How Enigma made secret messages
How did this machine encrypt confidential wartime communications?
Words by Ailsa Harvey
The military version of the Enigma had a plugboard to increase security
© Getty
Communicating plans during World War II was no easy feat. How do you share a message between all your troops and allies at a time when your every move is being analysed by the enemy? How do you ensure that the messages will make it into the right hands? The answer for German forces came in the form of the Enigma machine, and while it was an enigma to the opposition, the system would eventually be cracked.