"THE RAILWAY ENIGMA": A VERY RARE HEIMSOETH & RINKE K-MODEL ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINE, GERMAN, CIRCA 1940,numbered K438 on the base, with complete electrical wiring, three aluminium rotors number I-III and settable reflector (26 positions) all stamped with matching numbers K438, raised 'QWERTZ' keyboard with crackle black painted metal case, in unoriginal Panzerholz case made for a different model, the rotor wiring identifying this machine as the extremely rare 'Railway Enigma' model, believed to be the only identified example to date; included with this lot is a facsimile copy of the production order document from 18 January 1940 that further confirms the designation of this machine as a 'Railway Enigma'. It orders that Enigma machines with serial numbers K432-441 be rewired to the Reichsbahn (Railway) wiring and then delivered to the headquarters of the Reichsbahn (Reichbahndirektion) in Berlin, B.BV.-Büro (Bahnbevollmächtigten - Railway authorisation office). It is underlined in red that this rewiring operation was very urgent. These ten machines were then issued to Berlin, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Mainz, Munich and Stuttgart. It is not known specifically which city was issued with machine numbered K43,
6in x 10 1/2in x 13 1/2in (15cm x 26.5cm x 34.5cm) FootnotesThe 'Railway Enigma' is a very rare variant of the Enigma K, with this machine being the only identified example to date. This variant was used to encrypt messages of the German Reichsbahn, discussing the movement of railway stock during the Second World War. For this reason, it became known by Bletchley Park codebreakers as the 'Railway Enigma', later codenamed 'Rocket'. Message traffic from this machine was first intercepted on 25th July 1940 and carried on for the rest of the war.
The intercepted messages posed a challenge to codebreakers, demonstrating that the commercial Enigma K could still be difficult to break if the message content was sufficiently obscure. American codebreaker William F. Friedman stated in a report:
"The intelligence obtained from "Rocket" traffic is of first-grade importance since it gives long-term information as to production and movement of supplies."
More information about the 'Railway Enigma' is available at: https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/enigma/k/railway.htm
"THE RAILWAY ENIGMA": A VERY RARE HEIMSOETH & RINKE K-MODEL ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINE, GERMAN, CIRCA 1940,numbered K438 on the base, with complete electrical wiring, three aluminium rotors number I-III and settable reflector (26 positions) all stamped with matching numbers K438, raised 'QWERTZ' keyboard with crackle black painted metal case, in unoriginal Panzerholz case made for a different model, the rotor wiring identifying this machine as the extremely rare 'Railway Enigma' model, believed to be the only identified example to date; included with this lot is a facsimile copy of the production order document from 18 January 1940 that further confirms the designation of this machine as a 'Railway Enigma'. It orders that Enigma machines with serial numbers K432-441 be rewired to the Reichsbahn (Railway) wiring and then delivered to the headquarters of the Reichsbahn (Reichbahndirektion) in Berlin, B.BV.-Büro (Bahnbevollmächtigten - Railway authorisation office). It is underlined in red that this rewiring operation was very urgent. These ten machines were then issued to Berlin, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Mainz, Munich and Stuttgart. It is not known specifically which city was issued with machine numbered K43,
6in x 10 1/2in x 13 1/2in (15cm x 26.5cm x 34.5cm) FootnotesThe 'Railway Enigma' is a very rare variant of the Enigma K, with this machine being the only identified example to date. This variant was used to encrypt messages of the German Reichsbahn, discussing the movement of railway stock during the Second World War. For this reason, it became known by Bletchley Park codebreakers as the 'Railway Enigma', later codenamed 'Rocket'. Message traffic from this machine was first intercepted on 25th July 1940 and carried on for the rest of the war.
The intercepted messages posed a challenge to codebreakers, demonstrating that the commercial Enigma K could still be difficult to break if the message content was sufficiently obscure. American codebreaker William F. Friedman stated in a report:
"The intelligence obtained from "Rocket" traffic is of first-grade importance since it gives long-term information as to production and movement of supplies."
More information about the 'Railway Enigma' is available at: https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/enigma/k/railway.htm
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.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
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