The Begleitbuch of M1290 [Schlüssel ‘M’: Nr. M1290]
The following pages are from the Begleitbuch of an early three-wheel naval Enigma or Schlüssel M2*. The contents page shows clearly that this machine began life with seven wheels and that Wheel VIII was added to its inventory on 11 November 1940. The whereabouts of M1290 are today unknown but we know that in 1938 it was in service on board the Kriegsmarine's pocket battleship Admiral Scheer [Page 7].
*Machines in the Schlüssel M series were
numbered thus:
M1: 501-1111
M2: 1112-1821
M3: 1822-2801
M4: 2802-????
It should be noted that M4 was so named because it was the fourth machine in the Schlüssel
M series and not because it had four wheels - a common misconception..!
All images courtesy Peter Croome
updated 05 February 2011