C0046

'Tauschtafelheft für den Schlüssel H'
Title
'Tauschtafelheft für den Schlüssel H'
Production date
1940
Additional Title information
Bigram substitution tables for the German merchant navy hand cipher (Schlüssel H).
MATERIAL(s)
Paper.
Type
Book
DIMENSIONS
250 x 180 mm
Serial number(s)
14
Contributer(S)
Oberkommando der Kreigsmarine (OKM).
COLLECTION NUMBER
C0046
CONDITION
Fine.
Category / Subcategory (if applicable)
Location
Main collection (Warwickshire, UK).
STATUS
In storage
provenance
Purchased from a German dealer.
Acquisition Date
Dec 2022
Associated object(S)
Record Last Updated
Sep 24, 2023
DESCRIPTION
An extremely rare Kriegsmarine codebook issued in 1940, containing bigram substitution tables for the Schlüssel H hand cipher used by German merchant ships (Handelsschiffe). The kennwort (code word) for this codebook is 'Hamburg'. Due to orders for this sensitive material to be destroyed after use, German codebooks from the Second World War, especially naval material, are extremely rare.
Notes
In his book Unravelling Enigma, Maurice Freedman writes, "Another important hand cipher, Schlüssel H, called 'Merchant Navy' at BP, was broken early in the War and although not producing intelligence of any great moment, was of considerable value, early in 1940, in showing a sceptical Admiralty that Naval Section could do something - demonstrating that not all enemy wireless signals were inviolable".
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