Sunday 12th January 2025
Difficulty: Hard
Enigma (Quiz #786)
Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild (Creative Commons)
The Enigma machine is a cipher device developed and used to protect commercial, diplomatic, and military communication. It was employed extensively by Nazi Germany during World War II, in all branches of the German military. The Enigma machine was considered so secure that it was used to encipher the most top-secret messages. (From Wikipedia)
1. When was the Enigma machine patented?
2. How many different settings did the military Enigma machine have?
3. In 1941, Sub Lt David Balme led a small group of Royal Navy sailors who boarded the crippled U-110 German submarine. They spent six hours salvaging not only the Enigma machine but much other secret material, from a vessel that could have sunk at any moment. Why was Balme awarded the DSC rather than the Victoria Cross for this operation?
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