and there are additional 4 rotors presented in front of the machine.
That makes 8 rotors for the second machine.
That makes 8 rotors for the second machine.
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I have 5 rotors in total.
I am not familiar with Enigma machines (not my area of collecting and knowledge), but as I understood 4-rotor machines had three full-size rotors plus one combination of reflector+thin rotor.
All of my rotors are of the same size, so I assume those are full-size rotors, not thin ones to be used with reflector.
So, let's draw a line under what I think I understood.
Each M4 Enigma had three full-size rotors in it, plus one thin to be used together with reflector.
Here is the citation rom the naval enigma book:
M4 was not a true four-rotor Enigma, largely because the German navy was so anxious to secure compatibility with M3. The new machine even had the same external dimensions as M3. All four rotors (and their reflector) were therefore designed to fit into the same space as that formerly occupied by three rotors (and their reflector). M3's existing reflector (“thick B”) was replaced by a new reflector (“thin B”) and a new rotor (the first being beta, as emerges below). Thin B was only 12 mm wide (other rotors are 25 mm) and had flat contact pads — not pins
So...Comment
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Here is the citation from Wikipedia, which also gives some info about the number of rotors:
The Naval version of the Wehrmacht Enigma had always been issued with more rotors than the other services: at first six, then seven, and finally eight. The additional rotors were marked VI, VII and VIII, all with different wiring, and had two notches cut into them resulting in a more frequent turnover. The four-rotor Naval Enigma (M4) machine accommodated an extra rotor in the same space as the three-rotor version. This was accomplished by replacing the original reflector with a thinner one and by adding a special, also thin, fourth rotor. That fourth rotor was one of two types, Beta or Gamma, and never stepped, but it could be manually set to any of its 26 possible positions, one of which made the machine perform identically to the three-rotor machine.Comment
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So, taking into account all known facts, I assume that the Birkenhead museum has 11 rotors with the first machine and 8 with the second one, or 19 in total.
I think I saw that one machine has 7-rotor spare box, and another one has 8-rotor spare box (mentioned up here, also).
As I do not know the status of thin-rotors (were they also in the number of spare rotors, are they were permanently inside, with the reflector?), I'll assume something which doesn't have to be true:
- each Enigma had 1 thin-rotor inside, paired with the reflector and not numbered but marked by the letter.
- each Enigma had 8 rotors (number I-VIII) with it.
So, that brings us to 16 rotors in total.
How come that they have 19 there, when it shouldn't be more than 18 WITH the thin ones?
Now I'm confused...Comment
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The story continues, as it seems
Here http://www.sharkhunters.com/LSPd.htm we can read that:
U-534 carried not one, but two Enigma machines WIRED TOGETHER and with a lot of spare rotor wheels, to make a super code scrambler.
So, it seems that it's really possible that my rotors are coming from this unique Enigma system.
As I doubt I'll find better proof of the source than Sharkhunters webpage and seller's information (and he told me that just after I paid for the last rotors), I plan to build a wooden box and place the rotors where they originally would sit, with a purpose-made shaft and perspex supports.
Of course, you'll see the result ;-)Comment
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