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Latest news
This page contains the latest news regarding Crypto Museum. Whenever something important has happened, or when we've made significant changes to the website, we will issue a news bulletin. If you are on Twitter, you will receive a notification as and when new information becomes available. Click the Twitter-button at the top of this page to subscribe.
 
Telsy does it again!
2 May 2012

Two months ago we received three crypto devices as a generous gift from the Italian manufacturer Telsy. Last week the Turin-based company donated another two devices: a TDS-2004 (1981) and a modern Cryptophone 7000 (1990). Both are now on the website.

We should like to thank Telsy once more for their continuing support of Crypto Museum.

 About Telsy
  
Telsy TDS-2004

 
Breaking news: FS-5000 DSU uncovered!
18 April 2012

The FS-5000 (codename HARPOON) was the last spy radio system used by the stay-behind networks in Europe, commonly known as Gladio. It was used by NATO countries as well as non-NATO countries (e.g. Switzerland). The set was introduced around 1990, right before most countries were force to shut-down their 'Gladio' operation in 1991 and 1992.
 
In 2005 a small number of FS-5000 sets appeared on the surplus market. Unfortunately however, the so-called Digital Storage Unit (DSU) was missing. The DSU controls the other modules and contains a high-end cryptographic module, which is probably the main reason why they were destroyed at the time.

We are pleased to announce the fact that we now have a complete and functional FS-5000 spy set with the DSU. Take a look inside.

 More information
  
The DSU of the FS-5000 (SR 5000M)

 
Two Dutch teams in codebreakers finals
12 April 2012

In December of last year, the Polish province of Wielkopolska lauched a codebreaking challenge at the special website CODEBREAKERS.EU (see Break de Code, below). The event is organised by the Marshal Office of Wielkopolska and 128 teams from 23 countries have entered the contest.
 
We are pleased to announce that two Dutch teams have made it to the finals. They are invited to come to Poznan (Poland) next week and take it up against a team of Polish students.

One of the Dutch teams is a group of geocaching enthusiasts working at ASML in Veldhoven (NL). As Veldhoven is not too far from Eindhoven, the Dutch ASML-team visited Crypto Museum today. From left to right are John, Rien and Jan-Gerard sitting around a war-time German Army Enigma machine. The Enigma and its history played an important part during the crypto challenge.
  

Next week, John Besselink, Rien Bijl and Jan-Gerard van der Toorn will be the guest of the Marshal of Wielkopolska (President of the Region), mr. Marek Wozniak, and the head of The Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression, Minister Jan S. Ciechanowski. They will defend the honour of Noord Brabant, the Dutch provice that is twinned with Wielkopolska.
 
The other Dutch team is from the south-west part of the country and is shown in the image on the right (click for a closer look). They too are hard-core geocachers. The team consists of Gerrit van Woerkom (left), Hans Nelisse (top right) and Arjen Beenhakker (bottom right). They are from Oudemolen (NB), Dinteloord (NB) and Woudbrugge (ZH).

The final rounds of the game will take up two days and hopefully there will be some time left to do site-seeing in the Poznan area. There must be many interesting historical sites to visit there.

Crypto Museum wishes all teams the best of luck. Fingers crossed for the Dutch teams, of course. You may follow the progress on Facebook: www.facebook.com/codebreakerseu
  

 
New Telsy Equipment
4 March 2012

Last week we received three historical TELSY crypto devices as a gift from the manufacturer in Turin (Italy). The devices are now described in detail on this website. We wish to thank Telsy for their generous contribution.

 About Telsy
  
Using the acoustic coupler

 
Masterclass Turing
26 February 2012

Because of the importance of his work as a codebreaker, computer pioneer and openly gay man, 2012 has been proclaimed The Alan Turing Year. To celebrate the 100th birthday of this remarkable person, numerous events will be organized all over the world.
 
On Monday 16 April 2012, the Radboud University of Nijmegen (Netherlands) has organized a Masterclass Turing for pre-acedemic students. Crypto Museum will be present at this event with a range of historical Enigma machines.

Crypto Museum staff will be available on-site for hands-on demonstrations and a 1-hour talk about Enigma and code-breaking during WWII.

 More information
  

 
Museum Scryption closes down
5 December 2011

Due to financial cuts of the Tilburg city council, museum Scryption had to close its doors in January 2011. Most of the staff was dismissed and the entire collection was stored elsewhere.
 
During the course of 2011, the two remaining staff members managed to produce a series of successful ad-hoc events, such as the recent 2-day crypto exhibition at GOVCERT 2011 that was organized in cooperation with Crypto Museum.

Furthermore, plans emerged to move the entire museum to a new location in Eindhoven. This was met with great enthusiasm by the Eindhoven city council, and plans were made to move to a temporary location in the so-called Klokgebouw (Clock Building) at Strijp S, right at the creative heart of technology city Eindhoven.
  

Last month however, the Eindhoven city council unexpectedly decided not to make the necessary funds available. As a result, the Scryption society board has now decided to dismiss the two remaining staff members and sell the entire collection. Crypto Museum thinks this is a great loss, not just for Eindhoven, but for the entire country as well. Scryption was a unique hand-on museum and was one of the few technology museums left in this country. We would like to thank Scryption for their great support and cooperation. It was a pleasure working with you.
 
Break the Code
30 November 2011

Follow in the footsteps of the famous war-time Polish codebreakers by joining the online cryptology game at CODEBREAKERS.EU. The game is organized by the Marshal Office of Wielkopolska in Poland and the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Anyone who is 16 years or older is invited to enter. The winners will be invited to challenge a team of Polish codebreakers in spring 2012. All costs will be covered. The game will be started on 10 December 2011 and you can register your team now.

Wielkopolska is the Polish province where three young mathematicians of the Poznan University, Marian Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski and and Jerzy Rozycki, first broke the Enigma codes just before the outbreak of WWII. As part of the current Polish Presidency of the EU, the Government of the Wielkopolska Region is trying to bring the Polish contributions to the breaking of the Enigma codes to our attention. Earlier this year, they organized the exhibition Enigma, deciphered victory in the General Maczek Museum in Breda (Netherlands).

 More about the game
 Go to the website CODEBREAKERS.EU
 
In memoriam: Oskar Stürzinger (1920-2011)
12 September 2011

And yet another iconic persion is no longer with us. Today we received the sad news that on 23 July 2011, Oskar Sturzinger, Boris Hagelin's first employee in Switzerland, died at the age of 91.
 
We first met Oskar during the presentation of Dominik Landwehr's book Mythos Enigma on 8 November 2008 in Basel (Switzerland). Although he was already in his late 80s at the time, he travelled all the way from his home in Monte Carlo to Basel and collected some historical Hagelin machines on the way down.

During the day, he demonstrated the small mechanical marvels of technology and explained the circumstances under which they were conceived. He even insisted on giving a brief talk about the history of Hagelin.
  

When Boris Hagelin moved his company Crypto AG from Sweden to Switzerland in 1952, Oskar Sturzinger was his first employee. Over the years, many Hagelin patents were registered in his name. When Hagelin made the move from mechanics to electronics in the mid-1970s, it was Oskar who took part in the design of the first generation of electronic cipher machines. His good friend Dominik Landwehr has written an In Memoriam about him on his weblog (in German).

 In Memoriam Oskar Sturzinger, by Dominik Landwehr
 Oskar Sturzinger at a book presentation in 2008
 History of Hagelin Cryptos (15MB download)
 Hagelin cipher machines on this website
 
In Memoriam: Tony Sale (1931-2011)
31 August 2011

Today we received the sad new that on 29 August 2011, Tony Sale, head of the Colossus Rebuild Team, died at the age of 80. Tony, who worked for MI5 during his professional life, spend most of his time with computers. In 1991, when Bletchley Park was under threat of being demolished, he formed a team to fight for the survival of this historical place. This was the start of the Bletchley Park Trust. When Bletchley Park opened as a museum in 1993, Tony was its first curator.
 
When Tony learned about the fact that the first electronic computer - Colossus - was developed and built at Bletchley Park, he took upon him the enormous task to create a working replica of it.

He started the project in 1991, initially funded by himself and his wife Margaret. Helped by a team of volunteers and even by some of the original engineers, the Colossus Replica broke its first Lorenz messages in 2007.

© Photograph copyright South Bed News,
The Telegraph, 31 August 2011.
  
Photograph copyright South Bed News, click here for a full story

Although Tony was already 80 years of age, he was by no means old and had many plans for the future. He worked on Colossus nearly every day and was never too tired to give a full explanation of its inner secrets. During our many visits to Bletchley Park, we met Tony seveal times and it was always a pleasure to talk with him. His contributions to the Bletchley Park Museum and to the history of computing will be his living memory. Our thoughts are with his wife Margaret (herself a volunteer at BP) and his children and grand-children.

 Tony Sale obituary on the TNMOC site
 Some great pictures of Tony Sale
 Tony Sale's website Code and Ciphers
 
Enigma, the Polish victory
21 June 2011

A brand new exibition about the Polish contribution to breaking the Enigma codes, will be open between 3 July 2011 and 15 September 2011. This exhibition, that has been running in Poland and at Bletchley Park in the past, is now the guest of the Maczek Museum in Breda (Netherlands). Crypto Museum has helped setting up this exhibition by supplying some rare cipher machines.

 More information
 
Crypto Museum now on YouTube
26 March 2011

Following our move to Twitter earlier this month, we are pleased to announce that we've now opened our own YouTube channel as well. Over the years we've collected some quite nice video material that we can now share with you. Right now, only a few video clips are available.
 
We've already added a few video clips to some of our pages, and we will post new material as and when it becomes available. Click the YouTube button at the top of each page to enter our YouTube channel. The first video clip to be made available is a short impression of the exhibition Secret Messages, recorded in 2008 in Museum Jan Corver.

 Crypto Museum on YouTube
  

 
KESO key for Hagelin HC-570
25 March 2011

In December of last year, we acquired a very nice and rare Hagelin HC-570 cipher machine. Unfortunately, the primary KESO key was missing, so the machine could neither be operated nor opened. Luckyly, key expert Barry Wels came to the rescue once again.
 
Barry helped us before in 2009, with the creation of a working key for our Enigma M4, without removing or damaging the lock. Today, Barry visited Crypto Museum again and made us a matching KESO key, using a technique called impressioning. Watch the video.

As a result we can now start work on bringing the machine back to life.

 More information
  
Close-up of the impressioned KESO key

 
Wooden cases for Enigma-E
12 March 2011

Some time ago, a couple of Enigma-E users produced oak wooden boxes in small quantities. Interested Enigma-E users were able to order these boxes via e-mail. Unfortunately, the source of these wooden boxes seem to have dried up now. There is good news however.
 
We are pleased to announce that we are now able to supply our own pre-built oak wooden cases for the Enigma-E. The cases are all of excellent quality, including hinges, but no locks.

They are available from the usual outlets: Museum Jan Corver (Netherlands) and the Bletchley Park Museum shop (UK). Both ship world-wide. For pricing, please refer to the respective websites.

 More information
  

 
Crypto Museum now on Twitter
1 March 2011

As many people use social media these days, Crypto Museum has opened its own Twitter account. If you want to know which new items have been added to our website, or in which exhibition our stuff can be viewed, follow us on twitter. Alternatively, you may click the blue twitter icon at the top of each page.
 
Enigma-E in stock again at BP
10 June 2010

After a period of inavailability of the Enigma-E kit at Bletchley Park we are pleased to announce that new stock is now available. Both the Enigma-E and the UhrBox-E can be ordered from the BP shop.

 Order an Enigma-E from BP
 Full description of the Enigma-E kit
  
Enigma-E website moved to Crypto Museum website
2 February 2010

Today, the well-known Enigma-E website has been moved here completely. It is now fully integrated with the Crypto Museum website. The website has been given an new layout and the text and photographs have been updated. Furthermore, many new links to additional information have been added.

 More information
  
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