Codes & Cryptology 1938-1945 Collection

This collection is of international significance. In addition to cipher machines, the collection houses printed and manuscript texts in English, German, French & Polish languages. Items are kept in archival quality sleeves or acid free boxes & placed in storage rooms subject to regular environmental monitoring.

Significant objects in the collection include Enigma machines, Lorenz and Siemens cipher machines.

Enigma Decrypt

German Enigma machines:

• Army/Air Force Enigma S/N A16991/jla/43
  Standard machine fitted with wheels VI, VII and VIII from Navy Enigma M1332 and reflector B.
• Army/Air Force Enigma S/N A16992/jla/43
  Fitted with wheels III and V from A18131 and wheel V from A16801 with a B Umkehrwalze. This machine was modified (by GCHQ?) by the addition of a small plugboard on the left side of the case which alters the wiring of the reflector.
• Navy Enigma M3, S/N M1322
  A 3 rotor machine, fitted with standard A-Z Navy wheels II, IV & V from M1332 and Umkehrwalze (reflector) B.
• Navy Enigma M4 S/N M15946/aye/44
  A later 4 rotor machine. On display.
• Abwehr Enigma S/N G312
  Fitted with wheels I, III and V. This machine had 4 rotors with multiple turnover positions and a moving reflector. On display.

Other Axis cipher machines:

• German Lorenz machine & hood, Type SZ42, S/N 96781. Restored to operable condition with a Lorenz teletype machine (a Springschreiber Type T32 Lo). On display.
• German Siemens & Halske machine, Type T52C, S/N 5332.

British Typex machines:

• Typex Mk III portable, Stores Ref. No. 10G/372, uses the same drums as the Mark II series but is hand-cranked.
• Typex Mk 22 BID/08/2. A post-war variant (c. 1950) of the MkII Typex, incorporating two plugboards, restored to functional order. On display.
• Typex machine Mk 23 BID/08/3 Stores Ref. No. 10G/15421, S/N 10118. Similar to the Mark 22, but modified for use with the Combined Cipher Machine (CCM), which allowed it to communicate with similarly modified American ECM Mk II cipher machines.

The names of people and organisations associated with the collection include Turing, Herivel, Knox, Strachey, Travis, Hinsley, Alexander, Welchman, Tiltman, Government Codes & Cyphers School (GCCS) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). The names of places associated with the collection include Beaumanor Park, HMS Anderson, Chicksands Priory, Church Green, Drayton Parslow, Eastcote, Elmers School, Forest Moor, Gayhurst Manor, Hanslope Park, HMS Pembroke, Leighton Buzzard, Stanmore, Stoke Hammond and Wavendon.