How to compile an M3 Enigmagram Field-by-Field

 

HEADER, first row.   This row was not used by the Wehrmacht,  but is needed today to identify the stations and particularly the Key Page date, which was already known to WW2 stations from the distributed code books.

SERIAL  defines the sending station's serial number system, separately from regular unencrypted traffic.
PREC    (in the usual format)  defines precedence, though unikely to be anything other than R for Routine.
HX         (in the usual format) instucts receiving station how the message should be handled
STATION OF ORIGIN   call sign
PLACE OF ORIGIN   (in the usual format)
KEY DATE   DD-MMM-YYYY  defines one row in the Daily Key code pages
TO    call sign

HEADER, second row.  Unique to the M3

TIME   four digits in 24-hour format specific to the key date in the first row.
# MSG PARTS   defines messages to be sent dealing with one subject  e.g.  3TLE = three in total
THIS PART #     defines this message's position in the sequence,  e.g.  2TLE =  two of three messages
# TEXT CHARACTERS   total letter count of the message text.  e.g. count 5-letter groups and multiply by five.
ROTOR START    three random letters, the first trigram which is visible through the rotor windows.
ENCR MSG KEY   three letters, the thrid trigram, the result of encrypting the first trigram with a second trigram
MESSAGE          up to forty  5-letter groups,  200 characters.
FROM    call sign of the sending station.
OPNOTE    provides URL pointing to the decryption resource
MANAGEMENT FIELDS   (in the usual local time/date format) used for record keeping

 

 

 

How to compile an M4 Enigmagram Field-by-Field

 

HEADER, first row.   This row was not used by the Kriegsmarine,  but is needed today to identify the stations.

SERIAL  defines the sending station's serial number system, separately from regular unencrypted traffic.
PREC    (in the usual format)  defines precedence, though unikely to be anything other than R for Routine.
HX         (in the usual format) instucts receiving station how the message should be handled
STATION OF ORIGIN   call sign.
PLACE OF ORIGIN   (in the usual format)
MONTH/YEAR    local date data
TO    call sign

HEADER, second row.  Unique to the M4
TIME       four digits in 24-hour format UTC
DAY #     defines which day of the month to use for inner and outer ring settings, etc.
MSG # / #     defines this message number relative to the total number of messages on the same subject
# GROUPS    total number of four letter groups
MESSAGE    up to ffifty 4-letter groups,  200 characters.
FROM      call sign of the sending station.
OPNOTE    provides URL pointing to the decryption resource
MANAGEMENT FIELDS   (in the usual local time/date format) used for record keeping