From: Dennis R Starks To: PasqualeNJ@aol.com,kg0qe@juno.com,w0nbz@juno.com,jawbrey@juno.com, lee@vtw.net,pmonroe@inwave.com,cranwill@roanoke.infi.net, ranickel@mwci.net,peterada@mindspring.com,haffner@mcs.net, eldim@worldnet.att.net,dr@cei.net,mrhro@pdq.net, kargokult@proaxis.com,ip500@roanoke.infi.net,bstrang@iac.net, jayc@hpcmrd42.sj.hp.com,AAFRadio@erols.com, jupeter@net-tech.com.au,rzelick@inetarena.com,ae4zh@juno.com, fsglong@mscomm.com,noel@mail.li.com,tactcom@rocketmail.com, davprin@gil.com.au,wa5cmi@access1.net,badger@telalink.net, smithab1@bellatlantic.net,jproc@idirect.com,marmot@core.com, torchboots@email.msn.com,adrian_heinrich@hotmail.com, wb4lzq@atl.mindspring.com,DKWkid@aol.com,TVComlGuy@aol.com, located@worldnet.att.net,tscm@jps.net,janschrader@juno.com, richwurtz@juno.com,carmelo.litrico@ctonline.it, jlbowers@planetkc.com,rbrunner@gis.net, spencer12345@classic.msn.com,d2012pn1@ozemail.com.au, dgrev@apollo.ruralnet.net.au,ae4in@webshoppe.net, peter@bergent.net,l.meulstee@wxs.nl Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 03:06:05 -0600 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Nov.24/99 Message-ID: <19991124.030606.-178737.10.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Mailer: Juno 3.0.13 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Full-Name: Dennis R Starks X-Status: Sent X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 0-13,15-16,18,20-24,30,33,36,38-40,42,44,46,48-49,51-60,63-65,67-68,70,72,74,76,78-82,84,86,88-89,91-92,94-95,98,100,102,104,106,108,110,112-114,116,118-120,122,124-125,127-129,131-133,135-141,143-144,146,148,150-154,156-159,162,164-165,167,169,171,173,175-176,178-183,185,187-188,190,192-193,195-196,198,200-201,203,205-208,210,212-214,216,218,220-221,223-225,227,229-234,237-238,241,243-276,278-293,295-296,298,300-301,303-304,306-310,312-317,332,335-339,342-347,349-352,354,356-393,395-401,403-406,408-411,413-458,460-512,514,516-563,565-566,568-622,624,631-633 X-Juno-Att: 0 X-Juno-Fcc: Sent Items X-Juno-Size: 25067 X-Juno-RefParts: 0 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Nov.24/99 Index: THE ENIGMA, FRENCH VIEW; Feyssac Jacques MEMBERS WRITE; Polish WW-II Clandestine Broadcast Station, AM-7239 Help Needed, Enigma & Other Encryption Topics, Odd-Ball PRC-10, NEW MEMBER; Gary Persons HUMOR; *********************************************** THE ENIGMA, FRENCH VIEW; Feyssac Jacques ENIGMA Many things were written about breaking the code of the Enigma machine and also many papers exists on the Net some very good and others less. I will not write again a book and choose to reproduce different existing papers to give you a better view, it is far to be complete because the subject is important but I will recommend you the reading of complementary books. Maintaining the Secret. "Two words describe the German WWII fighting machine successes: organization, and communication. Their lightning "blitzkrieg," which allowed them to roll over Europe almost unopposed, was a well-coordinated operation employing panzers (tanks) and Stukas (dive bombers). At sea, their efforts were aimed at cutting England's supply line from North America by well-directed submarine "wolf pack" attacks on convoys. For communications, the Germans relied almost entirely on messages sent by radio. These messages could be heard, of course, by anyone equipped with a receiver. To ensure that the enemy would not intercept vital information, they used an electro-mechanical device called Enigma to encode the data. They believed that even if the enemy were to capture a machine, it would be useless unless both sender and receiver were also in possession of the same "key" which described how the message was encoded. The Poles proved them wrong. The Germans used different radio frequencies and keys for messages sent to their various units. This ensured that messages meant for the Luftwaffe (Air Force) were not readable by the Kriegsmarine (Navy). By assigning different keys to different units, communication could be directed to the appropriate unit. Not only would there be no point in a submarine decoding a message meant for a panzer unit, but some ultra-secret messages (for example to the SS) were confidential. (Ref:1)" What Went Wrong? "Enigma codes could have been unbreakable, at least with the methods available at the time, had the machine been used properly. The biggest mistake the Germans made was their blind belief in the invincibility of Enigma. Procedural errors in using the machine, combined with occasional operator laziness, allowed the Poles and, subsequently the British (much later), to crack the "unbreakable" codes. In addition to the general key, a "message key", unique to each message, was part of the transmission. Each army unit had two enigma operators, one to work the machine, the other to write down the lit-up letters on the lampboard. Often these men were not properly trained in the use of the machine. They were allowed to pick their own message keys, at times making some very poor choices. The navy had better safeguards; only officers were allowed to set up the machines. The message keys were specified and carefully chosen to minimize the possibility that they could be deduced by the code breakers. The code lists were printed with water-soluble inks and kept under lock and key at all times. The navy's extra precautions were effective; the Allies were unable to crack the naval codes until two years after they had broken the army's.(Ref:1)" Espionage "Hans Thilo-Schmidt, originally of a German aristocratic family, had fallen upon hard times. He persuaded his brother, a Lieutenant Colonel in the German signal corps, to give him a job. One of his tasks was to destroy Enigma codes which were no longer valid, which granted him access to information he decided to sell to the French.(He made contact with the French in 1931) He furnished Gustave Bertrand of the French Intelligence service a booklet detailing the Enigma machine setup procedures. There was no mention of the rotor wiring or information on the keys. (Ref:1)" In fact it was more than a booklet but seven documents with two important ones: User Manual for Enigma 1 and Enciphering Procedure for Enigma with drawings and pictures (Ref:3) "The French puzzled over this information, then consulted with the British, who agreed (who reject the offer for unknown reason) that it was insufficient to be of any practical use. Bertrand then offered it to (Lt Cl Langer Head of the cipher office )in Poland who was overjoyed upon receiving even this small crumb. Rejewski (one of the three mathematics experts) asked Bertrand if he could obtain some outdated Enigma keys. The Frenchman relayed this request to Schmidt who readily obliged, and the keys were passed back to Poland. (Ref:1)" "With keys given them by the French, and using replica machines they had built, the Polish team of Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Rózycki and Henryk Zygalski were able to decode most German messages. They were particularly interested in radio traffic between German troops training in Russia, a ploy which allowed them to circumvent terms of the Versailles Treaty. However, they never related their results to the French, probably because they feared the Germans would find out that their codes had been compromised and institute new procedures which would nullify their success. The French, puzzled at receiving no intelligence, continued to pass on the keys nevertheless.(Ref:1)" The Poles began their efforts when the Germans used only three rotors. Although the keys were out of date, they were able to apply them to a backlog of messages.Having made the first replica of Enigma, they launch an industrial production of this machine by the AVA factory for radiophonic equipment, the first industrial replica came out of the factory in 1934 and by 1939 they had 17 machines two of which were handed over to French and british in august 1939, Ref:3. Complications "Dec. 15, 1938 the Germans added two new rotors, making five available, although only three were used in the machine at any one time. The Polish resources were severely strained, as now 60 sets of Zygalski sheets and 60 bomby (at a cost of 1.5 million zlotych, about $350,000) would have been required. This, and knowing from intercepts that their country was about to be invaded, persuaded the Poles to share their information with the French and British. The British had decided to take a crack at Enigma codes, but it was too late; the Germans had added complications that made a break impossible. The Poles, having a ten year head start, were able to take advantage of the days when coding methods were simpler, and operators, becoming used to the new system, made some serious mistakes. July 25, 1939, at a secret meeting in the Kabackie Woods near the town of Pyry, the Poles handed over their complete solution to the German codes, their Enigma replicas and bomby to the dumbfounded British.(Ref:1)" At that meeting were Denniston and Knox for the IS and Bertrand and Braquenie for the French , each party did receive a complete 3 rotors Enigma and all drawings(Ref:3) "On September 1, Hitler invaded Poland. On the 5th, the codebreakers packed up their Enigma replicas, Zygalski sheets and bomby, and made a run for France. After a mad flight (the last one would arrive May 12 Ref:3) in the company of thousands of others trying desperately to flee the Germans, they made it through Austria to France, but had to destroy all their equipment along the way (except two machines). The Poles; a team of 15 people continued their work in France on the team of Captain Bertrand at the castle of GRETZ near Paris sharing their work with the British. In fact, the British furnished them with sixty sets of 26 Zygalski sheets, since theirs had been destroyed in the evacuation (Ref:1)" Epilogue After the invasion of France, all the Bertrand team's moved to the "Zone Libre" free zone in south of France where they did reorganize in a castle, PC-Cadix near the city of Uzes; Bertrand did return sometime to Paris to collect the parts of Enigma machines that were manufactured in the suburbs of Paris, they were able to make four more machines!(Ref:3) "When the Germans occupied the rest of France (beginning 1942), the Polish codebreakers fled to England. Only some of them made it. Most were captured by the Germans while attempting to cross the Pyrenees into Spain. Since it was their brilliant work, turned over to the British, which allowed the Allies to read the German messages, it is hard to believe that the English never allowed them to work as codebreakers on the vital Kriegsmarine (Navy) Schlüssel-M traffic, which was not broken until naval rotors VI and VII were captured. Might not Rejewski have been able to employ the same methods in solving the wiring of those rotors that he had so successfully used before? (Apparently there was a British law that prevent any foreigner to work at the Bletchley Park)(Ref:1)" "Was it British arrogance that denied the Poles their due in so many publications once "Ultra" was no longer under wraps? Perhaps not. The secrecy was so tight that most of the British codebreakers could not have known that their work was based on Polish success. And what of the three men who did so much to shorten World War II? Jerzy Rózycki was lost at sea Jan. 9, 1942, enroute from Algeria to France. Henryk Zygalski decided to remain in England after the War, where he died in 1978. Marian Rejewski returned to Poland, where he died in 1980 at the age of 74. To add injury to insult, at the Yalta Conference in February, 1945, the Communist Lublin Party in Poland was recognized, not the Polish Government in exile in London. These three men received little monetary compensation for their efforts, not much in the way of promotions, and only a few minor Polish decorations. They merited the highest accolades of all the Allied Nations. Perhaps their satisfaction came from a job well done. (Ref:1)" For all the Members of the Group interested by all the details of the history, I suggest you to read the followings: REF-1 : Codebreaking and Secret Weapons in World War II By Bill Momsen © 1996 - 1999 Copyright Nautical Brass (on The WEB). All rights reserved ; reproduction with his kind authorization. REF-3: Enigma and its Achilles Heel by Hugh Skillen ; I recommend you also read his excellent book: Spy of the Airwaves (story of the Y services during the last war) On the Web at :Secrets of War ; read the interview of Colonel Paul Paillole about Hans Thilo Schmidt. Feyssac Jacques *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Polish WW-II Clandestine Broadcast Station, Dennis, Recently an info was posted, that the Polish underground maintained a clandestine broadcasting station during WW II. It is a truth, the station was named "Blyskawica" (a lightning), and worked during the Warsaw uprising, which broke out on 1 August, 1944. Its main task was psy-war transmissions addressed to the West, since the Red Army was on the opposite side of Warsaw, behind Vistula River, and did not help, but waited for the complete destruction of Warsaw by the Germans. The only help came from the West, by air, including a hugh airdrop made by 107 US B-17s. They landed on the Soviet-occupied land, which caused an extreme Stalin's rage. I will research the matter, and I will post you a short article on this soon. -- Jan Bury e-mail: yahya@orient.uw.edu.pl ----------------------------------------------------------------- AM-7239 Help Needed, Dennis, If you could please put the following in the next post: I have a problem with a AM-7239C (Amplifier-Adapter, Vehicular for the VRC-87 through -92). One of the voltages necessary for the RF Amp (AM-7238) is not present. I need a -40 manaul which contains info necessary for maintenance of this item (probably TM-5820-890--40-1 and/or -2). Anyone able to help with this? 73 Joseph W Pinner + Kingston, TN KC5IJD / NNN0PHR EMail: kc5ijd@sprintmail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Enigma & Other Encryption Topics, The recent NOVA program about the Enigma reminded me of a couple of articles in the American Heritage "Invention and Technology" magizine. First, from the summer 1994 issue,an article about Mr.Edward Hebern and his work as inventer and manufacturer of an encryption machine.The article makes no mention of the Enigma, but it does mention the American ECM mk.I and III. Considerable detail is given to designing a cypher that is hard to break.Hebern's machine and the Enigma both used the dancing rotors to make the encryption,the resemblence between the two machines is increadable. From the spring 1997 issue comes an article about movie star Hedy Lamarr and her work on a frequency hopping control of submarine torpedoes.Her patent application showed the use of a player piano roll and tracker bar to control the frequency changes.The use of this un-military device in the patent application offended the military brass and hindered attention and acceptance of the concept. I would like to end with a humorous note,pun intended,that it would be interesting to hear one of her frequency hopping rolls on a player piano.We could name it the SINCGARS Polka!...... Bruce Gentry ----------------------------------------------------------------- Odd-Ball PRC-10, Got a PRC 10 in very good condition with the battery box. The 10 has a strange lite on top where the dial lite cap would normally be. It's a clear plastic dome 1" tall and 1" in dia.,and screws on the threading where the cap would normally go. Professionally made - not a hack job. Even has a rubber gasket under it.Inside is a NE 2 neon bulb. In the chassis a 510 K resistor is soldered to the +135 v. lug on the relay. The other end goes to a cap.which is grounded. The junction of the R and C has a wire going to one side of the neon bulb. The other side of the bulb goes to the arm of the squelch relay. When a signal is received, the relay drops out, and the arm contacts a ground. The bottom line is that whenever the squelch breaks, and the neon flashes on and off at about a 1 sec. rate. The R /C network makes a relaction oscillator. the only modification to the radio is the squelch relay arm normally goes to the on / off / etc. switch, then to ground. that wire was removed, and the arm goes directly to ground. I would assume this mod was "official" due to the excellent construction of the plastic lens. I'd guess it was used at nite, or where there was a lot of noise. Ever heard of it ? 73's, Dave Sundheimer W0NBZ ed) Indeed an interesting find. Such a device would be useful when standing by to receive a message as the audio output of a PRC-10 is such that it can't be heard unless you have it's handset at your ear. *********************************************** NEW MEMBER; Gary Persons OK, I agree to the conditions of this group. I am a 47 year old male who has had an interest in military radios for quite some time. I have only recently found sources where said radios could be purchased. I am currently rebuilding a Collins PRC 47 hf rig. I need help and the expertise of others who have ventured before me. I am an electronics tech with 25 years experience. At this point in time, I have very little to trade and want to purchase a lot! I am looking forward to being part of a group of like minded folks. Thanks for the invitation. Gary Persons KD5DAY *********************************************** HUMOR; The following are excerpts from the Hickbonics/English dictionary: HEIDI - (noun) -Greeting. HIRE YEW - Complete sentence. Remainder of greeting. Usage: "Heidi, hire yew?" BARD - (verb) - Past tense of the infinitive "to borrow." Usage: "My brother bard my pickup truck." JAWJUH - (noun) - The State north of Florida. Capitol is Lanner. Usage: "My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck." BAMMER - (noun) - The State west of Jawjuh. Capitol is Berminhayum. Usage: "A tornader jes went through Bammer an' left $20,000,000 in improvements." MUNTS - (noun) - A calendar division. Usage: "My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck, and I ain't herd from him in munts. THANK - (verb) - Ability to cognitively process. Usage: "Ah thank ah'll have a bare." BARE - (noun) - An alcoholic beverage made of barley, hops, and yeast. Usage: "Ah thank ah'll have a bare." IGNERT - (adjective) - Not smart. See "Arkansas native." Usage: "Them bammer boys sure are ignert!" RANCH - (noun) - A tool used for tight'nin' bolts. Usage: "I thank I left my ranch in the back of that pickup truck my brother from Jawjuh bard a few munts ago." ALL - (noun) - A petroleum-based lubricant. Usage: "I sure hope my brother from Jawjuh puts all in my pickup truck." FAR - (noun) - A conflagration. Usage: "If my brother from Jawjuh don't change the all in my pickup truck, that thing's gonna catch far." TAR - (noun) - A rubber wheel. Usage: "Gee, I hope that brother of mine from Jawjuh don't git a flat tar in my pickup truck." TIRE - (noun) - A tall monument. Usage: "Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I sure do hope to see that Eiffel Tire in Paris sometime." RETARD - (verb) - To stop working. Usage: "My grampaw retard at age 65." FAT - (noun), (verb) - a battle or combat; to engage in battle or combat. Usage: "You younguns keep fat'n, n' ah'm gonna whup y'uh." RATS - (noun) - Entitled power or privilege. Usage: "We Southerners are willin' to fat for are rats." FARN - (adjective) - Not domestic. Usage: "I cuddint unnerstand a wurd he sed...must be from some farn country" DID - (adjective) - Not alive. Usage: "He's did, Jim." EAR - (noun) - A colorless, odorless gas: Oxygen. Usage: "He can't breathe...give 'im some ear!" BOB WAR - (noun) - A sharp, twisted cable. Usage: "Boy, stay away from that bob war fence." JEW HERE - (noun) and (verb) contraction. Usage: "Jew here that my brother from Jawjuh got a job with that bob war fence cump'ny?" HAZE - a contraction. Usage: "Is Bubba smart?" "Nah...haze ignert. He ain't thanked in yars." SEED - (verb) - past tense of "to see". VIEW - contraction. (verb) and pronoun. Usage: "I ain't never seed New York City... view?" GUBMINT - (noun) - A bureaucratic institution. Usage: "Them gubmint boys shore is ignert. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A smal boy came into the living room where his father was watching a ball game on TV. The boy asked, "Daddy can I ask you a question?" The father said OK. The boy asked; What makes the light bulb come on?"Where upon the father said, "Hell son, I don't know, go ask your mother" A few minutes later the boy comes back in the room The boy asked, "Daddy can I ask you another question?" The father said OK. The boy asked; What makes the car start?"Where upon the father said, "Hell son, I don't know, go ask your mother" The boy leaves and a few minutes later the boy comes back in the room The boy asked, "Daddy can I ask you another question?" The father said OK. The boy asked; What how does the toaster work ?"Where upon the father said, "Hell son, I don't know, go ask your mother" Finally the boy comes in and asks: "Daddy does it bother you that I ask you all these questions?" Where upon the father says "hell no son, how else are you going to learn?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- The perfect man is gentle Never cruel or mean He has a beautiful smile And keeps his face so clean. The perfect man likes children And will raise them by your side He will be a good father As well as a good husband to his bride. The perfect man loves cooking Cleaning and vacuuming too He'll do anything in his power To convey his feelings of love on you. The perfect man is sweet Writing poetry from your name He's a best friend to your mother And kisses away your pain. He never has made you cry Or hurt you In any way Oh, fuck this stupid poem The perfect man is gay. ----------------------------------------------------------------- White House staffers were perplexed one morning to see Bill Clinton walk into the Oval Office with a pair of women's panties on his arm. Some what used to the President's tendencies, they let it go and went about their daily tasks. The day wore on and several VIPs were ushered in and out of the Oval Office for meetings with Clinton about important affairs of state. Each one left with a puzzled expression on to ask the President about this. Finally, Betty Currie, Clinton's loyal secretary, walked into the Office between appointments and gently closed the door behind her. "Mr.. President," she said, "We've come to expect many unusual things from you; but, we're concerned that you seem to be wearing a pair of panties on your arm. Please, tell me this doesn't mean more trouble." "Oh, no," the President grinned, "It's the Patch... I'm trying to quit." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Only in America do we have a general in charge of the post office and a secretary in charge of defense. Only in America...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance... Only in America...are there handicapped parking places in front of a skating rink... Only in America...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions. Only in America...do people order double cheeseburgers, a large fry, and a diet coke... Only in America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters... Only in America...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and leave useless junk in the garage... Only in America...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place... Only in America...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight... Only in America..do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well:"Poli" in Latin meaning"many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures"... Only in America do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering! ----------------------------------------------------------------- The following statements about the bible were written by children and have not been corrected for grammar or spelling. In the first book of the Bible, Guinness's, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had, trouble with the unsympathetic Genitals. Samson was a strongman who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah. Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten amendments. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption. St. John, the blacksmith, dumped water on his head. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance. The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. A Christian should have only one spouse. This is called monotony.*********************************************** The preceding was a product of the"Military Collector Group Post", an international email magazine dedicated to the preservation of history and the equipment that made it. Unlimited circulation of this material is authorized so long as the proper credits to the original authors, and publisher or this group are included. For more information concerning this group or membership contact Dennis Starks at, . A list of selected articles of interest to members can be seen at: http://www.softcom.net/users/buzz/backmail.html ***********************************************