C0006

Enigma Umkehrwalze D
Title
Enigma Umkehrwalze D
Production date
1944
Additional Title information
A rewirable reflector for an Enigma I machine, destroyed at the end of the Second World War.
MATERIAL(s)
Aluminium, brass, bakelite.
Type
Cipher machine part
DIMENSIONS
75 x 75 x 35 mm
Serial number(s)
A12983
Contributer(S)
Chiffriermaschine AG
COLLECTION NUMBER
C0006
CONDITION
Fair. Some corrosion, with typical split in outer casing.
Category / Subcategory (if applicable)
Location
Main collection (Warwickshire, UK).
STATUS
In storage
provenance
Purchased from a German dealer.
Acquisition Date
Jul 2019
Associated object(S)
–
Record Last Updated
Sep 24, 2023
DESCRIPTION
An Enigma Umkehrwalze D (UKW-D, D Reflector), a rewirable reflector introduced for use by the radio networks of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) as a means of improving communications security. This example, found among other D reflectors, was dug up from the ground - most likely from a pit filled with discarded German radio and cipher equipment when Germany surrendered in 1945. Therefore, it does exhibit some damage where a sharp implement appears to have been used to destroy it, and also some corrosion.
Notes
Unlike the design of earlier reflectors, the UKW-D was a field-rewardable reflector. A modified version was also used by the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) in order to communicate with the Luftwaffe. As the UKW-D was not distributed very widely and introduced late into the War, it is very rare. This factor also stopped the UKW-D from causing as significant a headache for Allied codebreakers as it could have caused.
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Chiffriermaschine. Object title goes here (Object C0001). Chiffriermaschine Collection Online. Last updated: <insert date here>. https://www.chiffriermaschine.com/explore/object-link-goes-here.