The US 6812 Division Bombe Report Eastcote 1944 Page 10

Tony Sale's Codes and Ciphers

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- 5 - TOP SECRET-T

If every man, woman and child in the British Isles were given an

enigma machine, they would have to try 3,000,000 possibilities on
each starting position on each wheel order and would work their whole
life to break one key.

BOMBE (MACHINE) SOLUTIONS.

A machine called the "bombe" is used to expedite the solution.

The first machine was built by the Poles and was a hand operated
multiple enigma machine. When a possible solution was reached a part
would fall off the machine onto the floor with a loud noise. Hence
the name "bombe". The machine we use contains the equivalent of the
wheels, uncle walters, current input and stecker arrangements of 36
enigma machines and is motor driven. The machine looks as shown.


Fig. 5. General Features of The Bombe.


On the front of the bombe are three banks of enigma wheels, 12

enigmas to a bank, and 3 wheels to an enigma. The middle bank also
includes three indicator wheels which read the relative ringstellung
position at any point in the run. On the right side of the bombe are
found the searching keys and also the relay indicator which reads the
stecker of the input letter for any stop. On the rear of the machine
are found the jacks on which the menu is plugged. Three columns jacks
serve one bank of enigmas, the left hand set of three columns serve
the top bank of enigmas, the middle set of three columns serve the
middle bank of enigmas, &.
Three uncle walters are located on the left side of the bombe. The
right hand uncle walter serves the top bank of enigmas, the middle
uncle walter the middle bank of enigmas ,&. The uncle walter and the
diagonal board remains fixed, and the wheels are rotated through all
possible positions.


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