Z naval rotors II, IV & V from M1322 & the reflector (Umkehrwalze) B. This model also has an unusual hinged metal cover over the lamp-board and rotor compartments.
Tirpitz Enigma - T244
The Tirpitz, or Enigma-T is a non-standard Enigma especially designed for use in communications between Germany and Japan during WWII. This machine is a variant of the Enigma-K and was supplied with eight rotors, each with five turn-over notches. The Tirpitz was called “TIRPITZ” by the Germans, and spelled as “TIRUPITSU” by the Japanese.
SG41
The SG41 was the last cipher machine developed by Germany during WWII and is not an Enigma machine. The SG41 operates on a pinwheel and not a rotor basis and was intended to replace Enigma. The SG41 was introduced in 1944 and defeated the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Approximately 500 machines were produced and fewer than 10 are known to survive.
On display by kind permission of the Director GCHQ
Open Daily - Part of the Block B exhibition centre
| 
