Enigma: Cracking The Code

The Enigma machine, developed in the late 1920s, was used by Nazi Germany during WWII to encrypt military communications. It transformed plain text into encoded messages using complex mechanics involving rotors and plug boards, creating over 100 trillion permutations. Despite its complexity, Allied codebreakers eventually deciphered the Enigma code by identifying patterns and repeated sequences in messages. This breakthrough, achieved by 1940, significantly contributed to the Allied victory by shortening the war and saving lives.

What was the primary purpose of the Enigma machine during World War II?

• To encrypt military communications

• To track enemy movements

• To decode intercepted messages

• To send weather forecasts

How did the Enigma machine ensure that each letter was encoded differently every time?

• By using complex mechanical permutations

• By altering the message length

• By changing the keyboard layout

• By using a random number generator

What was the role of the rotors in the Enigma machine?

• To power the machine

• To send signals to other machines

• To create different letter permutations

• To change the starting position of the message

What clue helped codebreakers in deciphering the Enigma's encrypted messages?

• The use of Morse code

• The time messages were sent

• Repeated sequences in messages

• The length of the messages

By what year was a reliable system for cracking Enigma codes established?

• 1935

• 1950

• 1940

• 1945