Arthur Scherbius invented and developed the German Enigma Machine in 1926 in order to send encrypted messages. These devices used rotors to both decrypt and encrypt codes before and during the wartime. The technology was implemented into the German army for secure communication called "Wehrmacht Enigma." The machine found its way into the hands of Polish authorities who became one of the most pronounced code breaking which remained a secret to much of the public for nearly three decades. (1)
Marian Rejewski reveised and built upon Scherbius' technology and Poland began breaking German codes.
After the occupation of Poland, allied forces used the enigma device against the Axis powers in and information operation known as ULTRA.
Polish engineers implemented and improved upon the intricate machinery as the technology was brought into services for the German army.
"By 1933 the Poles were solving Enigma messages. They built their own copies to speed up the work. Then they improved on these with a cyclometer, which in effect joined two Enigmas, and then by 1938 their so-called bomba, which linked six Enigmas" (2)
Thousands of German messages were deciphered throughout the Enigma machine's actualization from the Bureau of the Polish Intelligence Service in Warsaw. The power of such early code breaking was truly an amazing thing. The Enigma Machine was a crucial Allied asset which aided in the outcome of the second world war. (3)
It's interesting to look back at how potentially pivotal such technologies have been in the past, and especially during the wartime. It will be compelling to see how these technologies evolve to encompass the sea of communication technologies today and in the future as well as their wartime significance.
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