Degarbling the Dönitz Message P1030681


By Dan Girard

The first decipherment of the Dönitz Message was quite garbled for about the last 58 letters, and there were also several other minor garbles here and there throughout the message. Michael asked me to see if I could work these out.

The first transcription of the ciphertext, and the resulting decryption (with questionable or missing letters in red):

LANOTCTOUARBBFPMHPHGCZXTDYGAHGUFXGEWKBLKGJWLQXXTGPJJAVTOCKZFSLPPGIHZFXOBBWIIEKFZLCLOAQJULJOYFSSMBBGWHZAMVOIIPCRBRTDJQDJJOQCHXPDNBBFYVXLYTAPGVERTXSONPNYNQFUDBBHHVWEPYEYDOHNLXKZDNWRHDUWUJUMPWVIIWZBIVI.KDRHYMNCYEFUAPNHOTKHKGDNPSAKNUAGHJZSMJBMHVTREQEDGXHLZWIFUSKDQVELNMIMITHBSBBWVSDFYHJOQIFORTDJDBWXEMEAYXGYQXOHFDMUWXXNOJAZRHGRPLWMLRCLALLRTRTTVLBFYOORZLGOWUNUXFAACQEKRHSJW

KRKRALLEXXFOLGENDESISTSOFORTBEKANNTZUGEBENXXICHHABEFOLGELNBEBEFERLERHALNENXXJANSTERLEDESBISHZRIGXNREICHWMARSCWALLSJGOERINGVVEAZTDEBFUEHRERSIEYZVRRGRZSSADMIRALYALSSEINENNACHFOLGEREINXSCHRINTLSCHEPOLL.DCHTUNTERWEGSXABSOFORTSOLLENSIESAEMTLICHEMASSNAHMENVERFUEGENYDIESICHAUSDWPGEGLNWAERTIGLNLAGEERGEBENXGEZXREICHSLRSTEIKKTULWEEKJBORMRGJYEYDBXDXMMZDURNOFKSTXOSMRMUJOYESZNAR

Much of the problem stemmed from the fact that there are two copies of the Dönitz Message ciphertext: one on a normal cipher form or “Schlüsselzettel” (Message Number P1030681), and the other on plain paper (Message Number P1030714). Transcribing the ciphertext of this message had been particularly difficult, as there are some differences between the two versions, and some of the letters are hard to read. Also, the Schlüsselzettel copy becomes very disarranged after the first 40 groups, so that it’s hard to follow which of the four-letter groups written on the page actually constitute the ciphertext

In order to work out the garbles, it was necessary to re-check the transcriptions of the Schlüsselzettel and the plain-paper copy, correcting any letters that had been misread. (Some of the handwritten letter-forms can be easily confused with others, for example U with N, Q with G, H with F, etc.) While doing this, I found that the first transcription had an entire four-letter group, “HMHY”, missing near the end. This group had been left blank on the plain-paper copy, but was present on the Schlüsselzettel. After making what corrections I could to each transcription, I re-deciphered both and compared the two decipherments.

Re-checked transcription of the Schlüsselzettel copy, and the resulting plaintext:

LANOTCTOUARBBFPMHPHGCZXTDYGAHGUFXGEWKBLKGJWLQXXTGPJJAVTOCKZFSLPPQIHZFXOEBWIIEKFZLCLOAQJULJOYFSSMBBGWHZANVOIIPCRBRTDJQDJJOQCHXPDNBBTYVXLYTAPGVEATXSONPNYNQFUDBBHHVWEPYEYDOHNLXKZDNWRHDUWUJUOWWVIIWZXIVIUQDRHYMNCYEFUAPNHOTKHKGDNPSAKNUAGHJZSMJBMHVTREQEDGXHLZWIFUSKDQVELNMIMITHBHDBWVHDFYHJOQIHORTDJDBWVEMEAYXGYQXOHFDMYUXXNOJAZRSGHPLWOLRECWWUTLRTTVLBHYOORGLGOWUXNXHMHYFAACQEKTHSJW

KRKRALLEXXFOLGENDESISTSOFORTBEKANNTZUGEBENXXICHHABEFOLGELNBEBEFEHLERHALTENXXJANSTERLEDESBISHZRIGXNREICHSMARSCWALLSJGOERINGVVEAZTDERFUEHRERSIEYHVRRGRZSSADMIRALYALSSEINENNACHFOLGEREINXSCHRRFTLSCHEVOLLMACHTUNTERWEGSXABSOFORTSOLLENSIESAEMTLICHEMASSNAHMENVERFUEGENYDIESICHAUSDERGEGENWAERTIGENLAGEERGPBENXGEZXREICHSLEITEIKKTULPEKKJBMRMANNJXXOBXDXMMMDURNHFKSTXKOMXADMXUUUBOOIEXKP

Re-checked transcription of the plain-paper copy, and the resulting plaintext:

LANOTCTOUARBBFPMHPHGCZXTDYGAHGUFXGEWKBLKGJWLQXXTGPJJAVTOYJFGSLPPQIHZFXOEBWIIEKB.LCLOAQJULJOYHSSMBBGWHZANVOIIPYRBRTDJQDJJOQKCXWDNBBTYVXLYTAPGVERTXSONPNYNQFUDBBHHVWEPYEYDOHNLXKZDNWRHDUWUJUMPWVIIWZBIVI.KDRHYMNCYEFUAPNHOTKHKGDNPSAKNUAGHJZSMJBMHVTREQEDGXHLZWIFUSKDQVELNMIMITHBSBBWVSDFYHJOQIHORTDJDBWXEMEAYXGYQXOH.DMYUXXNOJAZRHGRPLWMLRCL.CLRTRTTVLBHYOORZLGOWUNNX....FAACQEKRHSJW

KRKRALLEXXFOLGENDESISTSOFORTBEKANNTZUGEBENXXICHHABEFOLGENDENBEFEHLERHALTENXXJAS.TERLEDESBISHERIGXNREICHSMARSCHALLSJGOERINGJSETZTDERFUEHRERSIEYZVRRGRZSSADMIRALYALSSEINENNACHFOLGEREINXSCHRINTLSCHEPOLL.DCHTUNTERWEGSXABSOFORTSOLLENSIESAEMTLICHEMASSNAHMENVERFUEGENYDIESICHAUSDWPGEGLNWAERTIGENLAGEERGEBENXGEZXREIC.SLEITEIKKTULWEEKJBORMRG.XEYDBXDXMMMDURNOFKSTXOOM....XUUUBOOWEXKP

Comparing the two plaintexts gives a good idea of what the “correct” plaintext would be, and enciphering this gives a theoretical “correct” ciphertext:

KR KR ALLE XX FOLGENDES IST SOFORT BEKANNTZUGEBEN XX ICH HABE FOLGENDEN BEFEHL ERHALTEN XX J ANSTELLE DES BISHERIGEN REICHSMARSCHALLS J GOERING J SETZT DER FUEHRER SIE Y HERR GROSSADMIRAL Y ALS SEINEN NACHFOLGER EIN X SCHRIFTLSCHE VOLLMACHT UNTERWEGS X AB SOFORT SOLLEN SIE SAEMTLICHE MASSNAHMEN VERFUEGEN Y DIE SICH AUS DER GEGENWAERTIGEN LAGE ERGEBEN X GEZ X REICHSLEITER KK TULPE KK J BORMANN J XX OB X D X MMM DURCH FKST X KOM X ADM X UUU BOOTE X KP

KRKRALLEXXFOLGENDESISTSOFORTBEKANNTZUGEBENXXICHHABEFOLGENDENBEFEHLERHALTENXXJANSTELLEDESBISHERIGENREICHSMARSCHALLSJGOERINGJSETZTDERFUEHRERSIEYHERRGROSSADMIRALYALSSEINENNACHFOLGEREINXSCHRIFTLSCHEVOLLMACHTUNTERWEGSXABSOFORTSOLLENSIESAEMTLICHEMASSNAHMENVERFUEGENYDIESICHAUSDERGEGENWAERTIGENLAGEERGEBENXGEZXREICHSLEITERKKTULPEKKJBORMANNJXXOBXDXMMMDURCHFKSTXKOMXADMXUUUBOOTEXKP

LANOTCTOUARBBFPMHPHGCZXTDYGAHGUFXGEWKBLKGJWLQXXTGPJJAVTOYJFGSLPPQIHZFXOEBWIIEKFZLCROAQJULJOYHSSMMBGWHZANVOIIPYRBRTDJQDJJOQKCXWDNBBTYVXLYTAPGVEAUXSONGNYNQFUDBBHHVWEPYEYDOHNLXKZDNWRHDUWUJUMWWVIIWZXIVIUQDRHYMNCYEFUAPNHOTKHKGDNPSAKNUAGHJZSMJBMHVTREQEDGXHLZWIFUSKDQVELNMIMITHBHDBWVHDFYHJOQIHORTDJDBWXEMEAYXGYQXOHFDMYUXXBOJAZRSGHPLWMLRECWWUTLRTTVLBHYOOLGLGOWUXNXHMHYFAACQEKIHSJW

For each letter in the final proof of the ciphertext, I accepted the “correct” letter if it matched the corresponding letter in either of the re-proofed ciphertext transcriptions; if it matched neither, then I accepted the letter from the Schlüsselzettel transcription. The final proofed ciphertext, and the resulting plaintext (with the remaining incorrect letters in red):

LANOTCTOUARBBFPMHPHGCZXTDYGAHGUFXGEWKBLKGJWLQXXTGPJJAVTOYJFGSLPPQIHZFXOEBWIIEKFZLCLOAQJULJOYHSSMBBGWHZANVOIIPYRBRTDJQDJJOQKCXWDNBBTYVXLYTAPGVEATXSONPNYNQFUDBBHHVWEPYEYDOHNLXKZDNWRHDUWUJUMWWVIIWZXIVIUQDRHYMNCYEFUAPNHOTKHKGDNPSAKNUAGHJZSMJBMHVTREQEDGXHLZWIFUSKDQVELNMIMITHBHDBWVHDFYHJOQIHORTDJDBWXEMEAYXGYQXOHFDMYUXXNOJAZRSGHPLWMLRECWWUTLRTTVLBHYOORGLGOWUXNXHMHYFAACQEKTHSJW

KRKRALLEXXFOLGENDESISTSOFORTBEKANNTZUGEBENXXICHHABEFOLGENDENBEFEHLERHALTENXXJANSTERLEDESBISHERIGXNREICHSMARSCHALLSJGOERINGJSETZTDERFUEHRERSIEYHVRRGRZSSADMIRALYALSSEINENNACHFOLGEREINXSCHRIFTLSCHEVOLLMACHTUNTERWEGSXABSOFORTSOLLENSIESAEMTLICHEMASSNAHMENVERFUEGENYDIESICHAUSDERGEGENWAERTIGENLAGEERGEBENXGEZXREICHSLEITEIKKTULPEKKJBORMANNJXXOBXDXMMMDURNHFKSTXKOMXADMXUUUBOOIEXKP