Friday, March 12, 2010

January 16, 2010 – The ENIGMA


The News -

On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink announced that a joint program between the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will provide a new way for veterans to learn about benefits and services that may be available to them.

According to Alex Sink, the new Florida VetsConnect initiative will make it easier for Florida’s veterans to receive the benefits they may be entitled to through their brave service. This program, which begins in July, will be available anywhere driver’s permits and state identification cards are issued. To begin receiving the information, the veterans will simply have to mark a box on their driver’s license or identification card application or renewal.

TCPalm.com

Sick Call – Please remember Bob Bouscher in your prayers.

Pledge and Innovation


A Condensed of History of the Enigma

DeveloEnigmaMachineped by Germany after World War 1, the Enigma machine was a cipher machine that was used by the German military for secure wireless communications. There were several  types of Enigmas, each more complex than the next and increasingly more difficult to decode. Continuing efforts by the Germans to improve the Enigma made it more difficult to crack the code, causing periods of “darkness” during which the codes could not be broken. The longest dark period was for four years from 1937-1941.

The German Navy, using the most secure operating procedures, used the most advanced Enigma machine to communicate with their U-boats.

After WWI, Poland was the first country to realize that Germany was using machine encryption methods. Their efforts to reproduce the Enigma were unsuccessful, until a German traitor provided the needed documentation on the Enigma machine, and some Enigma keys. However, he did not provide the wiring diagrams for the rotors.

The Poles continued their efforts and ultimately came up with a working replica of the Enigma machine. It was a “hit or miss” proposition, however, because the Poles could only guess at the settings for the rotors. In 1939, with the threat of German invasion looming, the Poles shared their secrets with the French and the British. Both were surprised to see a replicated Enigma, and more surprised at a machine that could also break the Enigma settings.

In September of 1939, Alan Turing, a mathematician from Cambridge University, began to think of ways to more quickly decode the German Enigma messages. The Poles had searched by matching indicators. Turing began to think of a machine that would match assumed text, not indicators. Turing, together with Gordon Welchman, another mathematician, set to work: Turing on the cryptanalytic machine and Welchman on the plugboard. It took months to design and build the machine, but in August of 1940, the first machine, called the Bombe, arrived at Bletchley Park.

The German Air Force and the German Army were so sure in the security of the Enigma that they were lax in their communications security measures, making it easier for the British Bombe to find the message settings. The German Navy, however, added three rotors to their Enigma and used strict communication security measures. The Navy had eight rotors from which to select the three used in the Enigma each day and without knowing the wiring of the Navy’s additional rotors, the British could break very few German naval messages.

During this time, the British were heavily dependant on the U.S. supplies that crossed the Atlantic. Although the U.S. was neutral at this point, it sold materials and supplies to Britain and provibletchley_parkded escorts for their convoys. Using their most destructive weapons, the U-Boats, Germany planned to cut off the supply line to Britain and cripple them. While the people at  Bletchley Park were desperately searching for breaks into the German Naval Enigma messages, the U-boats were destroying Allied shipping convoys.

In February 1942, Germany changed the Enigma machines on their U-boats and instituted a new code referred to as the Shark. Bletchley Park had it’s work cut out for it. They had to redesign the Bombe and break the Shark. Until they did, the U-boats could successfully prowl the Atlantic.

During the months that followed, Britain was having little success in the redesign of their Bombe. Despite their assurances to the U.S., the U.S. began work on their own Bombe. The U.S. needed a four rotor Bombe and it was apparent that Britain would not be able to come up with one. In August 1942, the U.S. Navy concluded that their design showed significant progress and started their own Bombe program. In September, there was an official request for funding for the Bombe project.

Just as the U.S. Bombe project was set to begin at the NCR facility in Dayton, Ohio, Britain found a way into the four-rotor machine. On October 30, 1942, two men from the HMS Petard gave their lives retrieving an Enigma and documents from a captured U-boat, U-559. With the new found information, the British and U.S. would soon have a working Bombe.

Eventually, 200 sailors and 600 WAVES worked with the NCR civilians to build the Bombes.

Our Guest this month, Mrs.. Ronnie Hulick, WWII WAVE, Codebreaker

Ronnie Hulick has quite a story to tell and she tells it in an entertaining fashion. Ronnie was one of the 600 WAVES that were charged with building and running the U.S. Bombe. For more than 40 years, it is a story that she could tell to nobody. It was not until the mid 1970’s, when President Carter declassified many WWII documents, that the Bombe, and the people that worked on it, could have any recognition. The story that follows is told in the first person.

“I lived in Wilmington, Delaware, and I was 20 years old in January of 1943 when I decided that Hunter College Bronx NYI was going to join the Navy. I went to the Navy office and joined. I went home and waited. In March of 1943 I was called up. I knew at that time that I would be  sent to Hunter College in the Bronx, NY, and I was excited. I told everyone that I was going to New York City and that if they came to visit me, I would be too busy enjoying New York City! Little did I know.

I was sent to Hunter College for six weeks of boot training and we were not allowed to leave the grounds. We learned to march, and march, and march. We learned about ships. All classifications of ships. Funny things is, I never even saw one ship while I was in the Navy! And I only made it to New York City once, and that was during a visit from my mother.

After boot training, I was sent to Washington, D.C. There were no barracks built at that time and we were billeted in the Fairfax Hotel. Each morning I would take the bus up to the Annex where we were taking tests. One day, they sent me to the Teletype room. I had no idea how to run a Teletype machine. The CO instructed a sailor to “show her this machine.” I remember the sailor telling me that because the WAVES were there that the sailors would now be shipped out. I was feeling bad about that.

We were tested and I learned that they were looking for a contingent of 50 to go to Dayton, OH. A few days later, I went to Dayton.

In Dayton, wsugar campe lived at Sugar Camp and worked at NCR. Every morning we would march down to NCR. We had to show identification to get into thewaves marching from sugar camp building. We went to our table and we were given a graft and a rotor wheel. All summer long, I wired those wheels. They gave us a soldering iron and we would put the wires on the wheels following the graft. Our work was extremely secret and we never talked about it with any of the other girls. There were three eight-hour shifts every day. After about three months, you might get a Saturday and Sunday off, but you were still on duty. I thought that I must have failed all those tests they had given us in Washington, D.C. and that was why I was relegated to such a monotonous task.

But, Dayton was a great town and the people were friendly and nice.

One morning I came to work and on the railroad track beside our building were these huge things on these flatcars.I couldn’t tell what they were because they were covered in a gray shroud.  I went on duty and that’s when I learned that I was going back to Washington, D.C.

On returning to Washington, D.C., we were billeted in a new barracks. There must have been six barracks because 600 WAVES worked on the Bombe and each barracks housed 100 WAVES: 50 downstairs and 50 upstairs.

On the first day, we were taken to the Chapel. We were expecting a little prayer service, but instead, we were told that what we would be working on is Top Secret. ‘You will not discuss it, or talk about it with anyone.’ We couldn’t even talk to one another in the barracks. We were told that we would not receive special privileges because we were women! ‘If you talk about what goes on here, you will face a firing squad in the morning!’ I remember being a bit stunned by that statement, but it got my attention.

Security was much tighter in Washington. We had two things hanging around out necks. One had our name and a number and the other had a number and a letter. The letter indicated which building you were suppose to be in. You had to show these two cards to get onto the Annex property, to enter your building and to get into your room. You were not allowed to go into another room without being able to show that you needed to be there.

It was here that we were taught how to run the Bombes. We were given a chart to showBombe-1943 us how to set the switches and rotors on the bombe. We’d set 36 switches, and then we’d put on these rotor wheels and set them. When all 36 switches were set and the 36 wheels were set, we’d push a button. Then we’d sit there and wait until we had a “strike”.
When we would get a “strike” the machine would print out a piece of paper. And as soon as it stopped printing, you’d tear it off and that's when you’d run to the end of the room and knock on this door and the hand came out and took it away and you never saw it again. And you went back and they gave you another setup and you went through the process again. And we did that for eight-hour shifts.

The work was dull but the efficiency of the machine depended on the accuracy of the person who set it up. Only the most efficient women were chosen, or I like to say we were “the cream of the crop.”
I did that until the end of the war. That was in August. and I didn't get out until November, so we were going across the street on duty in different places but we weren't running the Bombes anymore. That sort of came to a screeching halt.

When I was mustering out, we had to take a physical. When that was all over they gave us our pay and our money to get home, and there was one last thing. I had to go in this room with a Naval Officer and put my hand on the Bible. That was the very last thing before you left the Navy. You walked in this room and he put the Bible out, and you put your hand on it and I had to repeat after him that I swore I would never tell of my activities during World War II. You knew the consequences. If you talk, you'll get shot. We went home and we never talked. Don't you think that's remarkable. That 600 women went home, got on with their lives, and never said a word.

When I left that day after taking the oath, they gave me a form and said present this form to future employers. And it said all that can be told of this woman's activities during World War II are in this, written on this one page herein, and don't ask her any more questions. It said I was with a group and I showed manual dexterity with the work that I did and that I performed it well and I was very well recommended. It impressed the first employers that read it.

So I was home in Wilmington for six months and I got a thing in the mail and it was a ribbon and a letter of commendation. It said, “Your Contribution”, but it didn't say what we did.  And then the last sentence said, "No publicity in receipt of this award.” So we're getting the award, but I couldn't tell anybody I got this award.

Since the declassification of the project, Ronnie has been contacted many times about her roll on the Bombe. The producers of the NOVA show The Codebreakers” interviewed and taped Ronnie for over 2-1/2 hours. She waited for months to see the show only to find out that all she got was three minutes!
Tom Brokaw also interviewed Ronnie for his second book of The Greatest Generation.

It has been said that because of the Bombe and the people that ran it, WWII was most likely shortened by one, probably two, years.

Ronnie now spends her time with family and friends. She has a karaoke machine which she takes to various Senior organizations and regales them with songs from the War years. Enjoy the following clip of Ronnie entertaining us.


How important was breaking the Enigma code?
reuben_james sinkingOn October 31, 1941, the USS Reuben James was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat,  U-552, off the coast of North Carolina while escorting a convoy. 44 sailors were rescued but 115 were lost. It was the first ship lost in WWII.

The U.S. took none of the precautions that were learned by the SS byron d benson off NC on 4 4 42British convoys. They continued to send merchant ships up and down the eastern coast without the benefit of a convoy or any other ships to come to the  rescue from U-boat attacks. From January to March in 1942, Germany sank 216 ships off the eastern coast of the U.S.

In 1942, German U-boats sank more the 1,660 ships in the Atlantic, approximately 32 ships per week. It is estimated that 1 in 5 seamen’s deaths were caused by U-boats.

It was vital to the Allied ships to be able to read the coded messages from the Enigma!

Thank you, Ronnie!

The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a branch of the United States Navy that defended U.S. and Allied merchant ships from attacks from enemy ships, airplanes and submarines. Mainly gunners, radio operators and signal operators, these men served on merchant tankers, troop carriers and other merchant ships. The Armed Guard was disband after the end of WWII. It has become the forgotten service, but the Armed Guard was critical to the outcome of WWII.

The Merchant Marine are non-military and during WWII, aware of the potential dangers, their ships carried supplies, troops and equipment throughout the world. The merchant mariners were civilian volunteers, but as the ships were bombed or torpedoed, their casualties were equivalent to any other branch of the service during WWII. In 1988, the WWII Merchant Marines were recognized as veterans, and were given veteran status.

In his book, The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw wrote, “It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. When they came back they rebuilt America into a superpower.

Business of the day -

Honor Flight – The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to honor our nation's veteran's for their service and sacrifice. The veterans are flown to Washington D.C. to visit their monuments and to reflect on their memories. Priority is given to senior veterans from WWII and those veterans that are terminally ill. If you would like more information about the Honor Flight Network, click here.

If you are a south Florida veteran and would like to submit an application for an Honor Flight originating in south Florida, please click here to download the application.

The Pointer - The U.S.N. Armed Guard World War II Veterans Association adopted The Pointer as the name of its publication. The name itself had its origin in the World War II Armed Guard. If you, or someone you know, is interested in viewing The Pointer, issues are available on this website from 2000 onward. There is no cost to receive The Pointer. It is supported solely by donations. If you are interested in donating to The Pointer, please click here.