This meet has gradually become the only place in the world where people with
interests in cryptology and cryptologic devices can meet to search for new
items for their collections and learn about cryptologic history and
technology. Although the meet is focused on ham radio, we maintain an 8-table
block in the flea market that is dedicated primarily as a place where people
can buy and sell cryptologic devices. We also host the annual Enigma forum
where the latest cryptologic news is combined with presentations on history
and technology.
In 2022 the meet was held from June 24-26, 2022 in the huge "Messe"
(Convention Center) adjacent to the airport in Friedricshafen, Germany which
is located on the banks of the lovely Bodensee (Lake Constance). (In 2023 the
meet will be held from June 23(Friday)-25(Sunday) with setup day June
22(Thursday).)
This year we again reserved 8 tables in the flea market for the display and sale of
crypto-related apparatus, spy radios and other items. A huge "ENIGMA" banner
flew over the tables so you could see them from across the large hall. There
were two huge halls with about 1000 tables displaying equipment for sale so
the big "ENIGMA" signs helped people locate our tables. A wide variety of
exotic crypto gear, spy radios and other interesting items were on display and
on offer. During the four days of the conference a great deal of Crypto gear
and many spy radios and other items changed hands and both sellers and buyers
came away very happy.
Many of the attendees were members of the International Conference on
Cryptologic History (ICCH)
https://CryptologicHistory.org
In addition to the buying, selling and networking in the flea market, the
Eighth Annual Enigma Forum was held on Friday afternoon at 1600. It was very
well attended with a crowd of over 150 people who watched the lectures and the
demonstrations and joined in on the discussions.
A very broad selection of fine and unusual crypto-gear was offered for sale
and the attendees included a gathering of crypto-experts and historians. In
my opinion, this conference is a lot more fun than Ebay, the food is better,
and you can bargain face-to-face with the sellers. Don't even think of coming
without a shopping bag full of Euros or you will be kicking yourself about the
things you wanted but could not buy because some sellers only accept Euros.
Below you will find some photographs of the items that were offered for sale
as well as pictures of the sellers and buyers and the Forum.
Here is a picture of the M130 rotor part.
These sets are very heavy due to a multi-winding power transformer but despite
the weight Ralph bought it at a very low price and managed to bring it home to
California safely.
For a description of this device please visit:
https://CryptoMuseum.com/crypto/hagelin/hc520/index.htm
Here is a picture of Paul Reuvers and Marc Simons checking it out.
As you can see, you really have to look carefully at each table to find some
of these small machines.
This picture shows Klaus attaching the wires from the HC520 to his power
supply.
Here is a picture of Dr. Wiest showing his Enigma and a tiny 3D printed model of
Alan Turing.
For more information please visit:
https://wiest.home.hdm-stuttgart.de/enigma/
Many members of the Cryptocollectors Group have joined this organization and
the organization has hosted hosts dozens of presentations that can be accessed
through its website:
https://CryptologicHistory.org
This machine was on display at our flea market tables and at
the Enigma forum.
Opening the M4 allowed study of the settings of the machine. The settings of
the three rotors, I, V and VIII combined with the Gamma rotor and B reflector
were unique enough to make it possible for Paul Reuvers and Marc Simons to
determine that the Enigma had been last used in April, August or December of
1944 or March of 1945.
Here is a paper by Bart Wessel on the C-52 and CX-52 cipher machines.
They included a detailed description of "Operation Rubicon", a description of
the last rotor cipher machine and they were followed by a presentation by Dr.
Simon Wiest in which he described the development of his Enigma R.D.E.
A video recording of the forum was condensed and edited by Bob Saltzman and
may be viewed at the followiong URL. Unfortunately, due to a poor microphone
the audio is difficult to make out despite noise reduction and filtering by
Bob Saltzman.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jlkU8EfxKVve6P6GzCHNghCRBCr9s6cn/view?usp=drivesdk
Here Dan Perera explains details of the newly-discovered Kreigsmarine M4
Enigma.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: (Copyright (c) 2022: Prof. Tom Perera Ph. D.)
This organization was formed by members of the Cryptocollectors Email reflector on
Groups.io so they all knew exactly what they were buying and the
appropriate values. Many of the sellers were also on the reflector but some
spectacular items were also brought to the show by other sellers such as
crypto-expert Professor Dr. Franz Pichler of the University of Linz, Austria
who brought some very fine early telegraph instruments and some unusual
encrypted spy radios, very rare microphones and crypto-related books.
By 0900 on setup day we had put up our Enigma signs over our 8 tables in the
flea market and we had begun to put our equipment on our tables. Mark Simons
is shown making preparations for the crowds.
This a wide angle photo of one of the two halls enclosing the flea market.
There were approximately 500 3-meter-long tables in each hall making a total
of about 1000 tables loaded with interesting items for sale.
This is a view of our primary group.
From Right to Left:
Ralph Simpson, Dan Perera, Klaus Kopacz, Bart Wessel, Mark Simons, Tom Perera,
Mrs. Wessel, Paul Reuvers.
For the first time there were absolutely no FIALKAs or NEMAS for sale this
year. There were some Fialka parts and mixed in among them was a very unusual
part of a Russian M130 Koralle cipher machine rotor. For information on the
Koralle set see:
https://CryptoMuseum.com/crypto/ussr/m130/index.htm
Ralph Simpson ended up with it. He looks very happy and will be adding it to
his collection.
Ralph Simpson also found a rather normal-looking suitcase that contained a
complete British Wireless Set 18 (WS-18) WWII spy radio set in excellent
condition with its original manual.
Ralph (center) showed his spy radio to Klaus Kopacz on the right and Bjorn Forsberg on
the left. Klaus was obviously surprised that Ralph had been able to buy it for
such a low price.
Ralph also managed to buy a nice working Hagelin 520 electronic cipher machine
complete with the CIA backdoor.
Another Hagelin HC520 turned up and was bought by Klaus Kopacz. This machine
was covered with a piece of paper on a table filled with telegraph keys. Only
a tiny bit of it was visible under the piece of paper in the lower right
corner of this picture.
Here is a picture of the owner comparing his HC520 to the one that Paul
Reuvers is holding.
Since the battery was dead and there was no easy way for Klaus to test it,
Paul Reuvers and Marc Simons soldered wires to a connector, plugged the
connector into the HC520 and attached the wires to a power supply that Klaus
had brought to the meet. This allowed Klaus to power up the machine and
verify that it was working before he purchased it.
Ralph Simpson also found the tape punch for his Russian burst encoder.
Ralph Simpson also found a surprisingly small klystron tube but decided that
it was not appropriate for his collecting interests.
Klaus Kopacz had brought a very interesting modular IFF set and Ralph Simpson
could not resist buying it.
Klaus Kopacz set up a vast number of Enigma relics. Many had been dug up from
battlefields or retrieved from lakes in Germany. He was constantly surrounded
by visitors asking questions and asking him to demonstrate and explain the
parts that he had on display.
Here is the relic SG41Z that Klaus had brought to sell at his tables.
A nice Russian R-014 digital burst encoder with manuals went unsold throughout the entire show.
The asking price was 400 euros or approximately $ 400.
Dr. Simon Wiest set up a display of his Enigma R.D.E. replica kit on one of
our tables. It attracted a great deal of interest.
Here is another picture of Dr. Wiest's Enigma R.D.E.
This is Bart Wessel's Enigma R.D.E.
Here is a picture of Bart Wessel explaining and demonstrating his Enigma
R.D.E.
Here are more photographs of the Enigma R.D.E.
THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ENIGMA FORUM
Paul Reuvers and Marc Simons chaired the forum this year.
Paul started the forum with a number of important events that had
taken place since our last forum in 2019.
Paul noted the passing of several members of our group including:
Rudi Staritz
Helmut "Jim" Meyer
Max Eckert
NEWS
Paul reported that details of "The Thing" the notorious passive Russian Bug
placed inside the great seal of the United States in the American Embassy in
Moscow had been declassified.
Among the newly rediscovered machines in the National Cryptologic Museum is
this 1940 Russian "Kristal" cipher machine.
Among the newly rediscovered machines in the National Cryptologic Museum is
this Italian "OMI" cipher machine.
Paul announced the permanent closing of Crypto AG in Switzerland.
Paul announced the discovery of this M-427 cipher machine in Ukraine.
Paul announced the formation of the International Conference on Cryptologic
History (ICCH).
Paul announced the opening of the Enigma Cipher Center in Poznan, Poland.
Paul announced the discovery of a locked Kreigsmarine M4 Enigma in an attic in
the Netherlands.
Paul explained how a locksmith had successfully opened the locked cover on the
M4 and had made duplicate keys.
Paul announced that he had found a very unusual set of Fialka Rotors.
Fialka rotors with prefixes 3K were made for use in Poland.
Fialka rotors with prefixes 4K were made for use in DDR.
Fialka rotors with prefixes 5K were probably made for use in Hungary.
Fialka rotors with prefixes 6K were made for use in Czechoslovakia.
Nobody has reported "7K" rotors before this discovery.
It will be interesting to try to determine what country or application these
rotors had been designed for.
BACKDOORS
Paul announced that several cipher machines had been found to have backdoors
including this PX-1000.
Another cipher machine with a backdoor is this UA-8595.
FREEBIES
Paul announced several publications that can be downloaded free of charge
from his and Marc's website.
This is a paper by Klaus Kopacz and Paul Reuvers on the SG41 Hitlermuhle
cipher machine.
This highly detailed technical manual on the Russian Fialka cipher machine
written by Paul Reuvers and Marc Simons can be freely downloaded from their
website.
PRESENTATIONS
The main presentations followed.
DEMONSTRATIONS
There were many questions, answers and demonstrations after the Forum talks ended.
Klaus Kopacz explains additional details of the M4.
Dr. Simon Wiest explains details of Bart Wessel's Enigma R.D.E.
END of FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 2022 REPORT
CONTACT INFORMATION
Although all the pictures and text are copyrighted, you may use any of them
for your own personal applications including public lectures and
demonstrations, publications and websites as long as you mention the
www.EnigmaMuseum.com. If you plan to offer them for sale to the public
in any form, you must email me for permission which I will generally grant as
long as you mention http://EnigmaMuseum.com. My email address is
given in this website.
Some of the material may require contacting other copyright owners for
commercial use and I will inform you by email if this is the case.
Please also see the disclaimer of warranty.