COLD WAR: CIPHER MACHINE.

A Swiss model 45 NEMA cipher machine. Switzerland: Zellweger AG, c.1950.

A Swiss model 45 NEMA cipher machine. Switzerland: Zellweger AG, c.1950.
A Swiss Model 45 NEMA, Type T-D enciphering machine, serial number TD 505. The machine with ten wheels, four of which are coding wheels, one a reflector (right side red wheel, similar to the enigma construction), and the other 5 all driving wheels, mounted under hinged cover with letter-counter, lamp panel and standard keyboard layout, 4v electrical input and mains input to the right side. The inside of the lid, with coiled lamp cable and power cable, one spare lamp panel, 16 spare bulbs, 2 extra wheel cases and a contact cleaning brush. The military black metal case, lid with white stenciled numbers 505 and TD505 and special printed period label indicating its use in time of war, leather carrying handle, lock and key present. The interior of the case in perfect condition, the exterior of the case with a few scrapes. The carrying case 14 1/2 x 12 3/4 x 5 1/2in (365 x 325 x 140 mm);
Together with a NEMA instruction booklet in French and German, dated April 1947, stamped 705, marked secret.

A FINE AND RARE SWISS NEMA MACHINE, ALMOST MINT AND PREVIOUSLY IN SWISS MILITARY STORAGE, the counter reading just 87 key touches. The NEMA is an example of the new breed of ciphering machines which developed from the German Enigma wartime series. In this case it was developed by the Swiss, following the realization that their Enigma K series, sold to them by the Germans before the war was completely compromised by the codebreakers of most of Europe. In the 1941, a team of professors from Bern and other universities, began to develop this new machine, a prototype of which was completed in 1944, and the machine manufactured from spring 1945. The name NEMA derives from NEu MAschine, made by Zellweger AG in Uster. 640 machines (numbered 100-740) were built, the first was in active service by 1947, and many of the higher numbered machines (such as this one), have the special label pasted onto lid, and were put straight into military storage to be used in case of future war.

NEMA was declassified in July 1992, and examples were releasied to the market from 1994. The NEMA machines were distributed as follows, those numbered under 100 were for training use and are mostly worn out, those allocated to the diplomatic service of which apparently none of which have been released, and those put aside for the next World War in bunkers around Switzerland, all of which have the red label on the case. They were generally unused except for occasional testing, and appear on the market very occasionally.