Colossus, a computer developed by the British during World War II to crack encrypted German messages, has been rebuilt and is back cracking codes at Bletchley Park for the first time in over 60 years.

The machine, renowned as the world’s first programmable digital computer, has been restored after years of painstaking work, and has been put up against modern PCs in a code breaking challenge.

You may think that this is an unfair contest, but the machines are actually well matched, with Colossus being built purely for code breaking, and being the size of a house, able to compete against a modern computer.

The Colossus was first put together at the start of 1944, and the Mark II, the machine once again operating at the Brit’s code breaking base Bletchley Park, suceeded the first incarnation in June the same year.

The machine was mainly used for deciphering German transmissions, and its ability to reveal details of the Nazis battle plans within hours, is credited with shortening the war by months.

According to The Register:

“The rebuilt Colossus Mark II is being put to work deciphering a teleprinter message transmitted by radio from Paderborn in Germany, after it was first encrypted by one of the original Lorenz cipher machines used by the German High Command during World War II.”

“The Paderborn transmissions are being intercepted at Bletchley Park by two groups of amateur codebreakers, one using modern equipment and PCs and the other using World War II technology. Other amateur code breakers were also invited to join the challenge to intercept the transmission and to try to beat Colossus in cracking the 1938 Lorenz SZ42 encrypted message.”

This is the first time the Colossus has been operated since prime minister Winston Churchill ordered its destruction at the end of the war in 1945.

If you want to know more about The National Museum of Computing’s Cipher Challenge, visit the official website explaining it in full detail.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 10:59 pm under Technology.

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