WWII

Very Rare WWII Enigma Cipher Machine For Sale At Rau Antiques

Filed under: Gadgets

While it was built before, and used during World War II, the US never mentioned the Enigma Machine details until the 1990s when it was declassified - though it is not American at all. The little unassuming box that looks like a typewriter is the subject of legend, and was a large factor in the US (and Allies) winning the war. It is unclear how things would have turned out if our greatest minds were unable to unlock the secrets of the Enigma Machine.

Built and designed by the Germans, the Enigma Machine came in a few varieties and where code creating and deciphering machines. Originally commercial units since 1926, they are quite possibly the most complex non-computerized code machines ever made (though they are a mixture of mechanical and electronic parts). The Germans used them to send coded messages during the war, relying on the machine's ability to have over a billion combinations. No one was ever able to break the code just by seeing it. Breaking the code involved secretly capturing working Enigma Machines, but that was only half the battle. Merely having the box wasn't enough. You needed to have some manner of pattern or other code, the helped you decipher the code you were trying to decipher in the first place - at least this is my understanding of it. The link to the Wikipedia page above has lots (and lots) more information. So being able to decrypt a code that required other codes was very tough.

Tags: cipher, Enigma machine, German, rau, sale, world war II, WWII

$12,000 Pilot's Watch Made from Fighter Plane Parts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Wings

British luxury watch brand Bremont's new pilot's watch, the EP120, is made with parts of a famous RAF 1942 Spitfire Mk V fighter plane which shot down six enemy aircraft on a single day during WWII. Original pieces of the Spitfire, which has been featured in films such as The Battle of Britain, salvaged during restoration, are incorporated into the EP120's dial and movement. The limited edition timepiece, which has already been spotted on the wrists of Bremont fans like Orlando Bloom and Ewan McGregor, costs about $12,600 and will be available in September.

[via Men.Style]

Tags: Bremont, Bremont EP120, BremontEp120, Britain, Ewan McGregor, EwanMcgregor, Fighter planes, FighterPlanes, Orlando Bloom, OrlandoBloom, RAF, Spitfire, WWII

F.D.R.'s Clock Could Sell For $1 Million

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions

A Pierre Cartier clock that belonged to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is scheduled to go up for auction on December 4th at Sotheby's in Manhattan. Cartier gave the onyx clock with several different time zones (specific to key Allied forces locations in World War II) to the President back in 1943. Letters between Cartier and President Roosevelt regarding the gift are not part of the sale but can be viewed in the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York.

The clock comes with a red leather presentation box inscribed with "F.D.R" and is expected to sell for as much as $1 million dollars.

Source

Tags: auction, cartier, clock, F.D.R., FDR, france, french, pierre cartier, PierreCartier, president, roosevelt, sotheby's, sothebys, World War II, WorldWarIi, WWII

Spy Auction Includes Prunes

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Spink, the London-based auction house, has a few rather unusual items up for sale in one of the lots in its April 27th auction. The lot is described as "a unique and secret collection of material produced by the Free French in London during the Second World War" and includes many different pieces of spy memorabilia and counterfeiting equipment, including prisoner of war money, a faux Nazi stamp and propaganda booklets. The most unusual item in the lot is a pair of prunes that were to be used to smuggle secret messages and maps in to prisoners of war to aid in their escape. The prunes were pitted and stuffed with sealed notes before being dried and shipped out. These particular prunes, however, were souvenirs of the spy who owned them and were not actually used to carry messages. The lot is estimated to sell for £800-£1200.