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Hagelin Pin-wheel C-37 → ← C-35
Pin-and-lug cipher machine
The C-36 is one of the first mechanical
pin-and-lug cipher machines
developed around 1939 by the Swede
Boris Hagelin
and sold by his company AB Cryptoteknik
in Stockholm (Sweden). It is larger than its
predecessor, the C-35.
There are versions with movable and fixed lugs.
The C-36 would eventually evolve into the
C-38 and the
M-209 — the US Army workhorse during
WWII.
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Like the C-35
it has five pin-wheels, but the distribution of the lugs is
slightly different. The respective wheels have 17, 19, 21, 23
and 25 pins,
that can be configured by the user,
giving a maximum cipher period of 3,900,225 [1].
The initial version of this machine has fixed lugs on the bars,
but there were also versions with movable bars, such as the
one shown in the image on the right, with serial number 8-122.
It demonstrates that the machine was constantly being improved
at the time and that different versions were supplied to different
customers.
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A later version of the C-36, designated C-362,
was an improved version of the machine.
The machine contained a number of changes, but the most imported
difference was the fact that the lugs had been made movable,
like in the later C-38/M-209, making it more secure.
This brings the C-362 closer to the M-209, whilst the C-36
is closer to the design of the earlier C-35.
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The diagram below provides a quick overview of the features of the C-36.
The device is shown here with its cover open and with the hinged case lid
also open. At the front right are the six pinwheels that normally protrude
the case lid. At the rear is the drum, which has either fixed or
movable lugs, depending on the version. At the front left is the A-Z letter
selector/printer.
According to the number tag on the cover, the machine shown here is a C-36.
However, it has movable lugs, which would normally be a feature of the C-362.
This device was used by the French Army, during the Algerian War
from 1954 to 1962 [5]. After the war it ended up in the office of the French
military attaché in Gabon, who gave it as a present to a civil servant
in 1967.
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As with all Hagelin cipher machines, the C-36 was available in a number of
different versions and variants, sometimes customised for a particular client.
This C-36 shown above, is significantly different from the one below, and
both machines are different from the one on Wikipedia [1].
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- Green case (military) or red exterior with black interior (Navy)
- Standard (Yale-type) lock or cross-type lock.
- Lever or knob operated
- Fixed or movable lugs
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The image below shows the interior of a C-36A that was donated to
Crypto Museum in February 2009 [2]. It had been supplied by
Koopman & Co
in Amsterdam, the official Hagelin reseller in the Netherlands,
and used by the Dutch Navy in the 1930s.
The machine shown here is incomplete.
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A number of parts are missing from this machine, and it is likely that
it was used as a 'parts donor' for the repair of other machines.
Nevertheless, the cage, the pin-wheels
and the rest of the mechanics are in good condition, making it a worthwhile
restoration project.
We are currently looking for the following parts:
- Gearbox between crank and main cage axle, plus its cover.
- Counter with cogwheel.
- Inner lock with key.
- Bottom part of the outer lock.
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This photograph shows the right hand side of the C-36.
As you can see, the crank is present but the mechanics
to move the drum are missing. These have probably been
removed by a former owner in an attempt to repair the unit.
The most important parts that we need at the moment are the crank gear
(on the right) and the counter with its cog-wheel.
If you have any spare parts for this machine, please contact us.
Your help is much appreciated.
It would be nice to bring this beautiful machine back to life one day.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Wednesday 05 August 2009. Last changed: Sunday, 24 April 2022 - 19:32 CET.
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