Sample Enigma Messages

These are sample real world enigma messages from WW2. Using manual and computing resources to break a message might take hours or even days. And resources did not allow breaking of all messages. You can see the difficulty of understanding messages even when the code was properly broken. Abbreviations, different message conventions and normal language translation difficulties all conspired together. In example 1, spaces are just dropped rather than replaced by X as was generally the case. In example 2, for the most part they are replaced with X. Numbers words might be abbreviated ex. seq instead of sechs for six, or inf rgt for infantry regiment. In example 1, is neustadt "new city" or the town of "neustadt"? In example 2, there seems to be a convention to repeat place names. And the closing signature of K stood for division commander.

Messages and the enigma settings were obtained here

You can cut and paste these original messages and use the documented rotor, ring, plugboard, etc settings to decode the messages yourself.

Sample from 1930 Enigma manual

Enigma I machine:

Rotors: II I III
Ring Positions: 24 13 22
Reflector: UKWA
Plug Pairs: AM FI NV PS TU WZ
Rotor Positions: A B L

Encoded message:

GCDSEAHUGWTQGRKVLFGXUCALXVYMIGMMNMFDXTGNVHVRMMEVOUYFZSLRHDRRXFJWCFHUHMUNZEFRDISIKBGPMYVXUZ

Decoded message, in German, spaces were deleted in the original message.

FEINDLIQEINFANTERIEKOLONNEBEOBAQTETXANFANGSUEDAUSGANGBAERWALDEXENDEDREIKMOSTWAERTSNEUSTADT

Without the X between words, breaking the message into separate words took more effort.

FEIND LIQEINFANTERIE KOLONNE BEOBAQTETX ANFANG SUEDAUSGANG BAER WALD EXENDE DREI KM OSTWAERTS NEUSTADT

Translating the message from German to English via Google Translate.

Enemy light infantry column observation beginning south exit Baer Forest extend three KM eastwards Neustadt

Original message from Operation Barbarossa, 1941 (Invasion of Soviet Union).

Broken up into 2 messages with the same rotors and rings, but different inital rotor positions:
Enigma I / M3 machine

Rotors: II IV V
Ring Positions: 2 21 12
Reflector: UKWB
Plug Pairs: AV BS CG DL FU HZ IN KM OW RX

Message 1:
Rotor positions: B L A

EDPUDNRGYSZRCXNUYTPOMRMBOFKTBZREZKMLXLVEFGUEYSIOZVEQMIKUBPMMYLKLTTDEISMDICAGYKUACTCDOMOHWXMUUIAUBSTSLRNBZSZWNRFXWFYSSXJZVIJHIDISHPRKLKAYUPADTXQSPINQMATLPIFSVKDASCTACDPBOPVHJK

Message 2:
Rotor positions: L S D
SFBWDNJUSEGQOBHKRTAREEZMWKPPRBXOHDROEQGBBGTQVPGVKBVVGBIMHUSZYDAJQIROAXSSSNREHYGGRPISEZBOVMQIEMMZCYSGQDGRERVBILEKXYQIRGIRQNRDNVRXCYYTNJR

Message 1 and 2 decoded:

AUFKLXABTEILUNGXVONXKURTINOWAXKURTINOWAXNORDWESTLXSEBEZXSEBEZXUAFFLIEGERSTRASZERIQTUNGXDUBROWKIXDUBROWKIXOPOTSCHKAXOPOTSCHKAXUMXEINSAQTDREINULLXUHRANGETRETENXANGRIFFXINFXRGTX
DREIGEHTLANGSAMABERSIQERVORWAERTSXEINSSIEBENNULLSEQSXUHRXROEMXEINSXINFRGTXDREIXAUFFLIEGERSTRASZEMITANFANGXEINSSEQSXKMXKMXOSTWXKAMENECXK

Message 1 ands 2, broken into words.

AUFKL ABTEILUNG VON KURTINOWA KURTINOWA NORDWESTL SEBEZ SEBEZ UAFFLIEGERSTRASZERIQTUNG DUBROWKI DUBROWKI OPOTSCHKA OPOTSCHKA UM EINSAQT DREI NULL UHRANGETRETEN ANGRIFF INF RGT 
DREI GEHTLANGSAM ABER SIQERVORWAERTS EINS SIEBEN NULL SEQS  UHR ROEM EINS INFRGT DREI AUFFLIEGER STRASZ EMITANFANG EINS SEQS KM KM OSTW KAMENEC K

Translated message:

Reconnaissance unit from KURTINOWA north-west of SEBEZ
on the flight corridor in direction DUBROWKI, OPOTSCHKA.
Started to move at 18:30. Attack. Infantry Regiment 

3 goes slowly but surely forwards. Time: 17:06. I Infantry Regiment 3 on the flight corridor starting 16 km
east-west of KAMENEC.
Division Commander.

Last Message from the Battlecruiser Scharnhorst

This message was intercepted by the HMS Duke of York during a naval battle with the German Battlecruiser Scharnhorst on Dec 26, 1943. This was the last transmission from the ship before she sank. The message was recorded, but not broken at the time. It was not until 2008 that a team was able to break the transmission with a modern Bombe simulator. This is another good example of how just having the correct rotors, ring settings, plug board, etc, does not provide a quickly digestable message without also having situational and subject matter knowledge. See this page for details of the decryption effort. M4 Project, Scharnhorst messge
Enigma Kriegsmarine M3 machine

Rotors: III VI VIII
Rotor Positions: U Z V
Ring Positions: 1 8 13
Reflector: UKWB
Plug Pairs: AN EZ HK IJ LR MQ OT PV SW UX

Encoded message:
YKAENZAPMSCHZBFOCUVMRMDPYCOFHADZIZMEFXTHFLOLPZLFGGBOTGOXGRETDWTJIQHLMXVJWKZUASTR

Decoded message:
STEUEREJTANAFJORDJANSTANDORTQUAAACCCVIERNEUNNEUNZWOFAHRTZWONULSMXXSCHARNHORSTHCO

Broken into words:
STEUERE J TANAFJORD J AN STANDORT QU AAA CCC VIER NEUN NEUN ZWO FAHRT ZWO NUL SM XX SCHARNHORST HCO

Written out with abbreviations replaced:

Steuere Tanafjord an. Standort Au. AC 4992, 
Fahrt 20 sm (Seemeilen). 
Scharnhorst

And translated to English:

Am steering for Tanafjord. Position is Square AC 4992, 
Speed 20 knots.
Scharnhorst

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Last Modified: Feb 2025