Fragments of rare German Enigma machine unearthed in Poland
16:55, 16.12.2024
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Fragments of rare German Enigma machine unearthed in Poland Polish researchers have uncovered parts of a German Enigma encryption machine, a device integral to Nazi Germany’s wartime communication system.
Polish researchers have uncovered parts of a German Enigma encryption machine, a device integral to Nazi Germany’s wartime communication system.
The machine fragments were found during a routine metal detecting survey. Photo: Fundacja Latebra: Treasures and Secrets/ YouTube
The machine, famously cracked by Polish mathematicians in 1932, played a pivotal role in the Allies' victory during World War II.
The discovery was made on Sobieszewska Island, a quiet area off the northern Polish city of Gdańsk, during a routine metal detecting survey conducted by members of the Latebra Foundation.
The organization, dedicated to historical and archaeological research, confirmed that the artefacts, including eight Enigma rotors, fragments of its casing, and several other components, were found at the site.
The find is believed to be linked to a German communications post, which was likely dismantled to prevent it from falling into Soviet hands as the war neared its end.
Dominik Markiewicz, a board member of the Latebra Foundation, said the breakthrough came courtesy of Magda, a new member of the team, who was using her metal detector when she picked up a sound she had never heard before. Unsure of what the signal indicated, she called Michał, another team member, to assist.
In a video shared on social media, Magda said: “I was walking with my metal detector when I heard a sound I’d never heard before. Since I’m not very experienced, I called Michał over to check.”
Initially, she feared the signal might be from an unexploded device, but after digging with Michał’s help, they unearthed a drum from the Enigma machine.
This led to further excavations and the eventual recovery of several key components.
A vital link to wartime intelligence
The Enigma machine, used by Nazi Germany during World War II, was a cipher device designed to encode military communications.
To the Allies, the cracking of the Enigma code was a game-changer, giving them the ability to intercept and decode German messages.
The breakthrough came in 1932, when Polish mathematicians Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki, and Henryk Zygalski, working for Poland's Cipher Bureau, cracked the Enigma cipher.
They developed sophisticated mathematical techniques and tools, including the famous Zygalski sheets and an early decryption machine, which enabled Polish intelligence to begin decoding German military communications.
In 1939, as tensions between Germany and Poland rose, Polish cryptologists shared their findings and a replica of the Enigma machine with British and French intelligence. This collaboration proved invaluable. The British, most notably cryptanalyst Alan Turing, used the insights from the Polish mathematicians to develop the Bombe—a machine that could handle the increasingly complex Enigma codes used by the Germans, especially in naval communications.
Historians believe that cracking the Enigma code by Polish mathematicians shortened World War II by about three years.
With each year of the war costing roughly 10 million lives, this achievement is believed to have saved around 30 million lives.
