Full instructions on how to use Virtual Typex, including how to decipher an Enigma message can be found on this page: How to use Virtual Typex. If you just want to quickly try deciphering a message, follow these instructions...
Quick Start
- To get the best experience, we recommend switching on the real Typex sound effects.
Click on the blue speaker icon button in the top left of the screen.
- Set Typex to Encipher mode, even though we're actually deciphering this message!
Click on the Decipher/Cipher lever to the left of the document. This means our Typex machine will not try to print the numbers or punctuation which Enigma cannot do.
- Quick-set the day key for this message.
Click the blue "Set Day Key" button. (This will automatically select the correct rotors and wiring)
- For an Enigma message, the start position to actually decipher the message is itself sent in code, so we first need to decipher this. The coded start position is shown at the end of the line of text just above the groups of five letters. The full line reads "1920 = 1TLE = 1TL = 160 = WZA OAO =" but we're interested in the last six characters WZA OAO.
- To quickly get Virtual Typex to decipher the correct settings, simply click the blue "Set Start" button, then jump to instruction 9. If you'd rather do this manually, continue below.
- The rotors should be set to the letters shown in the first three characters of this message WZA, set each rotor by clicking the up/down arrows over each of the first three rotors from the left. The last two rotors are dummy ones to make Typex compatible with Enigma and do not need to be set.
- Type in the second three letters of the enciphered start OAO which will type a new set of three letters on the right-hand printer. If you are having trouble seeing the tape being printed, try dragging the blue view slider at the top-middle of the screen to the left to remove the top cover or alternatively, use the paper feed knob to the mid-right of the right-hand printer to feed out the message until you can see it.
- You now should have the correct start position to set the first three left-hand rotors to decipher the real message. HINT: You should have got the three letters SDV
- Start typing the letters of the document (either on your keyboard or on the virtual one on-screen) starting with the second group, FDZCJ. The first group of five letters for an Enigma message is not part of the message itself but was sent to show the German recipient which key was being used! Try to type relatively slowly and with a steady rhythm.
- All being well, you should see German text start to be typed on the right-hand printer, the X character was generally used as a space character on Enigma messages. It should start AN PANZ GRUPPE VIER, which translates to English as To Tank Group 4.
- Once completed, click on the message tape on the right to have it pasted onto a document ready to send on to the recipient.
- Drag and drop the stamp just above the keyboard onto the document to show it's been typed, the drag the document to the out-tray on the far right. Congratulations if all went well!