Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge

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Christmas Tree & Wine Glass Challenge

ATCC MAP

The following documents were found among Alan Turing's personal effects. Your task is to decipher the three coded messages, each providing a clue to the location of the buried silver. Once you know the clues, use them to determine the square on the map in which the silver is hidden.

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Which grid reference is the buried silver located?

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Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge

ATCC Answer Part 3

This code is encrypted by an enigma machine with settings as given in the clue. The Grundstellung

(initial position of the rotors) is AMT (Turing's initials ) Alan Mathison Turing and the missing Steckerverbindungen pair is SN. You can use one of the many freely available enigma machine emulator to decode the message.

Enigma Machine Emulator Settings

Enigma Machine Type: M3

Reflector Setting (Umkehrwalze): B

Rotor Order (Walzenlage): III I II

Ring Setting (Ringstellung): S B E

Rotor Start Setting (Grundstellung): A M T

Plugboard Setting (Steckerbrett): LD ER FA SN

Select Block of text

Message to Decode:

RPVZL YNCQO RVUSY UZUBC KNIBK DWZRP FZVLA

Copy & Paste the code above into the Navy M3/M4 Enigma Machine Emulator block of text window, then click Encipher/Decipher Text

Decoded Message:

THES ILVE RISS OUTH EAST FROM MYLO DGIN GSX

The silver is southeast from my lodgings x

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Location of the Treasure

Taking the intersection of two straight lines running due west from Staple Hall and due southeast from Turing's lodgings (The Crown Inn) reveals that the treasure is located in Square C3.

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Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge

ATCC Part 1

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Message

FY VKQC KJ SNM JTWTD MJGOFT FTENGJM TS HDMSENDMY LTQC GR LQKOQMRRGJO VMDD HUS G TF EKJEMQKMI THKUS SNM VTQ KWMQTDD GA NGSDMQ IKMR GJWTIM SNMJ G TF EMQSTGJ RSMQDGJO VGDD EKDDTLRM G NTWM EKJWMQSMI FY RTWGJOR GJSK RGDWMQ HTQR TJI HUQGMI SNMF JMTQHY CJKVGJO FY IQMTIAUD FMFKQY G VGDD AKQOMS VNMQM UJDMRR G DMTWM FYRMDA QMFGJIMQR NMQM GR SNM AGQRS KA SNQMM EDUMR SK GSR DKETSGKJ SNM RGDWMQ GR HUQGMI RKFMVNMQM SK SNM VMRS KA RSTLDM NTDD

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Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge Part 2

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Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge Part 3

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Walzenlage: III I II

Umkehrwalze: B

Ringstellung: S B E

Steckerverbindungen: LD ER FA SN

Grundstellung: ? ? ?

Message to Decode:

RPVZL YNCQO RVUSY UZUBC KNIBK DWZRP FZVLA

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Alan Turing Cryptography Challenge

ATCC Answer Part 1

This is a straightforward substitution cipher, each letter in the message is replaced by a different letter in the alphabet. Although the letters have been changed, the spacing between words has not been altered. For sufficiently long messages, these codes can be cracked using frequency analysis and you can also use short words to identify key letters such as A and I.

Message to Decode:

Copy & Paste the code above into the quipqiup

cryptogram solver, select statistics then click Solve.

Decoded Message:

My work on the naval Enigma Machine at Bletchley Park is progressing well, but I am concerned about the war overall. If Hitler does invade then I am certain sterling will collapse, I have converted my savings into silver bars and buried them nearby, knowing my dreadful memory I will forget where unless I leave myself reminders. Here is the first of three clues to its location, the silver is buried somewhere to the west of Staple Hall.

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ATCC Answer Part 2

This is also a substitution cipher, but it is more difficult to crack because the spaces between words have been removed. In addition, there are more symbols than letters and, in fact, different symbols are being used to encode the same letters; specifically the letters, E, I, A and T. Using multiple symbols to represent commonly occurring letters makes standard frequency analysis more difficult. However, you can look at repeated patterns of symbols to identify letter combinations. You can also make good use of any knowledge about the code's contents. For example, knowing that Turing worked in Hut 8 is a good starting point in this code.

All the symbols can be used in mathematical logic, a main area of Turing's research. Indeed, the different symbols used to represent the letters E, I, A and T all have essentially the same meaning.

Sorry, no online decoder for this one!

Decoded Message:

My landlady at the Crown Inn does not know about my work whenever I help out in the bar, she lets drop that I should be doing more for the war effort. If only I could tell her that Hut 8 is about to break the Naval Enigma SIC Transit Gloria. Second clue to find the silver follows it is hidden East of Stanley Road, part of my regular cycle route to work. Note to self final code encrypted by a KRIEGSMARINE M3 Machine using my initials.

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