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Hagelin CD-57 (Hell STG-61)
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Portable mechanical cipher machine
The CD-57 is a small beautifully crafted mechanical cipher machine
that is crypto compatible with the Hagelin C-52
series. It is based on the design of the earlier CD-55 and
is a truely portable hand-held device that easily fits
the pocket of, say, a coat. The CD-57 was very popular with the
French Secret Service during the Cold War.
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The CD-57 was introduced around 1957 and remained in service until the
mid-1970s. In some countries it was used even longer.
it was produced in a military version (green) and
a civil version, that was painted grey hammerite,
although the latter was also used by the Austrian Army
(see below).
The image on the right shows the standard military (green)
version of the CD-57 complete with the original instruction booklet.
The CD-57 was also built under licence by the German manufacturer
Hell (see below).
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This CD-57 is painted in grey/green hammerite, which suggests it was
a civil device. It was, however, used by the Austrian Army.
Judging from the scratches on the body, the machine has been
used extensively. Nevertheless the interiour is in beautiful condition,
which means it has been maintained well.
The large circular scratch on the machine's front was caused by the small
crank that is usually stored inside the lid.
More images below.
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Civil version of the CD-57
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This beautiful example of the civil version of the CD-57
comes from Hagelin's own internal museum.
We spotted it during the presentation of the book
Mythos Enigma by Dominik Landwehr in Basel (Switserland)
on 8 November 2008.
The machine was demonstrated by Hagelin's oldest (now retired)
employee Oskar Sturzinger, who allowed us to take a few nice pictures.
Despite his high age, Oskar frequently gives talks about the history
of Hagelin.
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The CD-57 was also built under licence by the German manufacturer
HELL, who designated the machine STG-61.
Although the STG-61 pricipally is a straight copy of the CD-57,
the Germans managed to squeeze in a few modifications and improvements.
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The most obvious improvement is the presence of a thumbwheel to
the left of the character counter, as shown in the picture on the right.
The thumbwheel allows the counter to be reset easily without using
the crank.
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