Bombe

E1019465

The Bombe was an electromechanical device developed by Allied cryptanalysts during World War II to help decipher encrypted German messages, particularly those encoded by the Enigma machine.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf codebreaking machine ⓘ
electromechanical cryptanalytic device ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Turing–Welchman Bombe ⓘ
basedOn Polish Bomba kryptologiczna ⓘ
builtBy British Tabulating Machine Company ⓘ
National Cash Register Company ⓘ
linked to: NCR Corporation
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom ⓘ
decommissioned after World War II ⓘ
designedToAttack Enigma cipher ⓘ
linked to: Enigma machine
developedAt Bletchley Park ⓘ
developedBy Allied cryptanalysts ⓘ
developedFor Government Code and Cypher School ⓘ
field cryptanalysis ⓘ
firstOperational 1940 ⓘ
influencedBy Polish Cipher Bureau methods ⓘ
keyContributor Alan Turing ⓘ
Gordon Welchman ⓘ
Harold Keen ⓘ
Marian Rejewski ⓘ
locatedAt Bletchley Park Hut 11 ⓘ
Bletchley Park Hut 11A ⓘ
modernReconstructionLocation Bletchley Park museum ⓘ
mostOriginalMachinesStatus dismantled ⓘ
numberBuilt over 100 units (US Navy Bombes) ⓘ
over 200 units (British Bombes) ⓘ
operatedBy British Army personnel ⓘ
US Navy personnel ⓘ
linked to: U.S. Navy personnel

Women's Royal Naval Service ⓘ
primaryPurpose decipher German encrypted messages ⓘ
producedOutput candidate Enigma keys ⓘ
relatedTo Enigma machine ⓘ
requiredInput cribs (known plaintext guesses) ⓘ
significance accelerated decryption of German military communications ⓘ
considered an early step in computing history ⓘ
contributed to Allied intelligence advantage ⓘ
technologyType electromechanical relays ⓘ
plugboard wiring ⓘ
rotating drums ⓘ
usedAgainst German Air Force Enigma ⓘ
linked to: Army Enigma

German Army Enigma ⓘ
linked to: Army Enigma

German Navy Enigma ⓘ
linked to: German naval Enigma
usedBy Poland ⓘ
United Kingdom ⓘ
United States ⓘ
usedDuring World War II ⓘ
usedToDetermine Enigma daily key settings ⓘ
linked to: Enigma machine

Enigma plugboard connections ⓘ
Enigma rotor order ⓘ
Enigma rotor positions ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Hut 8 → usedTool → Bombe ⓘ
Hut 6 → usedMachine → Bombe ⓘ
German naval Enigma → decryptionAssistedBy → bombes (electromechanical codebreaking machines) ⓘ
linked to: Bombe
Banburismus → relatedTo → bombe ⓘ
linked to: Bombe