OVERVIEW

The article on the Enigma and Bombe (NCVA Cryptolog Fall 1984) brought back many memories of the time I spent on the program. When I saw the pictures of the equipment, I could hardly believe my eyes. I never believed that pictures of this complex or of the equipment would ever be made. I worked on the equipment from August or September of 1943 until the end of the war with Japan.

My previous assignment had been on a Radio Finger Print (RFP) project under CPOs Detterick and Bill Pick, and I worked at some little RCA radio station taken over by the Navy near Washington, D. C. My change in assignment came about a month after I had married my childhood sweetheart and we moved into a brand new apartment in Congress Heights, a suburb of Washington, not too far from Bellevue. My initial orders were for TDY to Dayton, Ohio, to work at the National Cash Register Company (NCR) for about six weeks. My wife and I sublet our apartment and went to Dayton on a second honeymoon, and I worked at NCR from about 0800 until 2200 or 2300 at night.

The 'Bombe' equipment was being manufactured at the National Cash Register Company. There were already quite a number of Navy personnel there, and the final checkout, assembly and testing was underway when I arrived. Design, fabrication and piece-part assembly was practically finished, and the machines were being made ready.

Upon reporting...