Re: M4 project

I notice that after their recent success, M4 are having another go at
the failed message.

There is of course the danger that it is an "offizier" message. I notice
that "offizier" as a crib fits the ciphertext in all but the first
position where the two 'z's crash.

Indeed "offiziergelb" is a valid crib in at least the second position.
Does anyone know how many colours of "offizier" messages were possible,
and whether there's any other identifying features of one? Did the word
'offizier' always start at a known offset from the start of the message
for instance?

I tried running a bombe simulator on the "offiziergelb" crib above and
got 78 drops just on thin rotor beta set at 'A'(*). Of course, many were
not very promising, the best drops only requiring 8 steckers and 5
self-steckers.


(*) I.e. normal M3 Kriegsmarine enigma, not M4. I don't have a
four-wheel bombe simulator. Yet.

-- 
Steve Hosgood <steve-0L79qhCdni9Wk0Htik3J/[email protected]>