Tunny @ TNMOC
Colossus @ TNMOC
A Virtual Talk by Dr Ted Coles
In this talk, Dr Ted Coles will tell the story of the super-secure cipher machine that was developed by Nazi Germany during WWII, used for sending long telegrams between German High Command and the Generals at the Army group HQs in occupied Europe and North Africa. This machine and its traffic were codenamed “Tunny” and “Fish”.
Without ever having seen the machine, the Bletchley Park cryptanalysts managed to diagnose how it worked and to develop a way of deciphering some 63 million characters of intercepted messages. How this was done, and the equipment developed – “Heath Robinson” and “Colossus” together with “Tunny” that emulated the Lorenz SZ-42 (whose name was unknown until later) – will be described in an illustrated talk to be followed by a short question and answer session.
About the Speaker:
Dr Ted Coles, a researcher and TNMOC Guide, was interested in Physics and Electronics at school and went on to enjoy a career spanning Computing and Medicine. A qualified doctor, he served on the scientific staff of the Medical Research Council as part of the clinical academic team at the Welsh National School of Medicine – which later joined Cardiff University – as both a Director of Computing and a public health physician. This has given Ted a unique perspective on the power of computers to democratise knowledge and has shaped his work as a Museum Guide.
It was an early fascination with Colossus and Bletchley Park that drew Ted to become a TNMOC Guide. Colossus was the world’s first digital computer, designed and built to help break the WWII encryption codes of the German military’s Lorenz cipher machine. Ted strives to use his experience and interests to bring the story of Computing and Cryptography - and their importance - to all audiences, regardless of background.
