C0021

Post-war Enigma transport box
Title
Post-war Enigma transport box
Production date
c. 1950s
Additional Title information
A post-war transport box for an Enigma I machine.
MATERIAL(s)
Wood, aluminium.
Type
Cipher machine part
DIMENSIONS
280 x 340 x 160 mm
Serial number(s)
Contributer(S)
COLLECTION NUMBER
C0021
CONDITION
Fine. Some minor rust to metal components, but otherwise fine.
Category / Subcategory (if applicable)
Location
Main collection (Warwickshire, UK).
STATUS
In storage
provenance
Ex: Crypto Museum collection, CM 303445 (Netherlands).
Acquisition Date
Aug 2020
Associated object(S)
Record Last Updated
Sep 24, 2023
DESCRIPTION
A post-war wooden transport box for an Enigma I machine, probably made during the Cold War when Enigma machines were re-issued and original boxes were too far gone. This box, whilst visually similar to the wartime Enigma machine box, exhibits a number of subtle differences. The hinges and spare bulb holder are of a different style, the lock has a rounded pull tab, the spare plugboard cable holders are oak rather than bakelite, the metal alignment tabs are missing form the front flap, 'Klappe Schließen' is imprinted (not stamped) and the 'Zur Beachtung' instruction plate is a photocopy pasted to the inside of the lid.
Notes
Enigma machines were used by some government agencies in the post-war period. Whilst many were destroyed, a significant quantity of Enigma machines were captured at the end of the war and later sold alongside other surplus wartime equipment. Examples of post-war users of the Enigma machine include the Norwegian Police Security Service, the Bundesgrenzschutz (the West German Federal Border Guard) and also the Italian Guardia di Finanzia (Financial Police), which used them as late as 1985. The Swiss, which had used a variant of the Enigma K between 1938 and 1946, used the machine for a second time in the 1950s, in the early years of their mission in Korea monitoring the armistice line between North and South Korea.
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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.