DOCSLIB.ORG

The Round Tablette Founding Editor: James W

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

The Round Tablette Founding Editor: James W. Gerber, MD (1951–2009) 9 February 2012 location, fuel status, etc. in every message. 25:07 Volume 20 Number 7 Given the volume of the messages, the RN Published by WW II History Round Table presumed they contained information Edited by Dr. Joe Fitzharris helpful to the Allied cause. The British www.mn-ww2roundtable.org project, based at Bletchley Park, utilized Thursday, 9 February 2012 highly skilled engineers, physicists, mathematicians, and statisticians, and Welcome to the February meeting of developed calculating machines, called the Harold C. Deutsch World War II “bombes,” for this work. These were highly History Round Table. Tonight, our topic specialized devices for code-breaking, and is the importance of code-breaking for the like most early “computers,” were tailored development of computers, particularly the to specific tasks. Success meant knowing computer industry in Minnesota. Pioneer where U-boats were – convoys could be re- members of the electronic computer industry routed around wolfpacks and anti- join our speaker, Colin Burke, to discuss submarine destroyers and destroyer escorts their roles in this industry. could be vectored to attack the wolfpack to the great happiness of Allied mariners. Before World War II began, the Army and Navy were both trying to break Japanese The British had produced several bombes, diplomatic, military, and naval codes. In each more sophisticated, but at ever Europe, the Poles had obtained copy of a increasing cost in resources. Americans, German ENIGMA machine and were trying peripherally involved in this effort prior to to solve its mysteries. They passed both US entry into the 1939-1945 European machine and a copy of their work to British War, now became junior partners in Intelligence shortly before Poland fell to the developing new bombes. We were also Nazis. In both efforts, frequency analysis - considered neophytes at code-breaking. often of enormous amounts of data - was a Among the leading Americans were primary tool. Mechanical tools were used to Vannevar Bush of Yale University - a assist in analyzing the data. Tonight’s subject father of “big science,” and Rear Admiral comes out of the Navy’s ENIGMA-breaking Stanford Hooper, an expert in radio efforts. communications and a father of Radio Corporation of America (RCA). These two Even before World War II, libraries were men were the “kingpins” of the American suffering from too much information. effort to build bombes and break codes. Government collected too much data to process. A large number of people, Several different agencies were established universities, and businesses were attempting to build ever bigger, faster, more capable to find solutions to these inter-related calculating machines, and to repeatedly try problems. At the same time, other people cracking the codes. In 1942, when the were trying to develop machines, building Kriegsmarine added a fourth operating off Hollerith’s punch cards and sorting rotor to the ENIGMA machine, all previous machine, to store, retrieve, and manipulate effort became so much waste paper. The these growing streams of data. With the war, Navy established a cryptanalytic machine the need for machines, for manipulation of group (OP-20-G) in the Naval Computing large data files, and the ability to repeat Machine Laboratory to create a new analyses frequently and rapidly - in a time- “bombe” to break this new code series. sensitive way, became critical. The Navy Lead by Joseph Desch, they were located in needed an analog flight situation simulator to Building 26 on the Dayton, Ohio campus of speed up training pilots, which include the National Cash Register Company. The computational machine development. “Desch Bombe” proved to be the physical platform needed for the task. The Royal Navy was particularly interested because the German U-boat fleet used In 1943,the Navy began to put together the ENIGMA encoded messages to communicate aviation assets (German submarines ran with Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz, providing surfaced when possible to save batteries, WWII History Round Table on DVD!!!Programs $10 + tax & shipping Order online at: www.barros.us/online-store.cfmor contact Rob at (763) 639-3399 The Round Tablette 9 February 2012 — 2 and were easily spotted from the air without Announcements: knowing it) based on “jeep” or escort carriers Twin Cities Civil War Round Table - (CVEs) built on Liberty ship hulls, with Feb. 21, 2012 Lincoln’s law Practice destroyer escorts as a submarine hunter-killer www.tccwrt.com - 612-724-3849 task force. One such Task Group, 22.3, built St Croix Valley Civil War Round Table - Feb. 27, 2012 Ramsey’s Words of War - Steve around the USS Guadalcanal, CVE-60, and Anderson - 715-386-1268 commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, Rochester WWII History Round Table – Feb. USN, captured the U-505 intact, and with it, 13, 2012 Escaping Ambush in Korea, 507-280- its code books. 9970; www.ww2roundtable-rochester.org Minnesota Military Museum, Camp Ripley, Another Navy group, the Communications 15000 Hwy 115, Little Falls, MN 56345, 320- Supplementary Activity–Washington, was 616-6050, http://www.mnmilitarymuseum.org/ devoted to the code-breaking and located Air Show - Eden Prairie - July, 14-15, 2012; German submarines by intercepting their http://www.airexpo-mn.org/ - 952-746-6100 high speed transmissions and locating their Honor Flight - Jerry Kyser - origin points. CSAW needed devices suited crazyjerry45@hotmail - 651-338-2717 to their tasks, similar to bombes, but different CAF - Commemorative Air Force - in critical aspects. www.cafmn.org or Bill at 952-201-8400 Minnesota Air Guard Museum - When the war ended, the Navy wanted to www.mnangmuseum.org 612-713-2523 keep these people available and working. Friends of Ft. Snelling, www.fortsnelling.com Many of the men did not want to stay in TUSKEGEE AIRMAN Mjr. Joseph Gomer – service, but liked the work. The compromise Galaxie Library in Apple Valley, MN - 11 AM Sat. 25 Feb. www.dakotacounty.us/library was the creation Eckert-Mauchly Computer Co., and Engineering Research Associates of Round Table Schedule 2011-2012 St. Paul in 1946. Among the founders of 2012 ERA, were Commander Howard Engstrom Mar 8 OPERATION PLUM 27th BG and Lieutenant Commander William C. Mar 22 Japan’s Mistake: Starting the War Norris of CSAW, Captain Ralph Meader of Apr 12 Jedburgs-Jumping Behind Enemy Lines NCML, and John Parker, head of the May10 Battle of Leyte Gulf Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation, which built gliders. Under the NAC name, If you are a veteran or know a veteran of one ERA gained the necessary experience and of these campaigns –, contact Don Patton [email protected] “credibility” as a contractor to acquire Naval contracts that were the mainstay of their This is our 25th Year! work. ERA people went on to found a large number of computer development and software firms, including the unknown and some very familiar to Minnesotans: Control Data Corporation, UNIVAC, UNISYS, Sperry, and Cray. Further Reading: Jim DeBrosse and Colin Burke, The Secret in Building 26: the Untold story of America’s Ultra Robert Price, r, and the ERA 1103 computer, War Against the U-Boat Enigma Codes (New http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/acc York, NY: Random House, 2004). ession/102665140 Colin Burke, Information and Secrecy: Vannevar Bush, Ultra, and the Other Memex (Metuchen, NJ, The Scarecrow Press, 1994, out of print). Arthur L. Norberg, Computers and Commerce: A Study of Technology and Management at Eckert- Mauchly Computer Company, Engineering Research Associates, and Remington Rand, 1946- 1957 (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005). Sperry Corp. Engineering Research Associates: ERA employees and magnetic drums produced The Wellspring of Minnesota’s Computer by ERA, http://www.computerhistory.org/ Industry (St. Paul, MN: Sperry Corp., 1986). revolution/memory-storage/8/252/950 If you liked tonight’s program, view our prior programs Breaking Japanese Codes in Apr. 2007 or ENIGMA and Signals Intelligence in Oct. 2007. You may order these tonight for delivery next month by seeing Rob at the desk, or online at: www.barros.us/online-store.cfm or contact Rob at (763) 639-3399 .
Recommended publications
  • Bibliography

    Bibliography

    Bibliography This bibliography on the origins of digital computers covers the period from the first mechanical aids to digital calculation until the first practical stored pro­ gram electronic computer was put into operation in 1949. Particular attention is paid to the period following BABBAGE. and to papers shedding light on the extent to which the various pioneers were influenced by each other. All the items listed have been inspected (sometimes rather cursorily) in their original or reprinted form by the editor. The bibliography is listed in alphabetical order by author. anonymous papers and reports being listed last. In order to facilitate use of the index. the name of the author is followed by the year of publication in parentheses. Second and further papers by an author appearing in a given year are differentiated by following the year by b. c. ... Although the index is fairly detailed. readers are warned to check the more general works on a given sub­ ject. as well as those explicitly indexed under a particular index entry. A. ADAM (1973). Von Himmlischen Uhrwerk zur Statistischen Fabrik, Verlag O. Munk, Vienna (1973). A Wide-ranging survey, starting with early astronomical instruments, ending with the use in Austria of early Hollerith equipment. Contains extensive dis­ cussions of Schickard's calculating machine. automated draw-looms, includ­ ing the little-known "Broselmachine" (1680-1690). and of Schaffler's developments of Hollerith's machines. R. R. ADLER (1958), "Mr. Babbage's Calculating Engine," Machine Design 30 (3). pp.125-129 (13 Nov. 1958). Brief but well-illustrated account of the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine.
  • Landmark Designation Report

    Landmark Designation Report

    CITY OF HOUSTON Archaeological & Historical Commission Planning and Development Department LANDMARK DESIGNATION REPORT LANDMARK NAME: National Cash Register Company AGENDA ITEM: Ic OWNERS: Deborah Keyser and James Stafford HPO FILE NO.: 06L129 APPLICANTS: same as owner DATE ACCEPTED: 07-15-06 LOCATION: 515 Caroline Avenue - Downtown HAHC HEARING DATE:08-24-06 30-DAY HEARING NOTICE: 07/20/06 PC HEARING DATE: 08-31-06 SITE INFORMATION Tracts 7A and 8, Block 3, SSBB, Houston, Harris County, Texas. The site includes a two-story, concrete block, stucco clad commercial building. TYPE OF APPROVAL REQUESTED: Landmark Designation HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE SUMMARY The building for the National Cash Register Company at 515 Caroline Avenue was built in 1929 for the very innovative and growing cash register company. NCR was founded by John Henry Patterson, who was an astute and capable business man, who guided NCR to become the most successful cash register manufacturing and sales company in the United States. He not only created a successful company, but he also created enlightened working conditions for his employees that were advanced for the times. The NCR building at 515 Caroline was dedicated on April 8, 1929, which was the 59th anniversary of the invention of the cash register. The building, which housed one of their many showrooms, was designed by famed architect, Joseph Finger of Houston. The building is a “finely detailed example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, not often seen in Houston.” Because of its small scale, its affinity is more with the domestic architecture of northern Italy. HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE John Henry Patterson, who established the National Cash Register Company, “was born on December 13, 1844, near Dayton, Ohio.
  • Scanned Document

    Scanned Document

    Cryptologia, 38:152-177, 2014 C'\ Taylor & Francis Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ~ Taylor &Francis Group ISSN: 0161-1194 print DOl: 10.1080/01611194.2013.797050 The National Cash Register Company Additive Recovery Machine CHRIS CHRISTENSEN Abstract During World War II, The National Cash Register Company built an additive recovery machine for the U.S. Navy. The machine was designed to attack the Imperial Japanese Navy cipher JN-25, which was a superenciphered code. This article describes how that machine, called "Fruit" by the British, implemen­ ted three methods of additive recovery: the known-word method, the difference method, and Knepperizing. Keywords additive recovery, differencing machine, JN-25, National Cash Register Company, Naval Computing Machine Laboratory, OP-20-G, subtractor machine 1. Alan Turing's Visit to National Cash Register During the winter of 1942-1943, Alan Turing visited the United States as a liaison to American codebreakers [10]. Turing visited the Naval Computing Machine Laboratory (NCML) at the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio to examine progress on the U.S. Navy cryptologic bombe. While at the NCML (December 1942), Turing saw a subtractor machine. In his report to Bletchley Park, Turing noted the following: Subtractor macWne At Dayton we also saw a machine for aiding one in the recovery of subtractor groups when messages have been set in depth. It enables one to set up all the cipher groups in a column of material, and to add subtractor groups to them all simultaneously. By having the digits coloured white red or blue according to the remainders they leave on division by 3 it is possible to check quickly whether the resulting book groups have digits adding up to a multiple of 3 as they should with the cipher to which they apply it most.
  • Military Roots

    Military Roots

    CHAPTER THREE Military Roots WHEN historians examine the origins of the electronic digital computer, they usually give top billing to the pioneering efforts of the American scientists J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly, who built their Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) during World War II. Eckert and Mauchly are justly and widely honored as the men whose efforts and risks led to the first machines recognizable as modern computers. They also founded the first private computer systems company. But historians now also recognize a lesser known history of the computer, one whose roots run deep into the most sensitive and secret corners of a modern military establishment. It was no accident that the military services largely financed the postwar development of the computer in the 1950s, for computing technology had played a pivotal role in the Allied war effort. The military indirectly bankrolled even the Eckert and Mauchly computer projects, and these relatively open projects were only the tip of a much larger, and sometimes hidden, technological iceberg. The military computer projects, as well as Eckert and Mauchly's daring bet on an as-yet nonexistent commercial market, led to the first stirrings of interest in computers in the 1950s by business and industry. Indeed the first commercial computers were direct copies or adaptations of machines developed for military users. After the war, the commercial potential of government-sponsored research became more apparent. The first great political clashes over technology policy in the United States occurred. Origins of the Computer By the time war broke out in 1939, engineering and science had already made important advances in several seemingly unrelated areas .
  • Historic Context by Nathalie Wright

    Historic Context by Nathalie Wright

    Historic Context by Nathalie Wright The Ohio Modern Dayton survey covers the period 1940‐1970, throughout the Dayton metropolitan area. Although the survey project focuses on the mid‐20th century, a brief summary of Dayton’s earlier history gives a fuller understanding of its development. In addition, some complex thematic areas, such as industry, military, and transportation, are so embedded in Dayton’s history that it is very difficult to begin this discussion at 1940. These three thematic areas are intertwined, and spurred the massive residential construction that took place in the metropolitan area. As Dayton is an industrial and aeronautical city, thousands of people flooded the area to work at the factories or Army Air Force installations beginning in the late 1930s. After World War II, many workers remained in the area, continuing the housing construction boom and resulting influx of new schools, churches, offices, and commercial buildings. Early History and Thematic Development: Dayton and Environs, 1800‐1900 Montgomery County was formed in 1803, with Dayton the original county seat. Dayton was incorporated as a town in 1805. Centered on present day Main and Monument Streets, the town grew from an established 1796 settlement. The 1820s brought two significant transportation improvements to Dayton: the National Road and the Miami Canal. Disappointed that the National Road, the United States’ first federally funded highway, would not pass through the town, Dayton’s enterprising leadership built an alternate route. The alternate route was so well marked that many travelers made the 10 mile journey south into Dayton not realizing they had left the actual National Road.