C0023

Set of three Enigma K rotors ('D' wiring)
Title
Set of three Enigma K rotors ('D' wiring)
Production date
1944
Additional Title information
A set of three rotors with 'D' wiring for an Enigma K machine used by the German Condor Legion and rewired in 1944 for use by Croatian Home Guard. Possibly rewired again as Enigma KD rotors for the German Abwehr (military intelligence).
MATERIAL(s)
Bakelite, aluminium, brass, steel.
Type
Cipher machine part
DIMENSIONS
100 x 100 x 35 mm
Serial number(s)
K590D
Contributer(S)
COLLECTION NUMBER
C0023
CONDITION
Poor — Fair. Significant calcification and corrosion on rotor II (with aluminium thumbwheel). Screws missing on two rotors.
Category / Subcategory (if applicable)
Location
Main collection (Warwickshire, UK).
STATUS
In storage
provenance
Purchased from a German metal detectorist. Found with C0024 (Two Baumuster T1 morse code keys).
Acquisition Date
Nov 2020
Associated object(S)
C0024.
Record Last Updated
Sep 24, 2023
DESCRIPTION
A very rare and unusual set of Enigma rotors (serial number K590D, rotors II, IV and VI). Discovered among communications equipment disposed of in Germany at the end of the War, it has a complex history. According to production records it was issued to the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. Afterwards, the machine were returned to Germany and rewired on 7 March 1944 for use by the Axis-aligned Croatian Home Guard (Kroatischen Landwehr — Hrvatsko Domobranstvo). Two of the rotors (V and VI) were produced separately to rotor II as extra rotors. Whilst records make no mention of the existence of rotor VI, these extra rotors were supposed to have been destroyed in 1944, but for unknown reasons were not. These are the only known surviving Enigma rotors issued to the Croatian Home Guard. The existence of spaces for nine turnover notches and the existence of rotor VI suggest that the rotors may have never reached Croatia, and may have been rewired yet again as Enigma KD rotors. However, this theory has not been confirmed.
Notes
See: 'Spanish Enigma: A History of the Enigma in Spain', Cryptologia Vol. 34 Issue 4 (2010) for more information on the wiring of Enigma K machines used in Spain. https://cryptocellar.org/pubs/enigma-in-spain.pdf
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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.