JustEngineers Blog

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) have given the Bombe Enigma code breaking machine an award for its role in saving thousands of lives by cracking German messages.

And this occasion - which celebrates the role that mechanical engineering played during the war - was watched by veterans who know just how important this piece of machinery was.

Engineering experts at the British Tabulator Machine Company in Letchworth built all of the 210 original machines but they were destroyed after World War II. But, and you may be pleased to discover this, a blueprint was found in the 1970s and 13 years later a rebuild team set underway to bring the Enigma back to its former glory.

You may already know - especially if you watched the film Enigma starring Kate Winslet - that women led the Enigma battle at home while the men fought on the frontline. The electro-mechanical devices were more superior to the German’s engineering attempts, IMechE reports, a sentiment you may be proud to uphold in your engineering career.

The Enigma was showcased at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes.

Simon Greenish, chief executive officer of the Bletchley Park Trust, comments: "By raising awareness of projects like the Bombe we are highlighting how important the park is and remembering just how we are indebted to the brilliant minds of the men and women who worked here."

IMechE recently questioned whether Britain has the nuclear engineering talent to bridge the energy gap the country faces.

Written by Victoria Leyfield.

Filed under: Mechanical Engineering